Skycraft

Rookandstormhornet — Rook flying his Skycraft, the *Stormhornet*.

Skycraft were small, flying vehicles used during the Second Age of Flight and the Third Age of Flight.

Design[]

Skycraft comprised a wooden hull carved out of buoyant sumpwood into the shape of a creature of the Edge, coated in buoyant varnish which allowed the wood to remain stable under all conditions, and small masts and sails to allow the pilot to use the wind to manipulate the direction of the craft. Skycraft were usually named after the creature which the hull had been carved into the shape of. The main place they were made was in the Free Glades and these were piloted by the Librarian Knights who had carved the hulls.

Skycraft formation — A skycraft formation

Skycraft were operated by flight-levers but unlike Sky Ships, the arrangement of the levers and what they did was customizable. Ten standard levers were stern and prow weights (weights that controlled the weight of the front and back of the ship), starboard and port weights (these controlled the left and right of the ship), a mid hull weight (controlling the middle of the ships weight), mainsails (either one or two, these were the main sails that were pointed upward and usually the largest), a skysail (coneccted to the front of the craft pointing up), a jib (connected to the front of the craft point straight), and a staysail (connected to the front of the craft pointing down). As you can see in the picture (right) this craft has a mainsail, a jib, a staysail, and two unkown flight weights. These were likely all on the same row (instead of two rows on either side) because of only two weights, but three sails.

Skycrafts through the Ages of Flight[]

Because stone-sickness rendered large sky ships impossible, skycraft were the only means of taking to the air between the end of the First Age of Flight and the invention of phraxships in the Third Age of Flight. Due to the difference in design, it was impossible to build giant skycraft; most were only big enough to hold one or two people.

During the Second Age, Skycraft design was fairly basic - single-occupant skycraft with one sail, wherein the pilot sat straddling the craft much like a saddled prowlgrin.

As phraxflight developed, skycrafts became less and less common, and by the time of The Immortals were considered a rare sight - though at least one skycraft, the Varis Lodd, was active during the events of The Immortals, and at least a dozen were active and used by webfoot goblins during the Cade Trilogy. The designs of these skycraft varied from the classic skycraft look - the Varis Lodd resembled a frame of sumpwood, with two large masts, a carved prow, and a covered aftcastle, and was piloted from a standing position in the central platform.

Phineal Glyfphith's skycraft, the Caterbird, also differed from the conventional design. It had two conventional seats either side of the craft's body, and the craft could be controlled from either seat.