Map of Remikra, 1264-1308
Funded by revenue from a deep-trade transaction and costing 11 million qors (Remikran currency), construction on the Esterzy began in April 1272 and was completed in late November.
Upon completion, it stood as the largest aircraft in Circlaria (a record held even today), and was described by many as a "city in the sky." At width, the airship was approximately 400 feet; and at length, it was 1200 feet. In terms of cabin space and volume, it was more than 16 times larger than the Pirafone. Its lift interior was divided into sixteen sub-interiors, with four spanning the area inside the main lift's width for each of four 300-foot long sections within the main vessel. Attached to the bottom of each sub-interior was a two-level passenger cabin, meaning that the bottom four cabins running along the center had window views both on the left and right side of the ship; the left and right cabins (four on each side) had respectively left and right views of the outside; and the top four cabins had views only of the interior of the vessel, through the center of which ran a large corridor, named the Sky Boulevard.
Each cabin followed the same room arrangement and structure as that of the fabled Pirafone, consisting of two levels. On the lower level stood the atrium, the ballroom, the dining room, and the gaming room. On the upper level of each cabin stood the guest rooms, divided into economy, middle, and upper social classes.
The Sky Boulevard was spanned by a cable rail tram that hung from the top cabin and ran the length of the corridor. Looping around the center of the corridor below the rail was a people-mover network featuring a two-level line of slow-moving cabs attached to a moving conveyor belt. The lower level of this was accessible directly from the floor while the upper level was accessible by a raised platform accessed by a set of steps every 50 feet. The lower level rotated clockwise while the upper level rotated counter-clockwise.
Service
Construction and development of the Esterzy was funded by Bucksworth Financial Institution, who owned the vessel. They launched the Esterzy into service in January 1273 with a route to Weston in the Meredythian Island territories. Its first international route, beginning that February, ran from the Great North, to Tandeiyah, and to Furthing. The following year, it began its routes to Monassa and the Mid-Westerlies. By the mid-1270s, its service routes included all of Remikra, and by the beginning of the 1280s, all of Canticula.
Passenger ticket prices were prohibitively expensive, going as high as 11'000 qors per person. So most passengers aboard were those of the upper social class, including politicians, celebrities, and high-ranking business figures, as well as family members and invited friends.
The Esterzy reached peak service in January 1287 with its first trip to Ancondria, where it rested thousands of miles away from Remikra when the Provan Republic attacked the Early Republic. However, fate struck the vessel on 6 January 1290, when it was shot down over Lake Onad in the nation of Lotemn.