The Liliana (Airship)

The Liliana (Airship)

The G.R.S. Liliana is a wooden airship belonging to the Von Monocle Family and registered as a vessel of the Grand Rislandian Army. Described in For Steam and Country as Rislandia's most infamous airship, the Liliana was one of only five airships of its caliber ever constructed. Of the other four, three were destroyed in skirmishes with the Iron Emperor's forces, and one disappeared six years prior to the events of For Steam and Country and was presumed destroyed. The ship was named by Baron Theodore von Monocle after his wife, Liliana von Monocle, who died of a fever during a cholera epidemic in the 15th Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign while Theodore was away fighting.

Ownership of the Liliana was granted by King Malaky XVI to General Theodore von Monocle and was subsequently inherited by Zaira von Monocle in the 19th Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign. The vessel was maintained by Harkerpal and his team of engineers, and the King held a warehouse of parts for it. The Liliana was used for a wide range of missions, including courier runs, commando operations, and exploratory world tours. By the events of The Fight for Rislandia, it was described as the sole airship of the kingdom, according to Lieutenant Colwell. By the events of The Iron Wedding, it was described as the world's only airship. In The Steam Knight, it was referred to as "the kingdom's only flying machine." The ship was described as old but sturdy, and towering in appearance—also characterized in The Steam Knight as a wooden monstrosity. Its hulking presence in the sky caused panic among Wyranth troops and raised morale among Rislandian troops, an effect described as impossible to replicate otherwise.

A key and long-unknown feature of the Liliana was that its original engine contained a crystal component that allowed it to fly—without which, according to Ivan, the Iron Emperor's scientists, the ship's bulky mass should have made flight physically impossible. The identity of the original engine designer remained unknown to Harkerpal.

Description

In The Blood of Giants, the Liliana was described as having port and starboard cannons in addition to the fore armament established in For Steam and Country. The ship moved considerably faster than horses or motorized horseless carriages and dropped rope ladders for boarding and disembarking. A boarding ramp was also present, operated by pulleys and a handle. In The Fight for Rislandia, the ship is described as having ropes on spools with cranks for lowering crew, a harness for commando drops, and drop ropes in addition to rope ladders. The ship took off from grassy areas, as noted in The Steam Knight.

In The Iron Wedding, the rebuilt Liliana featured a new design with the Crest of Malaky carved into the side planks, ornate trim at the front with swirls and frills, and two propellers on either side facing forward, attached like small wings at the rear—described as lighter design upgrades. The ship retained turbines on top and continued to have a cargo bay, engine room, furnace, and bridge. Its engine in the rebuilt version used aether fuel. A chef was noted as having been aboard the ship at some point. The Liliana's mess was described as similar to that aboard the W.S.S. Adventurer.

Armament

In For Steam and Country, the Liliana's armament included three large cannons mounted at the fore and a forward crank turret station. In The Blood of Giants, the ship is described as having six portside cannons and cannons on both port and starboard sides, with cannon compartments (also called cannon chambers) located below deck. A design flaw of these compartments meant that cannoneers could not target objects positioned directly against the hull. The cannon compartments were mostly unmanned while the crew slept, with only a lone crewman on watch.

In The Fight for Rislandia, the Liliana is described as firing exploding shells rather than old cannonballs. The ship also carried The Big Bomb suspended below its hull by ropes during operations over Rislandia City, dropping it on Wyranth forces. At that time the ship was not equipped to load the bomb into its cannons. The ship was noted to be low on cannonballs during the events of The Fight for Rislandia, and a weapons supply warehouse restocking was ordered.

Interior Spaces

• Engine room: Accessible via a hatch and ladder from the bridge. In The Blood of Giants, it contained the aft turbine with its maintenance shaft and had multiple engineers working there. In The Fight for Rislandia, the engine room was described as well-stocked with tools for welding. In The Iron Wedding, Harkerpal continued to work in the engine room of the rebuilt vessel.
• Cannon compartments / cannon chambers: Located below deck. See Armament above.
• Cargo hold / cargo bay: Equipped with brass lamps on the walls, metallic barrels, and a cargo door operated by a crank. Also referred to as the main cargo hold in The Blood of Giants and the main cargo bay in The Fight for Rislandia. In The Fight for Rislandia, the cargo bay featured a ramp and a mechanical hatch controlled by a crank. The rebuilt vessel in The Iron Wedding also featured a cargo bay.
• Furnace: Present in the rebuilt vessel as noted in The Iron Wedding.

