November 2020: Skywright's Guild Revamp

This month's post was prompted in part by a rethink of the relationship between skyships and airships in Frozen Skies and in part by a suggestion by user MicaMoo on the Unofficial Savage Worlds Discord. Hopefully this will ultimately expand couple of aspects of the setting and give one or two things greater importance within the world. Overall, something that adds to the setting.

Masters of the Sky

I've already written about the Skywright's Guild, how I've stated that the Guild is the largest builder and operator of aero-vessels in Damonica. This is something I'm going to keep for the most part, though I'm making some changes in relation to the proposed changes to technology behind the skyships.

I'm looking at going with a device known as an Aero-Lift Engine (ALE) that derived from Ancient technology and is used to produce lift for skyships. Thinking the Guild managed to stumble upon an Ancient skyship and reverse-engineered some of it's technology in order to create the first ALEs, thus allowing the Guild to gain a huge edge in the aero-vessel market. Of course the Guild has a strong interest in keeping the ALEs origins a secret and so regularly scout out Ancient skyships and supply their own engineers to maintain ALEs on various skyships. This means whilst anyone can build a skyship, they must accept the fact that they have to lease an ALE from the Guild and have Guild staff on-board.

The Aero-Lift Engines work by vaporising grounded, high-grade glimmer-rock crystals and then driving an electrical current through the resultant gas (dubbed 'Glimgas') to produce a superior lifting capability. Though the process isn't fully understood even by the Guild itself, yet it has actively sought to sabotage efforts by other parties to create their own ALE.

Airships (or gasbags) use a mixture of conventional lifting gas and low-grade glimmer rock that's been ground to dust, though used high-grade Glimgas that's been collected by the Guild and sold as mid-grade is sometimes used. Because Glimgas (regardless of how it's produced) requires an electrical current, it is carried in separate gas cells to helium or hydrogen to reduce fire risk. Due to the poorer quality of this type of Glimgas and the prices charged by the Guild, it's generally used to give a boost to more conventional lifting gases. Those who can afford it, airships that solely use low-grade Glimgas have greater lifting capability compared to conventional gases but this still falls far short of what a skyship is capable of.

Having the monopoly on ALEs, simply due to being the sole supplier, the Guild has a presence in every nation save for the Iron Collective. Guild facilities are well guarded and shipments of ALEs to various aero-shipyards are done under heavy guard, typically the Guild's own aero-marines known as the Skyguard. The Skyguard also accompany Guild personnel on expeditions to crashed Ancient skyships that have been discovered or protect ALEs and have orders to destroy them to protect the Guild's secrets.

When the Iron Collective was first formed, the Guild reluctantly had as many of it's facilities as it could within the former Holy Sodkan Empire destroyed, though one or two facilities are suspected to have fallen into the Collective's hands. To this end, the Guild has been the most vocal about combating the Collective and has gained the support of Sodkan exiles. There are rumours that the Guild has a special Skyguard unit that is sent on raids into the Collective to hinder it's aero-vessel construction capability.

The Iron Collective Revisited

This week it is the turn of the Iron Collective to receive the 'Revisited' treatment. Again this is another nation that I'm largely happy with how it currently stands, save perhaps for tweaks and refinements here and there. Though I do have an idea for a possibly big addition to the lore of the Iron Collective.

Mind Over Matter

The Order of the Great Machine has virtual control over all aspects of life within the Iron Collective, having completely rebuilt Sodkan society after assuming power in the wake of the Holy Sodkan Empire's collapse. The radical changes made by the Order are unheard of in other nations and strangely the Collective's citizens seemingly accepted them without question soon after the Collective was formed.

How, and why?

The secret of the Order's total control pre-dates the founding of the Collective, technically even the Great Darmonican War and possibly even the founding of the Holy Sodkan Empire. At some point in the Order's early existence one its members stumbled across data about the Ancient Terrans' methods of maintaining control over its slave labour force, something that was brought to the attention of the Order's hierarchy. It was revealed that the Ancients used a special chemical in the labourers' food coupled with a combination of radio signal based mind control and subliminal messaging.

