The Story


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The Assembly
Following the early breakthroughs in aether engineering in the 1880s, the first large scale plans at building long duration vessels that could traverse the highest layers were put into action by 1891. Various great powers commissioned grand schemes of so-called "ships nouveau". The breakthrough allowed far greater lifting ability than the early dirigibles which were unable to lift much beyond their own weight to be assembled.

In the following years of busy preparations, more and more people gathered at the port cities of empires to take part in the majestic display of engineering that stirred the third industrial revolution. Everyone man, woman, and child across the country, whether creative inventors, craftsmen, engineers, artists, commanding staff and crewmen, or even the simplest workers and peasants, joined in the glory that had been bestowed upon them in flocking to the shores of empire. This new revolution enabled unimaginable possibilities, as it was now possible to traverse beyond earth's atmosphere and into the higher layers filled by aether. This was the beginning of a new era, in which travel beyond our homelands would be possible and onto distant worlds.

This new revolution brought with it a new phase of expansion from which empires could expand their borders and their populations swelled beyond every imagination. Soon after the common people and staff, the aristocracy fell also in love with the young, striving and bustling metropolises. Thus the harbours did not only sparkled with ideas, inventions, craftsmanship and servicing, but also with banquets, art venues, cultural and technological exhibitions representing the whole diversity of the world of men and nature of today, and their evolution.

With the noblemen settling in these cities toward the final years of the 19th century, monumental architecture was erected at every square and avenue. The empire wide celebrations of the commissioning of the first aether ships culminated with the maiden voyage of the first Fleet Nouveau just in time for the centennial.

Her voyages of discovery set in motion an unstoppable lust of man for expansion and imperial ambitions. These were met with sometimes fierce opposition by other empires and even anarchical forces within society, but also by the mystery hidden on foreign planets. With these expeditions a new breed of explorers was found that stood up to the challenging journeys that met these men and women on their way.