Airship Components: R&D Contest (NA) - Entry Thread

[Volsung]

Character: Adell Raynes
Server: Balmung
Component: Blazing Ifspresso Machine
Item: Scarf of Wondrous Wit.

My Friends and I always need a little pick me up when out adventuring for time on end. The answer to that is Coffee!
When you want the best you need a good heat source. I know just the fellow to provide that!


Next we need a solid metal and mythrite is just the ticket, if tanks can use it, it is good enough to process our delicous drinks.

It may be chilly, but I'm dreaming hot java.

And when I finally get all the materials I can craft up my new Blazing Ifspresso Machine. My friends seem to be drinking coffee
while waiting on coffee.... oh bother.


The community needs this for that little pick me up every day. And who is going to complain about a complimentary food buff?

Ifrit ain't hot!

[Seyrr]

Character: Seyrr Timono
World: Hyperion
Component: Hull de Cuisine
Item: Bluebird Earrings

To withstand the harsh conditions of the Sea of Clouds, your crew needs provisions. Forget salt-cured boar and hardtack - you want something made fresh. I present to you the Bismarck of the skies, th- (what? A giant skywhale? Ugh, I'll rewrite it later.) Ahem. The Hull de Cuisine!


These facilities were designed with guidance from culinary experts, minimizing weight and adapting knife techniques to a moving airship environment.


We have carried out countless tests to adapt your favorite recipes to the unique requirements of airship life. From fresh ingredients procured in the field...


...to adjusting cooking times and flavor profiles for high-altitude dining, no detail has been overlooked in providing meals that are both fortifying and comforting.

[Percimont]

I was notified that there was a bug causing the maximum character length of the submissions to be 1000 characters and that this has been fixed. I am re-posting my entry in its original, intended format. I apologize that I unable to edit or delete my previous posts. As per contest rules, if this repeat post is not eligible for submission, I understand. Thank you.

Character: Percimont Brisenoix
World: Excalibur
Airship Component: Sky Fish Livewell
Requested Prize: Mandragora Choker

Vanu folklore tells of a legendary white whale said to swim in the Sea of Clouds, but adventurers who have visited the region tell stranger tales of all manner of fish living within the clouds. Yet like all good fishing stories, those telling them provide little to support their claims. But what if the stories are true? What if the skies really are teeming with undiscovered sky fish? What cures could be derived from them? What culinary creations?

Despite a growing curiosity, I held my doubts as to the veracity of these fish tales until one fateful afternoon at The Forgotten Knight. A group of adventurers returning from Camp Cloudtop excitedly burst in and laid a bundle on one of the tables. The stench as they unwrapped it was horrific, but all gathered around to see. Though badly decomposed, the fins, flexible scales, and telltale aether bladder all confirmed this to be a sky fish unlike any seen before.



My doubts were erased. Clearly, undiscovered species of sky fish exist in the skies above Abalathia, and they must needs be found. I learned of an upcoming exploratory expedition into the Sea of Clouds, and they agreed to bring back any sky fish specimens they happened to find. However, the decaying smell of the fish at The Forgotten Knight was fresh in my mind (and perhaps still in my clothes). Fresher and preferably live specimens would have to be obtained. Lominsan fishing barges often employ livewells--large chambers filled with sea water--to keep their catches alive until they reach market. Perhaps a similar structure could be designed for sky fish.



I had two short weeks before the exploratory voyage set sail, so I hurriedly set about creating the livewell. My travels took me to Naldiq & Vymelli's, the Moraby Drydocks, and the fishermen's and weavers' guilds to devise schematics for the modified livewell. I ventured first to the Chocobo Forest and then to the Western Highlands of Coerthas to procure the ramie cloth and cedar that I would need for construction.



Using my carpentry skills and some cobalt nails which I purchased from the markets, I crafted a cubic wooden frame measuring five fulms on each side. I secured the ramie cloth to the four walls and top of the cedar frame. I slit an opening in the fabric along one side and fastened a strip of gryphonskin leather around this to create a securable aperture through which sky fish could be placed into the livewell.

My pride at my construction was short-lived, however. As I arrived with it to the airship landing in Ishgard, I soon realized I was not the only inventor promised space on the exploratory airship. I believed strongly in the importance of my plan, but my simple wood-and-cloth box looked downright amateurish compared to the other designs around me. Still, I presented my proposal with confidence and waited anxiously to learn if it was accepted.

[Warr_of_Lint]

Character: Meer’a Mihksa
World: Balmung
Item: Bluebird Earrings
Component: Airship Reverse-Siren Sonar (ARSS)

The song of the siren has lured many unsuspecting sailors to their doom; however, I had a theory that if I were to reverse its polarity, the song could guide ships to safety instead. When I heard about the dangers of airship travel, I knew it was time to make the ARSS a reality.

An old friend allowed me to peruse her notes for a means of containing the siren’s voice. Her assistants were invaluable in helping me find the information I needed. My friends could barely suppress their giggles when they asked where I pulled the idea of my ARSS from; I knew they felt as giddy as I did about this project.