• Engineering section / maintenance shafts: The aft and forward turbines each had maintenance shafts accessible to engineers such as Harkerpal.
• Rear tower: Present on the ship, as noted in The Fight for Rislandia.
• Lookout posts: The ship featured lookout posts, as noted in The Fight for Rislandia.
• Front and back stairwells: The ship had front and back stairwells connecting its decks, as noted in The Fight for Rislandia.

The Speaking Cone

The Liliana was equipped with a speaking cone—a funnel-shaped device mounted on the bridge dashboard—used to broadcast commands to listening posts throughout the ship, including the cannoneers and deck minders. In The Blood of Giants and The Fight for Rislandia, this system is described as a brass communications funnel with a long tube extending through various rooms of the ship. The Baron's quarters were specifically outfitted so the speaking cone could not be heard there. See also: Minor Gadgets & Equipment.

The Forward Crank Turret

A crank turret was located at the fore of the Liliana. In For Steam and Country, it was manned by Glenn during battle and was used to fire on Wyranth soldiers. It was destroyed when a cannonball struck the fore bow.

The Giffard Capacitor

A Giffard capacitor was installed aboard the Liliana by Harkerpal, contributing to the ship's restoration to airworthiness following the Border River incident.

The Crystal Engine Component

The original engine of the Liliana contained a crystal component that was essential to generating sufficient lift for flight. This component was not included when Harkerpal fabricated a new engine for the rebuilt vessel, as he was unaware of it; the identity of the original engine designer remained unknown to him. Ivan, the Iron Emperor's scientists discovered the missing element after appropriating the airship plans. Marina du Willet confirmed the airship plans appeared authentic but could not understand the mathematical equations within them. Without the crystal, the rebuilt Liliana was unable to achieve lift despite its engine and turbines functioning. In The Steam Knight, it is similarly noted that the ship was mostly reconstructed but that an element of the engine was not allowing it to lift off as it did before, and that scientists were baffled because the engine appeared the same as before. See also: Crystal Magic.

History

The Border River

The Liliana went down at the Border River two years before the main events of For Steam and Country. Nearly half of the crew of fifty perished in the battle. Harkerpal subsequently made the vessel airborne again, including the installation of a Giffard capacitor.

Events of For Steam and Country

In For Steam and Country, the ship was parked outside Loveridge against a high wall, accessible by a ramp, when Zaira von Monocle first came aboard. Following Baron Theodore's disappearance, Captain Talyen von Cravat grounded the ship in Loveridge, unable to handle the loss of the Baron.

During the events of the novel, the Liliana carried out a diversion assault on Devil's Mountain. The ship was struck by cannonballs during an anti-airship barrage, sustaining a hole in the midsection, collapse of part of the bridge, and destruction of the forward crank turret station when the fore bow was cracked. The turbines cut out during the resulting dive but were restarted, and the ship pulled out of the dive through the clouds.

The Liliana later crashed into a forest after being hit by Wyranth anti-airship ballistics and suffering engine failure. Damage sustained in this crash included cracked steam pipes in at least three locations, penetration of the outer hull on the aft starboard side, significant interior smoke and debris damage, and multiple gears requiring replacement. The ship was described as nearly needing to be rebuilt from scratch following this crash.

The Battle of Rislandia City

The Liliana's most catastrophic moment in For Steam and Country came during the Battle of Rislandia City, when it crashed onto the walking giant in order to destroy it. The ship was left in need of extensive repair following this action.

Events of The Blood of Giants

In The Blood of Giants, the Liliana was commanded by Zaira von Monocle, who had inherited the captaincy. The outer hull had been patched and painted, a bridge window replaced, and at least one turbine propeller recently replaced following prior damage. The ship was used extensively for courier missions as well as military operations and carried a ground commando team.

During the events of the novel, the Liliana hovered just offshore of Zenwey at landfall before landing on the black sand coast. The ship dropped rope ladders for boarding and disembarking and fired a warning cannon shot during operations there. Riflemen formed lines on deck during engagements.

The Liliana subsequently sustained damage when Nightmen explosive bags took three holes in the deck, and two crewmen were pushed overboard by an explosion. A bat-glider was caught in the turbine blades and destroyed during this engagement.

Later, during a giant bat attack, the forward turbine was disabled, causing the ship to lose altitude and crash into a sand dune, with the bow resting against the dune. The aft turbine was also fouled with animal particulate and blood from the giant bats, with debris lodged in the maintenance shaft stopping it from moving. Harkerpal was found with his legs protruding from the aft turbine's maintenance shaft as he worked to clear it. The engines had multiple problems requiring several days to fix. A contingency force was left aboard under Lieutenant Colwell's command while repairs were undertaken. The crew gathered on deck to push bat-creature bodies overboard and clean the ship.

