Airship Luxury Express

          The majestic zeppelin soared across a vast sea, carrying with it not only its affluent passengers but the hopes of a new age. Where previously only powerful wizards could levitate things, here was proof that the same miracles were also possible through the genius of modern science. The world of Orb was now undergoing a great and terrible revolution but, at this time, there was only one city among its multitudes where the spirit of this change was in full focus. Alchemist City. Hardly more than three centuries old, it was built on a site that had seen numerous settlements over the last eleven hundred years and, partly because of this, the civic motto of the city was "On the ruins of others." But also on account of the Technomages. Now the Supreme Guild of Technomages, as they were properly referred to, consisted of mages obviously, but ones who uniquely embraced the ideal of combining magic with technology. Elsewhere logicians carried out science in leisurely speculation and wizards used the arcane arts for the purpose of tyrannical domination, yet despite this no one had previously sought to yoke the two under the whip of industrialization. As such Alchemist City quickly became preeminent among the Free Nation city states and only its ancient enemy, the distant and crumbling Old Empire, could plausibly dispute this. It was however a time of relative peace and this gave the Technomages and their minions the opportunity to devote all their energies to expanding their influence among their immediate neighbors. Included in the projects this entailed was the development of airship routes throughout the Free Nations (While being careful to maintain clandestine monopolies over the companies involved) The earlier mentioned zeppelin was the product of this very same plan and it was currently making impressive speed towards the metropolis of its invention after a lengthy journey from the deservedly celebrated city of Vesante-Vix, interrupted only by a brief recreational layover at the island port of Fleurin. That's why, as it neared in approach of its destination, it arrived from the open Thalassic Sea and not via the West Lowlands. Said Low-lands were an expansive stretch of flat country that ran as far as the mountains of Elvany and ended in the east at the flank of the Clavac mountain range where, on the other side of an elevated plateau, Alchemist City throbbed at the mouth of the river Sybeles. If you believe this to be too much detail, consider yourself fortunate that you are presently spared a lesson in the total geography and cosmology of Orb since, if you weren't, this knowledge would no doubt prove too cataclysmic for you to endure.

            Setting aside that apocalypse for the moment, it will be sufficient to return to the present matter of the Airship Luxury Express now rapidly descending from the sky as it made its way to land. With the regiment of men arduously shovelling coal into a furnace hidden deep within its bowels, the passengers aboard the ship had nothing guilt-inducing to distract them as they reclined on their cabin balconies and took in the sites below. One young boy though, Bivels Hazerford, son of Sir Esten Hazerford, wasn't satisfied with this and made an absolute pest of himself about it until his father finally relented and took him to the forward observation deck. There Alchemist City was at last revealing itself and, with a darting finger extended across the inner railing, Bivels unleashed a ceaseless stream of comments and questions while the elder Hazerford did his best to be indulgent.

            "That's Gaol Island isn't it sir?" asked the boy, using the formality his rather stiff old man required of him. Sir Hazerford hadn't even finished nodding to this when he was hit with the next salvo. "Yes! There's the Vampire District there I think. Surely can't image a whole district of vampires though."

         His father chuckled. "Oh, there's not many vampires there Bivels. And I hear the few there are have been mostly gentrified."

         Bivels looked over at his father with a sheepish smile before bouncing back into a fresh run of chatter. "But that is Pox Island behind it and I know they do send the sick there sir! A chum of mine told me so himself at school. Funny thing though sir; doesn't it look like they're both about to get eaten?"