TheMerlin

Broken Skies

I think I like the crystal core idea. Say that it's some kind of unobtainium type thing mined from the deep sky that not only provides levitation, but also fuel for the engines or allows for fusion energy to be stable enough to work, one of the two.

Well anyways, at least we're starting to narrow things down a bit.

Broken Skies

Yes, they have engines. I also had the idea of airships being built around floating islands at their core that provide levitation while the engines give thrust, but idk if I should implement that idea or not. On the one hand, it seems like the logical thing to do when there are floating islands everywhere, but on the other it's kind of... Mundane? Like it's not some high tech anti-gravity thing, it's just slapping some big engines onto a piece of floating rock and dressing it up as a flying ship. Feels like I can do better than that, idk. What do you guys think?

Broken Skies

"I plan to take control of the helm...if we can turn it, we can jam the rudder and set it ablaze...That is where you come in Arn, though I'd advise you not to stick around afterwards. I plan to use it to ram one of the other frigates with."

@Omni5876

Woops, I thought Tyr was talking to Leo at the time I was writing my post. Must've misread it, I'll just make a quick edit to my post.

As for the airships, I apologize for not describing them too well. At all really. It seems like I've been apologizing for a lot of things lately, but I have to admit that I do tend to skimp on the details a lot so I can post quicker and it sometimes just ends up causing more problems like right now. I'll try to be more descriptive with my writing in the future, at least when it counts.

Appearance wise, I think the best visual reference would be what I've already included in the intro and interest check which is this:

Hider

So basically what @deia876lat said except with jet propulsion instead of propellers. In terms of weaponry, lasers are a thing, but they're more for point defence and close range 'knife fights' between airships and soldiers because of how quickly they lose effectiveness over long distances. For the most part, kinetic weaponry such as missiles, cannon shells and bullets still hold sway with railguns being the most powerful form of direct fire weaponry and nukes, yes nukes, being the weapons of mass destruction we all know and loathe.

Shielding and cloaking technology are also a thing though, so even nukes aren't quite so devastating as they used to be. All of these however pale in comparison to what mages and some ki users are capable of with enough talent and training. For example, the Sorcerer King who managed to pull all four moons down from the sky. In all honesty, our characters are very underpowered for what they'll be going up against throughout the roleplay, but hopefully they'll improve a lot along the way. If they survive that is.

Broken Skies

As Nena flied through the storm clouds, she looked back for a moment to check on the Incorruptible, but it had already vanished from view. The rain was so thick that she could barely breathe and when she turned to look forward again, one of the refugee ships seemed to appear out of nowhere as it emerged from the thick mists ahead, its light beams barely penetrating through the rain.

"Why would they need a storm if they already have these guys as cover?" Nena asked aloud as Petra banked smoothly out of the way to avoid the airship. "Do you think they're hiding something?"

Petra shrilled a call in response, to which Nena nodded in agreement.

"You're right, no point in yakking about it. They can just have it back!"

Closing her eyes, Nena focused on her link with Gaia until she could see the magic of the Empire's mages at work, glowing like the Aether in the darkness. She could see their strings of light whipping the clouds into a frenzy, whirling about like spinning floss. When it came to countering a mage's magic, there were two possible approaches. One was to weave a spell of one's own to use against it and the other was to seize control of theirs. Nena chose the latter as she opened her eyes, threw out a hand in front of her and began casting her magic.

There were at last three casters working together to conjure the storm. One on each frigate, Nena presumed as she wrapped her own threads of mana around theirs, binding them together and pulling them towards herself. It happened so quickly and so suddenly that the enemy barely had time to react, and by the time they realized what was happening, Nena had thrown the storm back in their faces. Not enough to remove it from around herself and the refugees, but enough to envelop the Empire frigates as well.

By this time, Nena was now close enough to trace the enemy's mana back to their sources and for just a brief moment, she opened a tunnel through the storm clouds so she could see the Empire frigates with her own eyes before closing it again. Now she knew where to hit them. Closing her hand into a fist, Nena chilled the air around the enemy ships until ice formed in the surrounding storm clouds and with a single chopping motion, she brought her hand down as she sent a barrage of hailstones pelting into their hulls like bullets.

Sensing a shift in the magic of the Vaimese casters, Nena could tell that they were now on the defensive as they hastily cut their links from the storm. It would now occur of its own accord and subside in a matter of time, but Nena was too physically and mentally exhausted to prevent the enemy from controlling the storm again if they tried.

Hope that was enough, she thought as she looked around the roiling skies, wondering when reinforcements were supposed to show up.

---

Leo only nodded in agreement as Tyrhallan shared his plan. After all, what was there to say? It was a sound plan and a simple one at that. More importantly in the next few moments, Leo was finally about to get the action he had been craving since his arrival at the village of Presper. Since the day he heard the call to arms against the coming fleet of the Empire, mobilizing for war. Since the day he first picked up a sword. This was the rush he was looking for.

Shaken out of his thoughts by the Knight Captain, Leo looked back as Tyrhallan grabbed him by the shoulders.

"I FORBID YOU TO DIE!" He roared at him. "Get back alive, we still have a match to settle!"

When the Knight Captain leaped out of the dropship, Leo walked up to the open side door and couldn't help feeling a little bit jealous as he looked back at the stone in Arn's hand. "I think he likes you!" Leo called out above the howling winds and then to the pilot, "Take us to the rudder!"

Looking out the door, he immediately saw a column of smoke billowing out from one of the frigate's engines and wondered if something had happened earlier. Was there someone else attacking the enemy or was it just technical problems? Either way, it seemed like something that could be factored into their plans and Leo pointed it out as he said, "Looks like that one's about to blow. We could take that out if things go south."

Then a sudden jolt of turbulence made the dropship buck wildly and Leo fell rather than jumped out of the side door.

