The Skygems
by Bruce HeardThe artifact's power is received through a gem that is located
inside the ship's altar. It is called a Skygem. The amount of lift
that can be derived from the artifact depends on the size of the
Skygem. The original crystal receives powerful blessings at the
Holy Citadel of the Heldannic Knights before it can function. A
priest of Vanya is needed to activate the Skygem when it is placed
inside the altar. The Skygem also needs to be reactivated if pulled
out of the altar. The size of the Skygem governs what priest level
is needed to activate it (100 carats per experience level). The
activation itself only requires a bless spell.
The Skygem is consumed by the power it channels at the rate of one
carat per day and per ten tons of lift. For example, the
Sturmkondor requires up to 300 tons of lift --it would require a
30-carat Skygem to function for a day, or a 2,520-carat Skygem for
three months (a huge gemstone weighing about a pound). Therefore a
26th level priest is needed to activate this large a Skygem. New
Skygems generally allow for three months of continuous use.
Atmospheric navigation is expensive since it requires continuous
lift, while space travel can be much more economical since constant
speed can be maintained once it is achieved. For security reasons,
very few warbirds have a spare Skygem, for fear of the warbird
falling to enemy hands. When the Skygems is reaching the end of its
usefulness, it begins to turn into a common lump of crystal.
The ship's chapel is generally well guarded since the removal of
the Skygem switches off the telekinetic force supporting the ship.
If this happens, the ship descends toward the surface at an
increasing speed. If the power was switched off at up to 300'
altitude the ship lands with minor damage, its wings and tail
offering some lift and control. Between 301' and 3,000', the ship
is likely to take serious damage and casualties among the crew, but
remains repairable. Between 3,001' and the planet's Skyshield, the
warbird's wings are ripped off and the ship plummets to the ground;
it and its crew are all doomed. In space, the warbird may still use
its sails (provided Mystara space is breathable or "Solar Winds"
are blowing). Depending on how strong these winds are, Mystara's
gravitational pull may yet doom the warbird if it can't pull free.