The Skyguard

The Skyguard are the Aerial Armada of the City-State of Lotus, separate from the tightly regimented military hierarchy of the Militia of the Godkings. Indeed, while the Militia obeys the orders of General Transval and the Godkings themselves, the Skyguard answer (at least in theory) only to Ivory Eyes, the Admiral Empyrean. Because she loathes bureaucracy, Ivory Eyes has structured the Skyguard through a system of fealty backed by sanctified oathes: each Captain owes his loyalty first and foremost to Lotus and then to the Admiral; each crewman owes their loyalty to Lotus and then to their Captain.

The Skyguard are charged with monitoring all transit through Lotus' skyways, in addition to defending Lotus against external threats of any sort and facilitating trade.

The Captains of the Skyguard are given broad leeway in the operations of their ship, but all but the simplest thaumaturgical airboats are the property of the Admiral and only given to her Captains as a kind of movable fief. She may recall them with a moment's notice, with neither need for justification nor explanation. Part of Skyguard's oath to Lotus includes upholding the human rights implicit in the city-state's Declaration of Being. While all Skyguard Captains are of theoretically equal rank, the Captains of full airships are given more prestige and attention than the commanders of zepplins, sky-frigates, and other minor thaumaturgical wonders.

There also exist several ports, commissioned by the Admiral Empyrean for the explicit use of the Skyguard. Each is overseen by a Portmaster who is equal to any Captain--and, indeed, superior to a Captain while they remain in port. Permanent officers of a port are called portsmen rather than crewmen, and they have a reputation among the simpler sailors as being too intellectual for a life of adventure, though their temperaments run the same gamut as most crewmen.

A Loose Hierarchy of the Skyguard is relatively simple to understand at a glance: at the top is Ivory Eyes, the Admiral Empyrean. One step below her is the Seven-Leaved Prince, Animating Intelligence and de facto captain of the Flower of the East (Glory-Class Flagship). A half-step below the Prince are the five Captains of the Izunagi-Class Warships, and a half-step further still are the sixteen Captains of the d'Resh Class Frigates. Three or four dozen zepplins and their Captains come next, with all other small skyboats and aircutters coming in last.

In terms of ports, the Portsmasters of Lotus and Petal are equal in prestige to the Captains of the Izunagi-Class, and the Portsmasters of Lotus' smaller ports throughout the East are considered equal to the captains of the d'Resh-Class. Silver Heron, the Portsmaster of Petal, is considered especially prestigious, because he controls which ships are given priority access to the latest technologies from the labs of Petal.

The Captains and their crew often gossip among themselves about rumors of Ivory Eyes' latest projects. For her part, the Admiral Empyrean is tight-lipped about her intentions, partially out of a desire to keep her designs secret, and partially out of a very real need to prevent the Skyguard from tearing itself apart jockeying for the Captainship of a newly commissioned vessel. In truth, she is working on a joint Lotus-Lookshy venture that will help fund the construction of three new warships as a peacekeeping force in the East.


Commissioned Ships:
Glory-Class
The Flower of the East (Captain: the Seven-Leaved Prince)

Izunagi-Class
The Brilliant Raptor (Captain: Grinning Harkness, Social Amalga)
The Grinning Crocodile (Captain: Jasari, Half-Caste Chosen of Journeys)
The Noble Hart (Captain: Red Atem, Enlightened Stag Beastman)
The Storm Serpent (Captain: Daruman the Blessed, Godblooded of Plentilomon)
The O-Mochi (Captain: Black Mag, Enlightened Mortal)

d'Resh-Class (incomplete)
The Sidewinder (Captain: Lord Rex, Enlightened Mortal)
The Five Trials (Captain: Little Fox, Enlightened Sorcerer)
The Salamander (Captain: N/A; Officially on loan to Lookshy)

Major Ports:
The Aerie of Lotus (Portsmaster: Red Sand Gamine, Crafting Amalga)
The Bough of Petal (Portsmaster: Silver Heron, Enlightened Sorcerer)