Celestial Chariot

The Celestial Chariot was a prototype built by the Zhang Wei Union's engineer Yun Pyeong-Gyu in 1725, with the assistance of Xialun Qing.Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 60 It predated the Montgolfière, the first recorded hot air balloon, by several decades.Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Montgolfier Flight
==History==
===Celestial Chariot Mk. 1===
Built using the same concept as a , the Celestial Chariot differed from later iterations of hot air balloons in that it was fueled by Greek fire, a near-inextinguishable substance which allowed it to remain in the air for longer periods of time. However, this also came with an increased risk, as if the Greek fire were to somehow spill, it could not be put out with water or other regular means, endangering the life of the pilot.
The original Celestial Chariot's first—and only—flight occurred in 1725, when the members of the Zhang Wei Union became trapped on Monkey Island while en route to Cebu, after being attacked by a group of native resistance fighters led by Rajah. With Rajah's men using mortars against their ship, the Fenghuang, the Union members were unable to pinpoint the locations of the enemy encampments without exposing their own location, leaving them at an impasse.Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 59
It was at that moment that Xialun Qing realized the Celestial Chariot could be used to survey the island from above and showed the invention to her fellow Union members. After Yun Pyeong-Gyu explained that the pilot would need to be an extremely light person so the balloon could support their weight, Qing volunteered herself and took flight in the Celestial Chariot. She then marked the locations of all enemy encampments and sent the map back to the Fenghuang, allowing its crew to fire on the rebel strongholds using their own mortars.
However, while the Celestial Chariot was in the sky, a sudden gust of wind caused the Greek fire inside the balloon to spill. As the aircraft became engulfed in flames, Qing parachuted out of the balloon and landed safely on Monkey Island. Her fellow Union members, having witnessed the Celestial Chariot's destruction, initially assumed the worst, but Shimazu Saito was able to confirm that Qing had survived and landed on the island, prompting the crew to go looking for her.Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 61
===Celestial Chariot Mk. 2===
The second iteration of the hot air balloon, dubbed the "Celestial Chariot Mk. 2" by Yun, was built at some point after the Union's departure from Monkey Island and prior to their arrival in Cebu. Learning from the failure of the first Celestial Chariot, Yun installed the burner above the balloon's basket and reinforced its frame for structural integrity, allowing the balloon to carry up to three people at once. Despite these improvements, however, Yun did not have the time to install a steering mechanism.Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 68
The Celestial Chariot Mk. 2 was used by the Union to infiltrate Fort San Pedro, which had been occupied by Rajah's resistance, in order to retrieve a crescent amulet – a Piece of Eden – and a sea log containing clues to the locations of two other artifacts. Edward Kenway and Shimazu Saito volunteered to board the balloon, with a reluctant John Young joining them, and the trio flew above the fort, allowing them to survey it.
After Edward and Saito dropped several anchors to keep the Celestial Chariot in place, they used them as ziplines to descend to the ground and went to look for Rajah. Meanwhile, John remained inside the balloon to provide cover fire, using his musket to take out several of Rajah's men.Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 69 However, the rebels soon began cutting the Celestial Chariot's anchors while John eventually ran out of ammunition.Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 70
Once only one achor remained, John decided to lower the balloon's flames in the hopes he would be able to make a safe landing. However, this caused the Celestial Chariot to suddenly begin falling out of the sky.Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 72 Fortunately, John was able to increase the flames and prevent a potentially fatal crash, just as Edward and Saito returned to the balloon with the crescent amulet.Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 73 The Celestial Chariot subsequently landed in the water, allowing Edward, Saito and John to be picked up by the Fenghuang and escape Cebu.Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 74
==Gallery==
ACFT - Yun unveiling the Celestial Chariot.png|Yun unveiling the Celestial Chariot Mk. 1
ACFT - Celestial Chariot destruction.png|The Celestial Chariot Mk. 1's destruction
ACFT - Boarding the Celestial Chariot.png|Edward, John and Saito boarding the Celestial Chariot Mk. 2
ACFT - Celestial Chariot flying over Cebu.png|The Celestial Chariot Mk. 2 flying over Cebu
ACFT - Celestial Chariot landing.png|The Celestial Chariot Mk. 2 landing in the water
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
==References==
Category:Transportation