It took a series of experiment before the Order managed to replicate the Ancients' technique and a plan was hatched to put the technique into action. By this point the Holy Sodkan Empire was embroiled in the Great Darmonican War and rationing was widespread, being particularly harsh for the Empire's working classes. The Order decided to take advantage of this situation by opening up soup kitchens in various towns and cities, the special control chemical being implanted in the food given out by the kitchens. Once the Order was confident enough that even people had eaten the tainted food, the next phase of the plan was put into action.

Radio transmitters and broadcasts were set up by the Order, gradually increasing in coverage as the soup kitchens were expanded. Soon enough those who'd eaten the tainted food were slowly being brainwashed by the Order, this was helped by widespread disgruntlement of the way the war was going and was something seized upon by the Order. Fuelled by the Order's efforts, unrest began to grow across the Empire as the Order sought to weaken the Imperial Government before seizing control.

The Blast and resultant death of Empress Polinia Serlov came as a surprise to the Order, though it wasted no time in taking over. With much of the citizenry under its control, the Order quickly instituted the Classification system to help realise its ambitions. Though it became apparent that some people were resistant to the Order's mind control techniques, prompting them being called the Unclassified. Whilst those who end up being Declassified stop receiving the tainted food that aids the Order's control over the person in question, usually resulting in people slowly been 'weaned' and thus breaking free of the Order's control. This is typically why the Declassified are either killed on sight or deported to a prison camp to prevent them from openly rebelling against the system.

Even foreigners eating the food within the Collective and staying within range of the many control transmitters are at risk of falling victim to the Order's control, giving rise to a number of so-called 'converts' within the past few years. There are rumours that the Order may be expanding its control outside of the Collective's borders, quietly subverting the populace of neighbouring countries.

The Airman's Gazetteer: Colony of Orduesh

Little bit of a chance of pace, a return to the Airman's Gazetteer series to expand the world of Darmonica. This week is a look at something that has been mentioned previously; the Commonwealth Colony of Orduesh. This desert outpost is surrounded by hostile lands and border skirmishes are a way of life, yet the Commonwealth still holds onto it.

Source: RAF Museum

Desert Days

The Colony of Orduesh is centered round the city of the same name, originally part of the Holy Sodkan Empire but later acquired via treaty by the Commonwealth following a past conflict. It lies at the eastern end of the Mammut Sea, the Commonwealth's only port on that body of water. With the sea to the west, it is bordered on its three other sides by the desolute deserts of the Sultanate of Taramate has grown increasingly hostile to the Commonwealth in recent years.

So why does the Commonwealth maintains this outpost?

The answer is complex.

First and foremost is that Orduesh is a major source of Aerothium for the Commonwealth, providing lift gas for the aero-vessels of the Royal Aero-Fleet and Commonwealth aligned trade consortiums. There are a number of mines were the raw mineral is extracted before being shipped to the refinery in Orduesh City and processed into its gas form. Since it is of such a great strategic importance, elements of the Commonwealth's military guard both related facilities and shipments.

Orduesh is also strategically located, not only on the eastern end of the Mammut Sea but also for its proximity to the Union of Sodkan Republics. This enables the Commonwealth to better maintain relations and even trade with the Republics, in addition to providing a route for Commonwealth agents to get in and out of the Iron Collective. Though it does make the colony vulnerable to sky pirates operating out of the Republics.

Use In Games

Orduesh could provide an interesting alternative to Alyeska, there are more major factions at play and their respective interests clash with one another. There is conflict between the Commonwealth and Taramate, as well as occasional clashes with the Republics and sky pirates. There is also the chance of doing dangerous, but highly profitable, smuggling runs into both the Sultanate and the Iron Collective. Orduesh could also serve as the base for a campaign revolving round Commonwealth operatives taking action against the Collective or getting involved in the politics of the Republics.

Frozen Skies: A Classified Report

Last week's post of some in-setting fluff proved to be a big hit, so here is a sequel of a sorts. If this proves to be as popular I'll certainly see about doing some more along similar lines. There is potential to do newspaper articles, letters, extracts from books and other pieces.

