Flying Longship

* Alioth
* Wyvernstorm
* Svafnir
* Ofnir

**Flying Longships** are a series of magic-mechanical vessels used by Thapoli and in lesser extent, Pomokai Holoholonas of Hodmimi's Holt set to appear in *Little Witch Academia: Witches of Midgard*.

## Description & Characteristics

Modeled after Viking Age longships, these ships are both the bloodstream and iconic means of transportation of the people of Thapoli. In addition of transporting people, resources, and vital supplies, flying longships are used as both military aircrafts and/or forward bases of operations in times of conflict. A flying longship is powered by a single Sorcerer's Stone installed within its core, allowing it to remain operational even in areas where magic cannot be used as well as enables nearby witches and wizards to use magic freely. As with ordinary longships, they can transverse through large bodies of water.

Flying Longships' ability to fly is made possible by a pair or more of **Flight Oars**, magic-mechanical propulsive devices that utilizes Gravity Magic so they can fly and levitate not unlike Magic Brooms.

The precursor of this magic-mechanical wonder was Wyvernstorm, a massive legendary warship that can transform into two-headed mechanical wyvern. It had enough power to decimate scores of Jötnar and make a dent on Great Lindworm's near-invulnerable hide on ease, but the colossal amount of magic that it needed to power its offensive capabilities greatly put the ship at great disadvantage in combat that Thapoli decommissioned it after its first and last combat which took place during the Ragnarök. Despite this, Wyvernstorm was remembered as the kingdom's greatest work in its time, inspiring Helena the Great Inventor to develop its more efficient successor based on numerous flaws discovered in the legendary warship's surviving schematics. Her efforts proved fruitful through the creation of Drekar-class flying longship which inferior in size and power, yet much faster and has the former's tremendous magic energy consumption removed. Subsequently, two more variants were developed for other functions; Faering-class for mundane uses and Karve-class that served as tactical mobile base.

### Variations

#### Drekar-class

As the successor of Wyvernstorm, Drekar-class is the only variant that can similarly assume draconic configuration where in the latter case is a four-winged mechanical wyvern. Unlike its predecessor, Drekar-class has well-rounded offensive and defensive capabilities thanks to an even balanced armor and speed in both its ship form and robot form. In addition of standard **Barrier Shield** (magic force-field that can deflect incoming attacks as well as projecting energy harpoons from the very force-field itself for offense), Drekar-class possesses devastating abilities in its robot form, most notably elemental beams of fire, ice, or lightning projected through the maw, energized tail blade, and its own sheer brute force. Although its partial Draconic Construct Ribbon construction endows Drekar-class both its shapeshifting and self-repairing ability, this also means the ship requires periodical purification to maintain its efficiency.

#### Faering-class

Faering-class is developed for mundane purposes and thus lacks any real combat abilities. In addition to transverse through the land of Thapoli as well as its eponymous capital, Faering-class also acts as sort of cargo ship to trade supplies between the kingdom and Hoddmimi's Holt.

#### Karve-class

Karve-class acts as Thapoli's equivalent to both battleship and aircraft carriers as well as build around equal size to either, even possessing a deck for landing multiple Drekar-class flying longships. It flies and levitate vertically by two pairs of colossal flying oars instead of two found in other variants, and has a voluminous cargo space not just to carry almost unlimited supply for an army on the march, but also a plenty of room left over to carry part of that army – which can be useful in rough terrain or in crossing otherwise impassable obstacles. Karve-class also features multiple amenities for its crew, including a training deck, library, control room, a fully stocked kitchen, sleeping quarter, medical wing, armory, storage rooms, holding cells, etc.

    For combat, Karve-class can deploy Barrier Shield on the same vein with Drekar-class, albeit with greater firepower befitting to both its size and power reserves. This variant is also outfitted with up to four **Construct Ribbon Ballista** that can form magic ballista to deliver artillery strikes with. At full power, said ballista possesses enough firepower to "pierce a hole through mountains."

In the present day, at least a dozen of active Karve-class flying longships that remains active in possession of Warband of Thapoli. Five were given to Valkyrie Corps. each commandeered by a member of Council of Five as a sign of trust between the-then independent coven and Thapoli.

## Creation & Conception

    Flying Longships was originally conceived by an associate of BSoulstone whose username being Ron PRL under the name of **Colossi** in August 2, 2018. He sent the first draft of Colossi which established it as a series of ancient weapons of mass destruction originally developed by the people of Thapoli for the war against Naglfar in the past. The same draft stated that Akko based Grand Charion (mech configuration of Constanze's Stanship) from ancient texts she read during her study session with Ursula. Around the same date, Ron PRL sent another draft which explained the ancient mech series' full capabilities such as the ability to survive explosion as devastating as atomic bomb along with armaments that supposedly allowed them to match the might of Great Lindworm. According to Ron PRL himself, he got the idea from *Transformers: Animated* iteration of Omega Sentinel, a series of massive transformers that can assume spaceship configuration for smaller cybertronians to travel through star systems with.

