The Goldenbloom

written by Crimson Stripes

illustrated by Sin, the Weaver in Blue

Dusk, dawn, or high noon, the ship gleams rays of gold to pierce even the thickest clouds that stood in its way. The Goldenbloom is more than just a vessel, it’s a way of life. Your life.

The marvel flew the skies for generations—how many, not even the dozens of your predecessors could tell. Through centuries and lifetimes, it’s seen all the world can offer. It has flown through sleet, sun, rust, and rot, maybe even shedding its hull for a new skin every so often. At least, that’s what its walls tell you.

As the tide of generations turn, you take the helm of the vessel, to go wherever you want to do whatever you want. At the end of the day, and the start of the next, when the sun hits the hull, it’ll bloom with golden opportunity.

Before you set sail to soar the clouds, consider the following:

• How did the airship come into your hands? Was there a previous captain before you?
• How was it when it was handed to you? What did it look like? Did you change anything?
• Is the Goldenbloom a one-of-a-kind warship armed with cannons? Or a cargo vessel that could fit whole houses?
• Is this ship home to a crew of pirates or sailors? Or do you ride the clouds as a lone wanderer?

Story Arc: Stars of the Midnight Range

First we swam, then we walked, and now we fly. When the islands first rose up into the air and the ground fell into itself, we adapted. Most saw the calamity as a damnation, the remnants of civilisation punished to be torn apart from one another. To others, it was a gift: being brought closer to the stars, to the gods, to the heavenly bodies that were always out of our reach.

First Gathering

Those that hadn’t settled on the islands made their homes in airships, and a delicate dynamic between the two was born: skyfarers became a necessity, and islanders their hubs and ports. This was the new order of things, one needing the other, lest everything fall apart and be lost to time.

Scene Play

Though the crescendo of the calamity has passed, it never truly ceased. Shifts in the islands and clouds, seen or unseen, took their forms and came and went. With this new world came a new frontier that could be explored, expedited, and exploited to hearts’ content.

Deck Burner

For the creative and adventurous, even witnessing these ephemeral etherealities is a priceless godsend. Artisans, scholars, even thrill-seekers all seek their share of the new world and the bygones of the old. The only problem is finding a willing skyfarer to take them there.

Laid to Rest

With each journey made, a course is set, a flight flown, and a deed well done. So long as the Goldenbloom and its captain see the light of day and dusk of night, all is well; the only thing that matters is where else there is to go.