So if you want to see more of this, then please let me and in particular the sort of stuff you want to see.

CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET

AIR MINISTRY EYES ONLY

RE: UNIDENTIFIED SKYSHIP

YOUR LORDSHIPS,

AS PER YOUR RECENT REQUEST I HAVE COMPILED TOGETHER THE VARIOUS REPORTS MADE OF AN UNIDENTIFIED SKYSHIP SIGHTED ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER OF ALYESKA IN RECENT MONTHS. I HAVE DRAWN UPON SOURCES RANGING FROM AERO-FLEET PERSONNEL THROUGH TO CIVILIAN FRONTIERSMEN, MAKING NOTE OF THE DETAILS THEY HAVE ALL PROVIDED IN ORDER TO WRITE MY REPORT ON THE MATTER.

I HAVE NOT SUCCEEDED IN POSITIVELY IDENTIFYING THE ORIGINS OF THE MYSTERIOUS SKYSHIP. INSTEAD I HAVE THREE THEORIES, THOUGH I FEAR THEY WILL RAISE MORE QUESTIONS THAN PROVIDE ANY ANSWERS. EACH THEORY HAS ITS PROS AND CONS THAT I SHALL ENDEAVOUR TO COVER, THOUGH I MUST STRESS THEY ARE ONLY THEORIES.

1. THE PREVAILING THEORY IS THAT THE CRAFT IS ANCIENT TERRAN IN ORIGIN, SOMETHING THAT WOULD ACCOUNT FOR ITS DESIGN. THOUGH MOST ANCIENT AERO-CRAFT ENCOUNTERED TO DATE HAVE BEEN HALF-BURIED, RUSTY HULKS THAT WOULD REQUIRE CONSIDERABLE RESOURCES TO MAKE AIRWORTHY. EVEN IF SUCH A FEAT WAS ACHIEVED, OUR KNOWLEDGE OF ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY IS STILL PITIFUL AND I DOUBT SUCH A CRAFT COULD BE MADE OPERATIONAL WITH OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING.

FURTHER MORE, DESCRIPTION OF THE CRAFT DOES NOT SUGGEST SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN SALVAGED AND PATCHED TOGETHER. THE CONDITION REPORTED APPEARS THE CRAFT IS A MUCH MORE RECENT BUILD, SO THIS IS A THEORY THAT I WOULD DISCOUNT.

2. THE IRON COLLECTIVE IS A STRONG CANDIDATE, THOUGH DUE TO ITS ISOLATIONIST NATURE WE ONLY HEAR RUMOURS OF ITS MILITARY AND TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITIES. THUS DUE TO OUR LIMITED KNOWLEDGE AND INTELLIGENCE, IT IS ENTIRELY PLAUSIBLE THAT THE COLLECTIVE HAS MANAGED TO DESIGN AND BUILD NEW DESIGNS OF AERO-VESSELS WITHOUT OUR KNOWLEDGE.

WHERE THIS THEORY FALLS DOWN IS THAT AT THE END OF THE LAST WAR, WITH THE SKYWRIGHTS GUILD'S BLESSING, THE RAF LAUNCHED STRIKES AGAINST SKYSHIP FACILITIES WITHIN THE THEN FLEDGING COLLECTIVE. INTELLIGENCE REPORTS AT THE TIME ESTIMATED 5 TO 10 YEARS BEFORE THE COLLECTIVE'S FACILITIES TO MAINTAIN AND CONSTRUCT NEW SKYSHIPS WERE FULLY RESTORED. BASED ON CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATES, IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE COLLECTIVE WOULD NOT INTRODUCE NEW DESIGNS FOR ANOTHER FIVE YEARS.

IF THE COLLECTIVE HAS MANAGED TO NOT ONLY MAKE FULLY OPERATIONAL ITS SKYSHIP FACILITIES BUT CONSTRUCT AND COMMISSION NEW DESIGNS, IT SHOWS THAT WE HAVE SEVERELY UNDERESTIMATED THE CAPABILITIES OF THAT STATE.