After reviewing both drafts, BSoulstone find Colossi rather too powerful to be used in *Witches of Midgard-verse* series that he was uncertain whether it would work. Ron PRL insisted that it would, pointing out Great Lindworm's night-omnipotent nature as a primordial entity and went so far sending the third, updated draft in August 4, 2018. Said draft explained how surviving Colossi units got decommissioned and remained in their war ship configuration unknown to everybody in the aftermath of the war along with revelation of one of such units being used by Sword of Laeradr all along. Eventually, after watching a particular scene in *GARO: Red Requiem* where Akaza and Shiguto deploy a Gōryū (a type of clockwork creatures deployed by Makai Priests as enhanced combat equipment to combat Horrors and can assume suitcase-like form while not being used), BSoulstone decided to take another look at Ron PRL's Colossi proposals. To stay true with the fanfic series' Norse themes, he envisioned the ancient mech series' warship form being modeled after longships utilized by Vikings of the old and subsequently changed its name into **Flying Longship**.

    Although BSoulstone initially considered to design its mech form after Metal Gear REX from *Metal Gear* series during Flying Longship's development, things changed when he started to play a Norse mythology-based strategy video game titled *Northgard*, which introduced him to Wyvern, one of the game's most formidable mystical creatures which depicted as titanic, four-winged draconic beast that lacks forelegs and able breathe fire. Impressed by the creature's design and combat abilities as well as finding it even better than either Metal Gear REX-like design or humanoid configuration in Ron PRL's proposals, it was then BSoulsone redesigned Flying Longship's mech form into the current one. Although he still downgraded Flying Longships' combat abilities in the end, BSoulstone nevertheless maintained the war machines' formidability by giving them the ability to project energy harpoons from its very energy barrier (an ability which shared by Karve-class and inspired by similar offensive ability demonstrated by Castle of Lions from *Voltron: Legendary Defender*) in addition of its draconic mech configuration's energy tail-blade and elemental breath attack.

As BSoulstone eventually established Flying Longships as Thapolians' iconic means of transportation, he designed two more variations of the vessel, subsequently dividing it into three classes named after known types of mundane longships. In addition of Drekar-class to designate the very first variant of Flying Longship designed (which rather befitting as drekar longship is also known as dragon longship and thus allude the variant's ability to assume draconic mech form), he designed smaller Faering-class for mundane use and Karve-class as equivalent to battleship and aircraft carrier to allude the former being open boat utilized by Vikings and the latter general purpose longship.

Lastly, when designing special turrets installed on Karve-class, BSoulstone considered to make the turrets form either magic catapult or ballista to deliver artillery strikes upon activation, though he eventually chose the latter in the end, thus naming them Construct Ribbon Ballista.

## Articles & References

1. ↑ **Ron PRL's First Colossi Draft**: Colossi are ancient weapons of mass destruction with the ability to transform from a war ship to a mechanized humanoid and vice versa. It is later revealed Akko based the idea of the Grand Charion from ancient texts she read during her studies with Professor Du Nord. They were used during the Thapoli-Naglfar war where the Thapolians used the Colossi to defeat their enemies.
2. ↑ **Ron PRL's Second Colossi Draft**: Colossi were a mass produced line of weapons of mass destruction sharing resemblance and body type of Magic Knight Grand Charion. The Colossi are highly durable withstanding a nuclear explosion. They possess great strength that allows them to perform its various feats.
Colossi are armed with Missiles Launchers located at the side of the feet, Freeze Shoulder Cannons, the standard Single Laser Arm Cannon, Mini Laser Chest Cannons, Triple Maser Cannon and a Hyper Laser Head Cannon which it can transform when the Collosi's head rotate itself to the cannon.
3. ↑ **Ron PRL's Third Colossi Draft**: Colossi were a mass produced line of weapons of mass destruction sharing resemblance and body type of Magic Knight Grand Charion.
The Colossi were created after Ragnarok took place. Several Thapolian blacksmiths proposes the idea to built giant machines to battle the growing power of the Lindworms controlled by Loki. This met with mixed reaction with the Thapolian military council and human leaders approving the idea while the Thapolian Royal family and The Nine Olde Witches are against it. Eventually, the dire of the situation of the war forces everyone to comply.
Immediately after their construction, the Colossi were sent out across Midgard to battle the Jotnar forces. The plan was successful but by the near end of Ragnarok, most of the Colossi were destroyed with some small number of survivor remained. The Colossi were decommisioned and were secretly disguised as war ships including one used by the Sword of Laeradr.
The Colossi are giants up to the size of the modern days tallest skyscrapers. They possess highly durable alloy allowing them to withstand even a nuclear explosion. They possess great strength that allows them to perform various feats which would be impossible. All Colossi possess a Sorceror Stone which fuels them.
Colossi are armed with Beowulf-class Missile Launchers located at the side of the feet, Freeze Shoulder Cannons, the standard Single Murowa Arm Cannon, Mini Lightning Chest Cannons, Triple Heat Cannon and a Hyper Arc Head Cannon which it can transform when the Collosi's head rotate itself to the cannon.
4. ↑ https://little-witch-academia-fanon.fandom.com/wiki/File:Goryu\_Open.gif