Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Bishop Ironclad

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The Bishop Ironclad is an modernization and upgrade of an 19th century-era warship used by the Grey Steel Order. Planned to be voiced by

Appearance
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History
"Fire the broadside!"

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The era of the wooden-hulled warship came to an end in the 18th century, with the invention of the first naval gun to fire explosive shells. The effect of explosive shells lodging into a wooden hull and then detonating proved devastating, and explosive shells were soon standard among most navies. Already, the steam engine's invention had already spelled the end of the sailing ship, though sailing ships would continue to be used for some time afterward.

Having seen how vulnerable wooden-hulled ships were to explosive shells, countries began developing warships protected by heavy armor and armed with guns. The first ironclad warship would be launched in 1859 by the Orlaisan, and other powers would follow. The first battle of ironclad warships would be between the CSS Virginia and the FSS Monitor, at the Battle of Hampton Roads. The Grey Steel Order was not so blind as to be incapable of seeing what others clearly saw--the wooden-hulled ship could no longer compete, easily outclassed by the ironclad warship. And although the Order never had any great need for a naval arm, the Order was nevertheless able to acquire five ironclad warships over the years through a variety of methods.

The Order shipwrights took apart the ironclads and rebuilt them with Order materials and technology. The ironclads were stripped of their iron armor plating, and replated in the far superior Talon Steel. The steam engines of the ironclads were removed, and replaced with far more efficient engines of Order design. The ironclads were armed with six powerful 12-inch naval guns on each side, as well as a number of smaller cannons, giving them a formidable armament capable of destroying lesser ships with ease. Completely rebuilt, the Order's ironclads were dubbed the Bishop-class Ironclads.

Over the years, the Bishop has received some minor upgrades. The most noticeable is the mounting of a deck howitzer, meant to fire special shells that release a swarm of "clockroaches" upon impact. In practice, ships struck by one of these shells end up being temporarily immobilized, as the crew attempts to purge the infestation. Aside from the installation of the howitzer and various "upgrades" forged by some of the more experienced crews, the Bishop Ironclad is otherwise mostly unchanged from the original Order design. Its Talon Steel armor plate provides unmatched protection from attack even when matched against modern weapons, while its complement of guns can still deliver shattering broadsides to any ship foolish enough to cross its path. Though the rarity of such ships and the reluctance of the Talon to resort to open combat means that the Bishops have only seen combat a few times; most of the time, they sit disguised in their harbors, with only a bare minimum of maintenance, and their crews working on other tasks for the Order. However, in the few instances in which the Order has warranted their deployment, they have shown to be capable of standing firm against modern ships; though their firepower is lacking, their armor can weather dozens of hits, and their bulk lets them soak up blows for other ships while they retaliate.