Card Game “Skirmish!” Named Official Game For Upcoming Festival

Phineas Hightower - Metropolitan Orlandia
Casinos like the Crimson Pig in metropolitan Orlandia are abuzz as the official card game to be featured during the Annual Stone Blessing Festival has been decided by the Council. “Skirmish! A Clash in the Skies”, a fast-paced game which hinges on both chance and strategy, was chosen for its emulation of adventures experienced by many of Orlandia’s more daring citizens. Custom decks of cards will be made available in the Crimson Pig Casino for play within the venue, and may be available for sale depending on player interest. Until these cards are manufactured, interested folks may modify a standard deck of playing cards in order to practice for the upcoming festival. The Council hopes that by playing the game, captains and crewmen may be able to prove their mettle during the festival without risk of injury or damage to airships, and city property most importantly. -

Those interested in learning the rules of play must access the aethernet via this address.
http://animefestivalorlando.com/skies-of-orlandia-skirmish-clash-in-the-skies/#more-1033

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Accident At Larkhead Laboratory Destroys Experimental Aircraft

Phineas Hightower, Metropolitan Orlandia
Larkhead Aethernautical Institute suffered a severe setback in development yesterday as an explosion disintegrated a laboratory and hangar facility in Balan Hill, near Hedgenbury.

The hangar supposedly housed a new type of aircraft which was theoretically capable of flight independent of floatstones or lighter-than-air suspension. The vessel, once completed, would have used a form of combustion technology to propel itself forward, while a system of foils, similar to bird wings, would plane on the passing air, providing lift. The laboratory was in the process of refining an aether-based liquified fuel for the aircraft when the explosion occurred.

There were no fatalities, however Dr. Maximillian Hillerton, founder of the institute, was critically injured by the blast. Upon being ambulated by emergency medics to the nearest infirmary, Dr. Hillerton was heard raving loudly, claiming his work had been sabotaged my fantastic creatures. Two other scientists suffered minor injuries, and were released from care after minimal medical attention.

The OSDF has begun an investigation of the laboratory and hangar to confirm the cause of the accident. Sid Shadowmoon offered the following statement to the press regarding the incident:
“Dr. Hillerton is a colleague of mine, and we had discussed his project at great length. I, as well as several of his peers, tried to warn him of the inherent dangers of working with such a volatile substance. Our friend has paid a serious price for this display of hubris despite the documented, incontrovertible evidence that aether is an element far too chaotic to tame with our current means. May this be an important lesson to any scientist who thinks harnessing explosive forces are the future of transportation! ”.

Though the Larkhead Aethernautical Institute has other facilities, the Balan Hill location housed most of the work for their key aircraft project. As the institute awaits the recovery of Dr. Hillerton, an emergency meeting of the board which funds the institute will convene this weekend to discuss the options at their disposal.

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OSDF Airship Crashes In Wyldehaven, Crew Feared Dead

Mortimer Thuroughgood, Bedldem
OSDF Command received a Radiotelegraphic distress call late last night from the Ironclad airship, the OSS Vigilant, as it descended into the canopy of trees within the Wyldehaven territories. Details are still muddled as to why the Vigilant had crossed the border into foreign airspace. The OSDF claims that a navigational error is the cause, but refused to comment on how the craft had come to such misadventure. Locals in Bedledem bore witness to the Vigilant as it flew over the town in the dusky evening at a low altitude, and that the craft seemed to show no signs of damage or duress at that time.

A heavy plumage of smoke could be seen by airborne civilian and pirate vessels surveying the crash site. An OSDF search and rescue team is supposedly en route, and can probably expect resistance as they cross the border into a region passionately protected by the League of Privateers for Free Trade and Acquisitions. An Emissary from The Council has traveled to meet with League leadership in hopes of conducting a search and rescue mission with the cooperation of the privateers.

Speculation abounds among the townsfolk in border towns like Bedldem as patrols by OSDF ships have been a regular sight in the skies overhead. There have been occasional incidents already in which military and pirate vessels have exchanged fire as confusion lingers regarding the actual definition of the political boundaries in the region. Despite the supposition by many citizens that the OSS Vigilant and her crew may indeed be a casualty of rising tensions, OSDF Command remains resolute in the effort to investigate the incident, and to return any survivors to the safety of Orlandia.

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Council To Consider Reprieve For Lighter-Than-Air Ban

Phineas Hightower - Metropolitan Orlandia
As the Stone Blessing Festival approaches, many merchants who depend upon the resultant commerce of the impressive gathering, have petitioned The Council of Faction Representatives to lift a controversial ban that prohibits aircraft levitated by lighter-than-air gasses from entering a radius of 2 square kilometers surrounding the sky-city. The Council has determined that the gases used for balloons and rigid airships to be extremely volatile, presenting a serious risk should an accidental breach occur. It has also been suggested by Chief Engineer Sid Shadowmoon that lighter-than-air craft may be used for nefarious means by air pirates to cause considerable calamity during the festival. Additionally, It is believed that many pirates opt for lighter-than-air vessels to avoid dependence on Orlandia’s Khazradanium, thus the ban supposedly keeps many illegal aircraft out of the city’s airspace.

Merchants maintain, however, that while many of them depend on floatstones to levitate their airships, additional barges for inventory are usually suspended by balloon. Several proprietors of smaller endeavours claim that the rising price of floatstones, as well as recharging expenses have hindered their bracket of the economy, forcing newer entrepreneurs to seek lighter-than-air vessels which, while less stable, are cheaper and worth the risk for struggling merchants and artisans. Some company executives also cite the necessity of hydrogen or heated-air balloons to help support aircraft with diminished energy in their floatstones, as a supplement to help them reach the city.

The Council will meet tomorrow afternoon to discuss the ban, and if it stands, will also entertain solutions to meet the needs of merchants affected by the ban.

Newspaper Baron Issues Flabberghast Challenge

Phineas Hightower - Metropolitan Orlandia, June
Mr. Chance Solitaire, Orlandia Sentinel’s own President and Editor-In-Chief, invites tellers of tall tales and spinners of spine-tingling yarns to partake in this year’s Flabberghast Challenge at the annual Stone Blessing Festival. The contest, named after the late University of Orlandia Humanities Professor Ludwig Von Flabberghast, is in remembrance of the great man and his recollections of amazing travels and discoveries, which he would share in fireside chats with Mr. Solitaire and other colleagues over brandy and cigars.

President Solitaire had this to say regarding the competition: “I believe civilization began with gatherings of human beings sharing experiences through the spoken word, and such a tradition is quintessential in maintaining our humanity, in the face of an ever-changing world caught in the tempest of technological advancement. Let us not forget that direct interaction with our fellow man has been the true key to our evolution as a species, no matter what we may invent or build in our lifetimes.”

Mr. Solitaire will entertain selected candidates at the Crimson Pig Casino on Friday and Saturday of the festival, at times yet to be determined, where he will invite the contestants to unravel their stories before an audience, and continue the grand tradition that began with the late professor.

We invite interested parties to submit by recording themselves audio-visually, telling a 5-10 minute story of adventure in the spirit of Baron Munchausen, Allan Quartermain, Commander McBragg, and/or Pleasure Island’s Adventurers Club. Wearing an adventurous or steampunk-themed costume for the recording and at the event is strongly encouraged. Upload it to Youtube and send a link to phineas.hightower@gmail.com . Selected candidates will be notified upon review by AFO staff. Remember, stay safe when making the recordings, and AFO retains the right to use any videos submitted. Enjoy and good luck!

Some links for reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkZzLUvuLLU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8q-b5174-0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_wnEYMJ5r0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f_r8j4emS4&feature=related