ADDITIONALLY, IF IRON COLLECTIVE VESSELS ARE NOW ROAMING THE WESTERN REACHES OF ALYESKA IT SHOWS THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO DANGEROUSLY OUTFLANK US. IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS FEAR WE HAVE TO PRESUME THAT THE COLLECTIVE HAS MANAGED TO NAVIGATE THE POLAR REGIONS, THUS GIVING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO STRIKE AT THE TRADITIONALLY UNDER-DEFENDED NORTHERN AND WESTERN REGIONS OF THE HOME ISLES. THIS PROSPECT ALONE SHOULD BE THE RAF'S PRIMARY CONCERN GOING FORWARDS REGARDLESS OF OTHER FACTORS.

3. THE FINAL THEORY IS THAT AN UNKNOWN POWER FAR TO THE WEST OF ALYESKA HAS STARTED EXPANDING EASTWARD.

THIS THEORY HAS SOME CREDENCE AS ANOTHER EMPIRE IS BELIEVE TO EXIST BEYOND THE EASTERN FRONTIERS OF WHAT IS NOW THE IRON COLLECTIVE. BEFORE THE WAR THERE WERE REPORTS OF PERSONS WHO CLAIMED TO BE FROM THE DISTANT EAST AND SPOKE OF A VAST EMPIRE. OTHER DETAILS ARE SOMEWHAT SCARCE, THUS LEAVING US TO ONLY GUESS AT THIS UNKNOWN EMPIRE'S TECHNOLOGICAL PROWESS AND CAPABILITIES.

I CONSIDER THIS THEORY TO BE THE MOST LIKEST OF THE THREE, THOUGH IT IS HEAVILY RELIANT ON THE UNKNOWN. AS HIGHLIGHTED ABOVE, THERE IS SOME EVIDENCE THAT SUGGESTS THAT SUCH AN EMPIRE EXIST BUT IT IS IN PART OF A WORLD THAT WE KNOW SO LITTLE ABOUT. LIKEWISE, THAT IS STILL SO MUCH OF ALYESKA BEYOND THE WULFLANDS THAT REMAIN UNEXPLORED.

IN CONCLUSION

AS STATED, THESE ARE JUST THEORIES AND ONLY OFFER POSSIBLE ANSWERS RATHER THAN ANYTHING CONCRETE. THOUGH IT IS UP TO THE AIR MINISTRY AS TO THE COURSE OF ACTION TO TAKE, IT IS MY STRONG RECOMMENDATION THAT AN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IS DESPATCHED BEYOND THE MALLETT'S RIFT REGION WITH THE VIEW OF ESTABLISHING AN OUTPOST IN THAT AREA. SUCH AN OUTPOST WOULD ALLOW US TO HAVE A PRESENCE IN THE AREA IN QUESTION, INCREASE OUR CHANCES OF INTERCEPTION THE MYSTERIOUS SKYSHIP AND POSSIBLY EVEN AID WITH THE RECLAMATION OF THE WULFLANDS.

SQN LDR F. SCANLAN

R.A.F. INTELLIGENCE

Sodkan Imperial Remnants

Prior to the Great Darmonican War, the Holy Sodkan Empire was considered one of the 'great powers' of Darmonica and held sway over extensive territories. During the course of the war, the Empire suffered huge reversal of fortune and splintered into the Iron Collective and the Union of Sodkan Republics. There are many who mourn the lost of the Empire, there are also others who seek its restoration.

The Imperial Remnants in Alyeska

As territory controlled by a wartime enemy of the Empire, Alyeska may seem an odd choice for Sodkan Imperialists to establish themselves. Alyeska is a frontier land and the Commonwealth's hold isn't absolute (as Broken Spires will attest), meaning that there are places that the Imperialists can claim as their own. Whilst it means that they have greater freedom to act, it also means that they are also vulnerable to attack. For now, Commonwealth control over Alyeska seems to be a deterrence against the Iron Collective and the Imperialists view it as a necessary evil.

