Aeronauts, A Sky-Rat's Life for Me!

So ye think ye have what it takes to be an Aeronaut? Most folk think the job be all blue skies and sunsets, but it ain’t! The world is broken, and ye must sail it despite that. Worst yet, there be monsters out there—phantoms beneath the full moon, dungeon guardians, and things far worse lurkin’ in the dark. If ye’ve got the grit for it, ye may yet survive the skies.

In ages past, the world below was swallowed whole by the howlin’ storms of mankind’s darkest sorcery. Kingdoms were cast down into ruin below, the seas were ripped from their beds and hurled into the abyssal void, and the land itself was torn asunder—broken into driftin’ fragments that now roam the skies like the bones of a dead world. So it remains: the last scraps of civilization cling to floating islands high above an endless, merciless sky.

As such, no true Aeronaut sails the skies without an airship to call their own. Start with a physics assembler—ye can glue the whole thing together later if ye can locate bees that is. Build upon that frame and shape yerself a platform fit to live on. Once that be done, all ye need is a lever, a hot-air burner, and plenty of hot-air envelopes to lift yer vessel skyward. And when ye be ready to truly roam the clouds, add an engine and propellers to sail free upon the winds. Every Aeronaut’s ship be different, so build it how ye will.

Yet no airship be made great by timber and sails alone—the crew be the heart of every vessel, so choose carefully who ye trust to sail beside ye. Travelin’ with fellow Aeronauts can mean the difference between life and death. Sail the skies as a crew, sing sea shanties, drag a fallen mate back from danger, or keep a steady hand at the helm should ye make a tumble and fall overboard.

If fortune favors ye, ye may amass great loot on yer travels—more than any one pack can carry. Stash yer goods in backpacks, keep yer tools close with a tool belt, or craft bundles to keep the clutter down. Live on the move, free of any permanent base to weigh ye down. The finest vessels ever built be outfitted with mighty vaults and craftin’ terminals fit for seasoned Aeronauts with plundered loot aplenty.

As yer journey carries on, so too must yer tools improve. Start with simple metal—tools, armor, and spears to see ye through the early days. Then forge ahead with iron, craftin’ shears, shields, and muskets for the perils yet to come. If ye be the engineerin’ sort, there be wrenches, goggles, and engines to tinker with. Brave sky dungeons and strange worlds beyond for the finest loot, and make a name for yerself as a legendary Aeronaut.

An Aeronaut who ignores the arcane be a fool doomed to sink with their ship. The skies hide curses, monsters, and mysteries no blade nor musket can conquer alone. Bend strange magicks to yer will, perform forbidden rites, and harvest rare treasures from powers beyond mortal understandin’. A crew sailin’ with a battle-mage or mystic aboard be worth more than a hold full of treasure, for there be few dangers the arcane cannot overcome.