Skyships of the Glimmering Isles

There are many technologies for taking a vehicle into the sky in Ysa Thalas, from the mechanical to the magical. The Skyships of the Glimmering Isles are of the latter kind. Each ship is tethered to a Glimmerstone - a naturally occurring floating rock that draws the ships aloft.

To harness their natural properties, each stone is carved with runes and placed under enchantments by the Guild of Skywrights, who guard their knowledge closely. The buoyancy of the stone - and therefore the altitude of the Skyship - can then be controlled by the ship's pilot through their strength of will. The ability to do so takes many years of training to develop the level of intense concentration required to control the stone. Not all who embark on the path of Skypilot succeed - the mental discipline required is significant and requires a certain kind of mind.

Within the Glimmering Isles themselves, there are three main Skyship companies: the Glimmering Sails Mercantile Trading Company, the Westerly Merchant Fleet, and the Free Sky Cooperative.