Wind-Ships
Overview
Wind-ships were flying platforms counted among the notable achievements of the Windcallers' Brotherhood. According to A History of Rislandia, they are described simply as "wind-ships (flying platforms)," indicating a craft designed to carry passengers or cargo through the air. Their operation was tied to crystal magic, a dependency that would ultimately determine their fate.
History
Development
According to A History of Rislandia, wind-ships were developed by the Windcallers' Brotherhood and are listed among that organisation's defining accomplishments. The precise period of their development is not recorded in the available sources.
The Night of Shattered Crystals
Wind-ships played a direct role in one of Rislandia's most consequential historical events. According to A History of Rislandia, during the Night of Shattered Crystals, both the Windcallers' Brotherhood and the Tideweavers fled the city of Aquilae by wind-ship before soldiers arrived. The source states verbatim: "The Windcallers and Tideweavers fled by wind-ship before soldiers arrived."
The Great Sundering and Destruction
The wind-ships did not survive the era that followed. According to A History of Rislandia, the craft crashed after the Great Sundering, when the failure of crystal magic rendered them inoperable. No account of any wind-ship surviving into later periods is recorded in the available sources.
Legacy
The loss of wind-ships following the Great Sundering represented one of many technological and magical capabilities that were extinguished when crystal magic collapsed. Later aerial technology in Rislandia, such as the airship program and the Grand Rislandian Air Force, developed along different lines, relying on steam and aether rather than the crystal-based principles that had once kept wind-ships aloft.