The Liliana also made an emergency landing in a clearing on the Rislandian side of the Border River after a Wyranth artillery shell damaged the main propeller atop the fore turbine.

Events of The Fight for Rislandia

In The Fight for Rislandia, the Liliana was again commanded by Zaira von Monocle, with Major Edwin Ral serving as its pilot. The ship had returned from a long mission across the Golgmarsh Ocean to the continent of Zenwey, where it had fought off an entire force of strange bestial warriors. The hull structure had been reinforced and punctures in the deck repaired after that mission, and a blown-out bridge window was being repaired with thicker glass, though a brass handrail on the bridge had come loose.

The Liliana was described as the sole airship of the kingdom at this time, according to Lieutenant Colwell. King Malaky XVI had not been aboard in a long time. A weapons supply warehouse restocking was ordered, and the ship carried several weeks' worth of supplies. The crew attempted to decipher a Wyranth coded message while aboard.

The ship stopped and hovered over a thinly-wooded area to let a commando descend, and later landed precisely near Zaira's childhood home. It also landed on flat fields near Plainsroad Village. The Liliana was summoned to the Wyranth Iron Mine by Ethan von Lantern, who ran to it and then returned to the mine on a rope ladder as the ship circled above. The ship had a landing strip associated with it in Rislandia City.

During the climactic engagement, the Liliana floated above Rislandia City and carried The Big Bomb suspended below its hull by ropes, dropping it on Wyranth forces. The ship was noted to be low on cannonballs at this time and was not equipped to load the bomb into its cannons. A ship's log book was kept aboard. A medic was among the crew.

Events of The Iron Wedding

In The Iron Wedding, the Liliana was described as the world's only airship. Prior to the novel's main events, Zaira von Monocle had rammed the Liliana into a giant creature to end a battle—the second time the ship had been crashed in this manner. The vessel was subsequently being rebuilt north of Rislandia City at the site where it had crashed. Rislandia had no operational airship during the war depicted in the novel, a circumstance that King Malaky XVI described as a significant military and morale deficit.

The rebuilt Liliana featured a new design: new side paneling with the Crest of Malaky carved into the side planks, ornate trim at the front with swirls and frills, and two propellers on either side facing forward, attached like small wings at the rear. Despite these lighter design upgrades, Harkerpal was unable to generate sufficient lift to make the rebuilt vessel fly. The airship plans had been lost in the crash, and Ivan, the Iron Emperor—operating in Rislandia City under the disguise of ambassador Andrei Zelezo via a changeling net—claimed to know why the ship could not fly and to possess the answers the engineers sought. Ivan's scientists had previously appropriated the airship plans and discovered that the original engine had contained a crystal component essential to flight; when Harkerpal fabricated the new engine, he had not included this crystal, being unaware of it. Marina du Willet confirmed the plans appeared authentic but could not understand the mathematical equations within them.

The Liliana was identified as a top priority for Wyranth intelligence, and the Wyranth were aware both that it was grounded and that a missing element was preventing flight. Ivan offered the airship plans—including the information needed to restore flight—in exchange for Zaira's hand in marriage. Zaira stipulated that she would personally verify the airship information before signing any marriage agreement. King Malaky XVI described having the Liliana flying again as a much-needed boost for both military and civilian morale. Ethan von Lantern and Zaira von Monocle were noted as the only eligible nobility who had been aboard the ship. Marina du Willet expressed hope that Zaira would be allowed to command an airship again. Throughout the events of the novel, Zaira reminisced about giving orders and preparing for adventure aboard the Liliana and expressed a persistent desire to return to it.

Events of The Steam Knight

In The Steam Knight, the Liliana was referred to as "the kingdom's only flying machine" and glided overhead when James Gentry returned to Rislandia City, producing its unmistakable whirring noise. The ship took off from a grassy area, and its departure cast a large shadow over close to a dozen people. Zaira von Monocle was associated with the vessel at this time. James Gentry and Ethan von Lantern were noted as having traveled aboard it to the Zenwey continent on a previous expedition.

The Steam Knight also references the Liliana having crashed in a fateful battle during the retaking of Rislandia City, with the airship design plans disappearing when it crashed and Rislandian engineers having trouble rebuilding the ship without them. The ship is described as mostly reconstructed but unable to lift off due to an unresolved element of the engine, with scientists baffled because the engine appeared the same as before. The novel notes that before the Liliana returned to the skies, Harkerpal worked on the rebuild, which was associated with Loveridge. Lieutenant Ral is identified as the ship's pilot in this account.

