Turnip28.Artillery Train. 2

We should give her a name’ 

‘What?

The basket creaked as Trooper Orson turned around to face his companion and repeated his statement.

“We should give her a name’”

“Who and what are you talking about?’” responded Trooper Kurt as he turned away from the basket edge and faced Orson. Both of them unconsciously moving to match the movement around them

“The Balloon, she deserves a name. It might even bring her more luck” said Orson with increasing enthusiasm. It had been on his mind for several weeks now and every time they had gone up it had  sounded even louder in his head until it had finally come out.

“IT has a name, or rather a designation. Observation Balloon. No 126. IT doesn't need anymore, especially as we only have the one now, not like it's going to be confused with anything else!’

Trooper Kurt responded dismissively. He got on well with Orson, which was just as well as they had spent so much time together in a basket that measured barely more than a meter square and had no toilet. But he enjoyed the silence and sometimes Orson’s unusual thinking and enthusiasm got the better of him.

“ I know that but it deserves something a bit grander, and I was reading this old book about Ships and they all had names. AND you even named your pistol’ Orson garbled out, caught up now in the moment and desperate to convince Kurt.

“ That’s different. Winona saved my life. She earned it! “ Kurt responded and started to turn back to the basket's edge, he felt he was losing the argument and wasn't sure if he could even muster enough energy to care either way.

Rocket Brigade Troopers Bard Orson and Wullam Kurt assigned Balloonists attached to Observation Balloon No.126 belonging to the 107th Experimental Rocket Brigade were lost.

The 107th had been attached to an Expeditionary Force under Lord General Harrowpike but had become separated when the Artillery Train had become stuck in a mud belt. The army had moved on and the 107th was to catch up once they had been freed but the weather had changed and the fog rolled in. The rearguard had yet to be found and the open mudflats of the Wasted Sea and thick fog gave no clues.

After the train had been pulled free, horse and men pulling each wagon from the dark mud like rotten teeth from a corpse, the 107th had reformed and the Balloon sent up to help the search but to no avail.

So each day the Brigade waited for the fog to clear and the Balloon went up.

Scanning the sickly white horizon beneath the basket, Kurt searched in vain as he had done for the last ten days for a break in the fog or anything that could give the Brigade a direction.

“Okay. So what do you think we should call her?’ he broke the silence again, feeling Orson’s eyes on the back of him and knowing this wouldn't go away.

“Well’ Orson began what was clearly a prepared speech “I was thinking about the Luftroot and how it was discovered”

Kurt turned around and stared at him blankly. He had only skimmed through the Balloonist Primer during his initial training and was surprised Orson had clearly read it all.

“ What about the Luftroot? you want to call it Lufty?’ he joked to cover his confusion.

“No! Do you remember reading about how they first found it? The root and been found and everyone thought it was just another root. But when it was burnt it started to sprout while nodules like tumors that blew up and then burst. The sap is acidic but the wood has a high metal content. The burning released both and made Hydrogen, the lifting gas. “

“ Okay. Thank you for the history and science lesson “ Kurt interrupted before his eyes were caught by a glimpse of a branch in the distance, but Orson had not noticed his distraction and carried on. 

“ so I thought the ballon is a bit like the white bulbs that come up when we burn the root. So I thought we could call her the Tumorous’ it sounds quite feminine as well’” Orson announced with pride and waited for Kurt's response, hoping it would match the one his head had repeated endlessly

“You want to call the Balloon ‘The Tumorous?! ”Kurt finally replied as he reached into his uniform for his telescope and brought the blue dusted copper cylinder to his eye to scan the horizon. 

“Yes!”

“Okay, as it clearly means far more to you than me. The Balloon gets a skirt and a name, but it will cost you” Orson smiled as he spoke and slid the telescope back into the leather holster on his belt

“ She is the Tumorous. But I get your Coltsfoot ration and it will be your turn to climb down the tether and tell them we finally have a break!”

As with virtually every project, I will try and start doing everything at once! Planning for troops and terrain, buildings and vehicles, and oddities in between and Turnip28 has proved no different. Putting together the Artillery train and game board also allowed me some time and experimentation (the right colours and mud mix etc) while I settled on what I actually wanted my force to look like.

In the end, I settled for quite a grounded palette with historical uniforms and some fantasy elements.

Main wagon with Luftroot and space for the balloon to rest when not in flight which I decided to instead  of a tether winch (which I might make up later...)

The first of my Rocket troopers and I based their uniforms on their historical counterparts plus some obligatory rusted armour mud and roots 

Trooper Kurt and his lucky Carrot

Observation Balloon 126. 'The Tumorous' 

The balloon is currently plain but I will add full Brigade heraldry to the side once 

Troopers Kurt and Orson aboard

Horses will be added to pull the wagon and the rest of the train.