Aërobat

The Mage War resulted in the rapid development of a number of new technologies, pushing them to new heights; the most literal of those heights involved the enormous advancements in aviation.

Both sides of the War used aircraft extensively, training pilots from their general military ranks rather than the aristocracy, like officers. When the War ended, those pilots returned home and many wished to continue to fly. The availability of military-surplus biplanes and pilots resulted in a number of pilots choosing a career in flying - performing aërial acrobatics (aërobatics) in travelling shows, competing in aëro-races, or working with the movie industry.

Of all of these, the aërobat is probably the most well-known. Many travelling shows have adopted an aviator or two to promote the show ahead of their arrival, and the aërobatics show itself is a tentpole performance.

Becoming an aërobat has made stars out of farmhands and shopworkers, allowing people who might otherwise have never left their hometown to travel across a continent and beyond.

For some lucky few, it has made them household names - immortalised on celluloid and magazine covers.

The profession is not without risk: aërobats are reliant on a trained and conscientious groundcrew and co-stars. Practice and choreography - especially of simulated dogfights and other multi-vehicle stunts - are necessary and mistakes can be fatal. This is, of course, part of the appeal for the audience.

In addition to the self-imposed risks and that of mechanical failure, some of the flying beasts of the wilds consider aëroplanes to be a threat, a meal, or simply a curiosity. Mock-dogflights sometimes become real ones with the arrival of a creature intrigued or angered by the display.