The Fire Fleet ships are one of the most successful inventions of the gnomes of the Spire Mountains. These vast iron ships are made from special lava resistant alloys to allow them to safely traverse the Burning Sea, and powered by steam propulsion. Each of the ships has a large dome "kettle", which is a water reservoir, the steam from the reservoir is allowed to build up pressure, and then routed through to the exhaust pipes at the rear of the ship. This also means that the ships can only travel known distances, otherwise the reservoir will boil dry.
Most of the fire fleet ships are war galleys, which can hold up to 300 passengers, and requires a crew of 20 gnomes to maintain it. The war galleys normally have four Steam Cannons mounted along their sides, can travel up to 10 miles per hour, and run for 500 miles per tank.
The smaller vessels are known as Scoop Wheelers, and are powered by a basic steam engine. Like the war galleys, the scoop wheelers also have a water reservoir, however the steam generated from the reservoir is sent to a paddlewheel which drives the boat forwards. A large amount of the steam becomes condensation and recycled back as water into the reservoir. Because of this method, the scoop wheelers can travel far greater distances of 5000 miles per tank, albeit at the slower speed of 6 miles per hour. A scoop wheeler can hold only 20 passengers, and requires a crew of 10 gnomes to maintain it. The average scoop wheeler has a single steam cannon fitted along it's edge, to drive off enemies.
References[]
- Time of the Dragon, p.109, 'Inventions of the Gnomes Card'