I wish I could show you my old friend, but she graciously asked to remain anonymous. Despite her indispensable aid, she adamantly refused to accept any credit, or as she put it, “liability.”

While traveling to Pharos Sirius to slay the siren—blam!—a detective of “unique” wit literally fell out of the sky. I immediately sensed something great about him, but I must confess, it was not his intelligence that caught my attention.



It was his senseless, yet selfless, determination that truly impressed me. I informed him of my plans and he agreed to help, but I found myself tangled in his misadventures: a string of seemingly unrelated thefts, gang warfare between moogle crimelords, abductions by little green lalafell from the moon, and a murderous plot involving foot odor. After an older man in sunglasses—the only thing he wore aside from underpants—suplexed a train, things started getting weird. I’ll spare you the details, but we ended up saving Eorzea!

Almost forgot where this was going—we also captured the siren’s voice along the way.

Many horrendous fatalities occurred in the design phase, but everyone preemptively refused to let me dedicate my ARSS to their honor. I often cried because of their selfless efforts—that, and the fact that they met indescribably terrible ends. Eventually we solved the problem, which we determined was caused a stubborn crack on the bottom.



I stood in awe of the final prototype. The gorgeous appearance of my ARSS complimented the melodious tone it emitted. My old friend said she expects this to go about as well as her colleague’s attempt to summon a succubus. That sounds like an endorsement to me! It’s ready, get yours today!

[Deli]

Char: Deli Denkryst
Server: Excalibur
Item: Scarf of Wondrous Wit
Component name: Fat Cat Balloon

Have you ever think what will be happening if we keep feeding out fat cat minion?

Introducing~~~ [Drum rolls]
Really really really really ~~~ Fat Cat! Let's just call it Extremely Fat Cat!




It is so fluffy and fat, so it can fly high in the air! So, hurry up and tight your airship to it's legs, or it will fly away. Since fat cat is so lazy and won't move, so fat cat won't mind you attach something to its legs and flying around... (as long as there is no cloud fishes around...)

It's very easy to get one. You just keep feeding the fat cat to the extreme and until it can float up! Not all the fishes works. only certain magical one will give you a flying fat cat. Summon your fat cat and go fish the cloud riders.


with the magical nutrition of the cloud riders in fat cat's belly, your fat cat will be fluffier and fluffier. Eventually, it can be catch the Aether Current and fly high and away.
also, due to the large amount of red balloon bait fat cat swallow together with the hooked cloud riders, Fat Cat Balloon can emit bright light from it's eyes at night/ bad weather to help ppl see clear...


Go fish at The Churning Mists while your Fat Cat summoned. Your fat cat will jump down while you hooked up a fish, and it will be disappear for a while. But, don't worry, once fat cat targeted a fish, it will never let it go. So, eventually you will be hooking up your fat cat back to the land again. However, you will lose the fish tho... (if it's the other "stuffs" hooked but not eatable, fat cat will just stay on the land...) get 100 Cloud riders for Fat Cat and the Fat Cat Balloon is yours.

Have a group of the FC fishers all join in! Let's get this Fat Cat Balloon already!

PSA! please don't ride fat cat balloon and idle... if you let the fat cat idle... it will flip over and demanding ppl pet its belly! Then, horrible things will be happening since the floater is now flipping...

So please be careful!

[Stormfur]

Character name: Stormfur Greymane
World name: Leviathan
In-game Item: Ahriman Choker

Component name: Zundu Totem Figurehead

Throughout our own history, figureheads have been symbolically used to ward off evil and empower the ship with a blessing of success in its endeavors. Images of horses, dragons and swans were used for centuries to denote speed, power and grace - that they might bring their crew home both safe and victorious.

What better way to bless the inaugural voyage of Eorzean airships than with the traditional Zundu Totem Figurehead

Blessed with the powerful synergies of Neverreap Thunder Eggs



the sacrificial blood of a Sanuwa and a single feather from Nunyenunc, the shadowy bird of paradise...



The Zundu Totem Figurehead has been ornately carved from birch wood...



and then filled with the blessings of the Zundu tribe...



to wish our intrepid explorers a safe journey through the tumultuous winds while warding against the nefarious influences of the Great White one and his captive Vundu henchmen.

[Azure_dragon-]

Character name: Marceline Wolfkrone
World name: Balmung
In-game Item: Ahriman Choker
Component name: Behemoth Horn forecastle



There has been some talk around Eorzea that uncharted islands in the sky will soon be open for adventurers to explore. But who other than the twelve knows what kind of dangers we will all face in such uncharted territory. What we all need is a behemoth horn forecastle, deadly, sturdy and intimidating for any unforeseen dangers. This will be no easy task of course, but I’d rather insure my free company’s safety above all else for this upcoming endeavor.



As strong behemoths are, there is no better behemoth to gather from then the king behemoth himself. Massive in size and strength, I will surely need a sizeable group to bring him down. Currently the only known location of this beast is inside the labyrinth of the ancients. Gathering no more than twenty four adventures to defeat this mighty beast, it soon fell.