"Oh sh-" he had time to say before he was suddenly airborne, plummeting towards the middle of the frigate rather than anywhere near its rudder.

Oh well, the Silver Spider thought with a mental shrug as he adjusted his body into a dive and trusted in the artificial muscle fibres of his nerve suit to take the force of the landing. More action for me.

Broken Skies

So after a bit of thought about the regular army rankings, I've decided that instead of this:

Soldier > Sergeant > Captain > Commander > General

It will now be this:

Private > Corporal > Sergeant > Lieutenant > Captain > Major > Colonel > General

I'll have to apologize to @Omni5876 for me making a fuss about ranks earlier in a pm. The original idea was to have it resemble how a medieval army would've been organized, that is to say very loosely without much of a formal system at all beyond soldiers > officers > lords > generals > king, but given the technology level of the roleplay and depth of organization we've already come up with for the knights and mages, I figure it'd be best to have a more modern approach instead for the regular army.

Broken Skies

Just a bit of an update, added a new section to the lore for the Army of Belisio, specifically in regards to ranking structures. Still need to work on rank insignias for regular soldiers though. Thinking about making a retcon or two in the process.

Broken Skies

Nvm, I edited it into my post. @deia876lat, let's see how things are on Ellis's end.

Broken Skies

That's alright, there's no need to rush. We're all free to go at our own pace here.

Anyways, I meant to write a bit more in my post just now about the situation with the refugees, but didn't have enough time. Guess it can wait til the next one.

Broken Skies

"You two are coming with me, if we get separated, do what you must to halt the enemy's advances. Dalmer...do not make me regret giving you free reign on this. We need to hit hard, preferably taking them out if we can..." He said as his eyes hardened again. "Move out. We'll take the Dropship."

"Aye, sir," Leo replied with a lazy salute before shooting a sideways glance at Arn, interested to see how he would respond.

Leo had not expected Tyrhallan to seriously try recruiting the mage from another battlegroup, at least not without going through its commanding officer first, but then again he was acting on the king's direct order and time was apparently short. Still, for a Knight Captain to give orders to a mage as though he were one of his own men was nothing short of audacious. What if they were of equal rank? Or even worse, what if the mage held seniority?

Arn however shrugged his acknowledgement of the request/order from the silver haired knight. “Very well, if I can be of assistance I will follow you."

Now that was a surprise. Afterwards when Arn had finished speaking to a younger battlemage and turned to address both knights again, Leo chuckled as he said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're alright."

Turning to follow Tyrhallan towards the dropship, the Silver Spider said over his shoulder, "So tell us, Arbiter. What's your final verdict on our match?"

Seeing the trio approach, the soldier from the dropship hopped back on board and clapped the pilot on the shoulder as he said, "Good to go."

The pilot simply nodded his head and spoke a single sentence into his mouthpiece, "Reinforcements en route."

Meanwhile...

---

Somewhere along the border, a beleaguered captain sighed with relief upon hearing the message as his officers bickered among themselves aboard the bridge of the Incorruptible, a frigate of Belisio.

"That's why we should just shoot through them!" shouted a particularly scarred and bearded man as he stabbed a finger towards the refugee ships in the distance. "They could have spies on board anyway, it's for the safety of the kingdom!"

"We would be no better than the Empire then!" another retaliated, a bespectacled woman with eyes as fierce as an eagle's.

"The alternative is to wait until the enemy is upon us and then we'll have lost without firing a single shot," the third and most elderly of the group replied. "I'd rather we go down fighting at least."

"It need not come to that," the captain interjected as he approached his officers. "Reinforcements will be with us soon, so all we have to do is hold the line until they get here."

"But what if the enemy arrives first?"

Nena Hwun had her back to the officers as she stood at the window, keeping the skies clear with her magic. The three enemy frigates hiding behind the refugee ships evidently had casters of their own as storm clouds approached from the west, but Nena effortlessly held them back as she maintained a pocket of calm around the Incorruptible. Her mana cast in a wide net around the airship.

Even as she focused on her magic however, she could not help overhearing the conversation behind her and spoke up as though there was not a serious crisis at hand, "Hey, I could try slowing them down if you guys want."

"Quiet freelancer," the bearded officer growled, offended by her lack of formality. "You have one job and that's to-"

"Do it," the captain interrupted as he held up a halting hand towards his subordinate. "If you can, please do. Every second counts."

Slowly lowering her hands to her sides, Nena let go of the magic holding the storm clouds at bay and lightning immediately flashed behind her as she turned around to face the captain with a smile.

"Sure thing, boss," she said, tipping the brim of her pointed hat before walking past the officers.

"Where are you going?" the captain asked.

"I need eyes on target, but don't worry. I brought a friend who can help."

And with that, Nena was gone. Moving from the bridge to the top deck of the airship, she emerged from the cabin and whistled in wonder as the wind and rain howled all around her, threatening to blow her hat off.

"These Empire folks sure don't mess around," she said to no one in particular while approaching the rail on the portside of the deck. "Well let's show them what we can do. Come on, Petra!"

Putting her fingers to her mouth, Nena whistled as loudly as she could and a distant eagle cry sounded in response. Only this was no mere eagle, but a great white roc with a wingspan almost covering the entire width of the Incorruptible as it descended from above, answering her master's call.

With a spirited hyup! Nena vaulted over the rail and landed on the back of her formidable companion as it swooped down to collect her.

"Good girl!" the mage cooed, patting Petra on the neck as they flew towards the refugee ships. "Now let's go save the day."

Broken Skies

Ah, okay. So there's a mix of groups gathered on the hill. Guess I don't need to change anything then.

So yeah, now that we've got that all straightened out, the answer's still the same @Omni5876. It's all up to you how Arn responds.