The Imperialists' goal is the overthrow of the Iron Collective and the restoration of the Holy Sodkan Empire. However, there are many different ideas as to how that can be achieved. Presently the main focus is on hiring privateers to attack Iron Collective shipping, the purpose for this is twofold; the Imperialists get a cut of the plunder to help fund themselves and at the same time they learn a little more about the tactics of the Iron Collective. For this they rely on agents outside of Alyeska, though with the skyships of the Iron Fleet having been spotted in Alyeskan skies they've hired privateers closer to home.

Second option being explored is the idea of stirring up insurrections within the borders of the Iron Collective. The idea of the Sodkan people rising up against the Order of the Great Machine is as appealing as it is ironic, the Order effectively did the same thing in its rise to power. The biggest hurdle is providing support to the insurrections as it will have to come through the Union of Sodkan Republics. However, the Republics have been less than willing to back this idea and so the Imperialists have started trying to get their people into positions of influence.

The third and final option is also the most drastic: Forming a new Sodkan Empire in Alyeska. Doing this would put the Imperialists at odds with the Commonwealth, since not surprisingly the Commonwealth will react angrily. It would require a heavy commitment from the Imperialists as they would need to raise their own military and fight a costly war to achieve their goal. There isn't much support for this idea, but that support may grow if other options final to materialize in what the Imperialists want.

The Airman's Gazetteer: The Iron Collective

This week we return to the Airman's Gazetteer with a look at a nation that's already been extensively covered; the Iron Collective.

This isolationist, technological theocracy is viewed with a great deal of wariness by the other nations of Darmonica. It has refused to maintain any diplomatic relation. Its goals and motives are unknown, the regime refuses to let any of its citizens be exposed to any external influence. All everyone can do is keep a close eye on the Iron Collective.

The Iron Collective

Every aspect of life within the Iron Collective is dominated by the Order of the Great Machine, originally an offshoot of the Cult of the Great Maker. The Order views society as being one, gigantic machine with every man, woman and child forming an intricate part of that machine by having their own particular roles to play. To achieve this end, the Order has completely rebuilt Sodkan society from the ground up. Families no longer exist, instead the State pairs people up and gives them a quota of children to produce. The pairings and quotas are dependent on various factors such as local population, required traits, etc. All this is administrated under the State Bureau of Social Affairs and Development, which also collects genetic samples from every citizen to analyse and to keep on record.

Children typically stay with their parents until they turn five years old, at which point they are taken and placed in a state academy. They complete their 'Primary Phase' education which ensures that they're educated to a reasonable standard in addition to being continuously assessed. These assessments come into play when the child turns 13 and starts their 'Secondary Phase' of education, this is when they receive their Classification and directed towards a certain trade. The trade chosen is based on the Primary Phase assessments and is considered to be what the particular will be best suited for. They will then be sent to specialized academies for the chosen trade to do their Secondary Phase education. The trade, and Classification, is permanent and isn't normally allowed to be changed. Though before starting Secondary Phase education a person can petition for a certain trade, but must complete a more vigorous assessment to prove that trade is suitable for them.

Crime is punished by Declassification, effectively a revoking of a person's rights as a citizen. They cannot collect their state rations, cannot receive healthcare and cannot get what is considered to be a 'legal' job. The Declassified tend to wind up either in state labour camps or forced to seek refuge in the fringes of society. There are also what is known as the Unclassified which are spilt into two broad categories. The first category is those who fail their Primary Phase, basically their assessments were too inconclusive to assign a trade. The other category is 'non-citizens', basically those who aren't in the system. Their status is similar to the Declassified, but they do have a greater freedom of movement within the Collective and can apply for state 'work for benefits' programmes to gain access to basic rations and healthcare. Both groups tend to form the Iron Collective's criminal underworld, they are also the ones that are more likely to deal with outsiders.