King behemoth horns are no small item. It took many moons to transport them from mor ’dona to my free company home in the lavender beds. But it was well worth the effort. With this new attachment my company and I should have nothing to fear.

[tahlap]

Character name: Tahla Poaali
World name: Excalibur
In-game Item: Mandragora Choker
Component Name: Ice-Aspected Cereuelum Exhaust Condenser/Beverage Cooler
One thing my free company members and I had noticed in the progress of building and testing our various airship prototypes was how fuel-inefficient it can be! I felt like we were constantly buying tank after tank of it, so I set out to think of a sustainable, Eorzean-friendly solution.



Airship cereuleum comes in liquid tanks, which are heated by fire-aspected crystals, steam drives the engines, and exhaust is vented back out. However, what if we could recapture some of that exhaust and re-condense it back to liquid and route it back to a secondary reservoir? My first step was to research the properties of ice-aspected crystals. We were going to need a very strong essence, clearly - the reaction I formulated out would need to be driven by a strong catalyst but fit in a compact space.



Thankfully, I knew just the place to get such an aetheric essence. I headed back to the Akh Afah Ampitheatre, where I had encountered the primal Shiva. By some strange means, Shiva ended up being somewhat of a friend of mine. I didn't want to end up summoning her, so I figured just a little quiet contemplation would lead me to my answers.



It was successful. I had a compact, albeit very powerful ice-aspected aetherial essence - Diamond Dust.



All I had to do was test prototypes and implement it.



It worked splendidly, thankfully! The efficiency of our cereleum engines got a big boost, meaning we can go farther on less fuel, and stay out on longer voyages before refueling! Also, you can set your drinks nearby and the resultant cooling makes them ice-cold in no time. Going to be great on those long trips to the Diadem.



Now to see if I can't get this patented, maybe I'll sell the design to Garlond Ironworks.

[Rowde]

Top Secret
For Your Eyes Only

Character name: Willig Rowde
World name: Coeurl
In-game Item: Scarf of Wondrous Wit

Component name: Smart Bomb Booster Rockets (SBBR) Mk.III

Working together with my Kobold friends of the 789th Order, we have developed these multi-purpose rocket attachments for airships. In a pinch they can be used for an instant burst of speed during evasive maneuvers, or they can be used to quickly propel an airship to maximum acceleration to get somewhere in a hurry.



While creating his magnum opus, my friend Pickman Gi Gu invented a Smart Bomb Detonator Switch. This device allows for the simultaneous detonation of multiple Smart Bombs at a single time. Gi Gu also conducted the initial field test of what we would later call the SBBR Mk.I by strapping a single Smart Bomb to his own back and detonating it to propel himself forward at an incredible speed.



Acolyte Bo Ga supplied us with additional Smart Bombs for further experiments. We manufactured a hollow cone-shaped casing from a titanium alloy to contain the Smart Bombs and focus their blast. The pointed end is solid, and the larger end is open. The Smart Bombs are packed tightly into the casing and a mythrite screen is affixed over them to hold them in place. The assembled unit is then clamped onto a holding plate (which would be affixed to the stern of an airship). We called these units SBBR Mk.IIs.



Next we conducted field tests by attaching a single SBBR Mk.II to Magitek Armor. This allowed us to determine an adequate scale and ratio for the SBBR Mk.IIIs, which are for accelerating airships. I piloted the Magitek Armor for the SBBR Mk.II field tests and can personally attest that it is quite an exhilarating experience.

The SBBR Mk.IIIs are larger than SBBR Mk.IIs, but still small enough to be handled by a small group of individuals. It's recommended that at least four SBBR Mk.III units be fired in unison to provide a stable boost. (Two units attached to the starboard stern and two units attached to port stern) In addition, since the entire casing is held in place by a holding plate, an empty SBBR Mk.III casing can be replaced with a loaded SBBR Mk.III unit while in flight if multiple boosts will be necessary in short intervals.

Empty SBBR Mk.III casings can be reloaded with fresh Smart Bombs and used again. So multiple loaded SBBR Mk.IIIs can be kept in reserve, or a supply of Smart Bombs to reload empty casings with, or both. This allows the crew more flexibility with allowances depending on the size of their airship and intention of their voyage.

End Report

[Lago]

Character name: Lago Aletheia
World name: Adamantoise
In-game Item: Scarf of Wondrous Wit

Component name: Goddess Figurehead

If there's anything a truly respectable sky pirate ship can't be missing, it's the image of a beautiful woman gracing the prow. Getting a group of artisans to cooperate on a work of art in the workshop would be a daunting task, though. Luckily I knew where to find a statue just like we needed. We could take that one and not have to make one ourselves at all! What better way to get into sky piracy than with a little looting and pillaging, after all?

The first task would be to dislodge it from its base. Nothing a few volleys of magitek cannon fire can't take care of. Time to call in the company's artillery division!



From there it was a simple task to lash the statue to our manacutters and haul it home. Biggs and Wedge's corrupted crystal engines put in good work, but it was the motivational power of cake that really did the heavy lifting.



Hmm... I just hope nothing terrible happens because we moved that thing...



On that day, the world was changed forever...