Command History

1. Baron Theodore von Monocle — Original captain; owned the vessel by grant of King Malaky XVI.
2. Captain Talyen von Cravat — Commanded the Liliana during Theodore's imprisonment; grounded the ship in Loveridge following Theodore's disappearance.
3. Zaira von Monocle — Inherited command and ownership in the 19th Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign after Theodore was declared dead.

Key Personnel

Spoiler: The Crystal ConspiracyClick to reveal

• Lieutenant Colwell — Stationed on the bridge; commanded a contingency force left aboard during repairs in The Blood of Giants.
• Harkerpal — Chief engineer responsible for maintaining and restoring the vessel across multiple books, including the ongoing rebuild depicted in The Iron Wedding and referenced in The Steam Knight.

Status

Following the Battle of Rislandia City, the Liliana was undergoing extensive repair. In The Blood of Giants, the ship continued to sustain damage across multiple engagements and was periodically grounded for repairs, with Harkerpal and his engineering team working to keep her airworthy. The King maintained a warehouse of parts for the vessel. In The Fight for Rislandia, the ship remained operational and continued to serve as Rislandia's sole airship.

Legacy

In the short stories

In How Baron Von Monocle Named His Airship, the airship has no name until Liliana, Duchess of the castle where Theodore stole coal, takes it hostage and names it after herself. Theodore declines to rename it.

In Island of the Fae, it is called "the Grand Rislandian Airship", and Rislandia has two more airships "about to come online". Harkerpal tests an electrical field in the mess-hall doorway. On the Fae island, winged creatures break into the engine room, attack the unarmed engineers and cause smoke. Crew named include first officer Knut Monier, Master Sergeant Everett, Ensign du Bangle and Private Russell.

In Tangled Web, it is "the Rislandian Grand Army's only airship", piloted by Edwin Ral. After the Baron's disappearance, Talyen von Cravat grounds it at Loveridge.

In A History of Rislandia

A History of Rislandia treats the Liliana as a subject of historical record, presenting details about its construction, wartime service, and ultimate fate that supplement—and in some respects conflict with—what is established in the novels.

Construction and Origins

According to A History of Rislandia, the Liliana was built around Year 485 of the Rislandian calendar, during the reign of King Malaky XV. The sourcebook identifies it as one of the first airships constructed using rediscovered air crystals, situating its creation within the broader history of Rislandia's airship program and the rediscovery of crystal magic. The novel-based account on this page does not specify a construction date or connect the vessel explicitly to the air-crystal rediscovery; the bible's placement of the build in Malaky XV's reign is new information not found in the novels.

Wartime Service

A History of Rislandia records specific operational details of the Liliana's service during what appears to be a major conflict, using a calendar of named months. Key events recorded include:

• On Month of Princes, Day 22, the Liliana received orders to fly to Desert's Watch.
• On Day 31, Desert's Watch fell; the Liliana evacuated civilians and retreated to Pleasant Pass.
• On Day 35, it retreated again, evacuating civilians from Pleasant Pass to Lake Bethany.
• On Month of Princesses, Day 12, the deck was filled with knights, straining the engines.
• On Day 13, the Liliana transported a highly volatile explosive, which detonated in the sky before reaching the ground.
• On Month of the Fool, Day 15, the ship dropped knights behind enemy lines.
• The Liliana subsequently provided aerial support during a final battle.

The sourcebook also records that the Liliana repaired by Harkerpal arrived to rescue the crew after a bat-glider crash-landed in the desert, and that the ship returned to Rislandia carrying Rhys, a cure for giant's blood addiction, knowledge of the Nightmen civilization, and samples of giant's blood. According to the bible, the ship was redeployed immediately upon return with no rest for the crew.

The Battle of Rislandia City and Destruction

A History of Rislandia provides additional detail on the Liliana's crash onto the walking giant. According to the sourcebook, the ship attempted to stop the giant using anti-serum coated cannonballs. The giant then grabbed the bottom of the airship, at which point Major Edwin Ral executed a desperate spinning maneuver to dislodge it. Zaira von Monocle then deliberately rammed the Liliana into the giant to end the battle, with the forward turbine blades shredding the creature to pieces. The bible states that this crash killed 15 or more crew members, destroyed the bridge, crushed the top deck, and buried Zaira von Monocle under debris.

Legacy in the Sourcebook

The sourcebook quotes: "The mere sight of the Liliana inspired fear in Wyranth ranks" and refers to it as "Theodore von Monocle's legendary vessel, named after his wife." These characterizations align with the novels but are presented in A History of Rislandia as settled historical judgments rather than in-narrative observations.