The Collective has no currency, people work assigned jobs to receive rations and other state benefits. Though bartering does occur, but that tends to be in areas away from the central authority. Despite it being illegal, some people do trade with other nations but they have to use that nation's currency in order to do so. Non-Classified citizens have an easier time of this than their Classified cousins, the Unclassified in particular who can move around more freely and tend to form the bulk of the traders who operate out of the Collective. The Iron Guard, the state's combined military and police force, does try to clamp down on the cross-border trading but border duties tend to be fulfilled by the Unclassified who sign on as auxiliaries and are more willing to turn a blind eye. The central authority has slowly been expanding its reach and important border settlements now have a detachment of Regulators, the Collective's secret police.

The biggest shock to outsiders entering the Collective is the efforts being remade to rebuild the entire country on a so-called 'grid pattern'. Settlements have been razed and then rebuilt on a grid layout with future expansion planned to keep inline with this. Roads, railways and even rivers have been rerouted to form straight lines. This gets more noticeable as you travel deep into the heart of the Collective, but even the border regions aren't completely immune from this. The stated reason is 'too improve efficiency', but many fear a much more darker reason.

Rogue's Gallery: Petro Broklaw

Alyeska is home to many who are on the run from their past, either seeking to start over or just keep a step ahead of whoever is after them. The Great Darmonican War and its aftermath saw something of a surge in such persons, each one forced into exile for one reason or another. Petro Broklaw is one of many Sodkans who have settled in Alyeska, especially after the rise of the Iron Collective in their old homeland.

Quick PSA: No new blog posts until 16th August since I'm taking bit of a break.

Declassified and Exiled

Source: Crimson Skies (PC, 2000)

Petro Broklaw was born during the early years of the Great Darmonican War, his father was one of the top scientists of the Holy Sodkan Empire. From a young age Petro showed a strong technical aptitude, managing to excel in engineering based subjects at school and completing a course at his local Technical College with honours. He then applied for and was accepted at the Imperial Academy of Engineering where he choose to specialize in aeronautics, quickly acquiring sponsorship from the Imperial Sodkan Air Force.

Initially Petro was involved in improving existing aircraft designs as a junior engineer, his first job was helping to introduce the design improvements onto the production lines. Gradually he took on more of the design and testing work, eventually working on prototypes before the end of the war. He was introduced to the Order of the Great Machine by a colleague and Petro believed the Order was going to help bring about technological enlightenment, prompting him to become an early supporter of the Order. It was thanks to the Order that Petro started delving into the principles of Weird Science, some of which he incorporated into his aircraft designs.

When the Order seized power it didn't bring about the technological enlightenment that Petro was expecting and he became increasingly critical of the new government. He started to refuse to work on military related projects, opting instead to develop more utility based designs. Naturally this didn't go down too well with his superiors, it wasn't long before Petro was declared Declassified (effectively an enemy of the state). Having received some forewarning, Petro had already made arrangements in the form of chartering a small transport plane under the cover of visiting various factories. By the time the authorities had realized what had happened Petro had already fled the country, bound for Alyeska where he figured he'd be beyond the Iron Collective's reach.

Once in Alyeska he set himself up as an aircraft mechanic, managing to live comfortably until he was approached by a sky pirate outfit known as the Tundra Wolves. The Wolves mainly went after high value cargo such as gold bullion or rare artefacts, preferring to avoid needless killing where possible. They approached Petro because their last mechanic had died (a combination of alcohol and ice) and they needed an edge against other, more ruthless outfit. Petro agreed to work for the Wolves and started out fixing their planes before gradually modifying them and then building brand new designs. The Wolves for their part paid well and some time later Petro went independent and setup his own workshop in Broken Spires, but he remains as a retainer for the Wolves who are his top customers and enjoy a special discount.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Knowledge (Science) d18, Knowledge (Aeronautics) d8, Notice d8, Piloting d4, Repair d8, Shooting d6, Weird Science d10
Charisma: -; Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Cautious, Pacifist (Minor), Wanted (Major)
Edges: Arcane Background (Weird Science), Gadgeteer, Mr Fix It, New Powers, Rapid Recharge, Scholar
Gear: Machine Pistol (12/24/48, 2d6-1, RoF: 3, AP1 Auto)
Powers: Darksight (goggles), deflection (belt), farsight (goggles) obscure (harness), teleport (harness)