Introduction I

Well, then, welcome back ladies and gentlemen!

I pray to forgive the long delay since my last letter. It seems that the helvetic air navy needed my services much during the last month: My airship, my crew and myself have been requisitioned for transport duty. Consequently, I have spent the late summer and early autumn days on supply runs, delivering crates to mountain army training camps. Not an easy task with all these gusts of wind and those sheer cliffs left and right, believe me! The whole gondola of the Hermès still reeks of mouldy army biscuits, canned meat gone bad and gun grease. Ah, the things we endure in the service of the homeland! But this intermission is now over and I can direct my attention and efforts to more interesting ends. Among these I count my correspondence to you, esteemed readers! So, onwards...

As previously promised, I shall relate some facts about my humble self, my unfazeable crew and my trusty airship. Of course, some of you may have heard stories of my adventures, comfortably sitting in a tavern or in the lounge of an elegant hotel...I certainly do hope they were entertaining! Alas, these tales are often vastly exaggerated: My travels are exciting and fascinating, of course, but not all what is told about my adventures is strictly true. For instance, the whole "crazy cow dropping incident" is, while quite humorous, purely a tale of fiction. But I disgress, let me just state that I will not begin by retelling the more known stories of my journeys, but by giving a few straight, basic facts. This will hopefully allow your esteemed critical and scientific minds to set the basic cognitive framework for the later appraisal of forthcoming tales.

Postcard No. 1

An aerial view of my hometown. Note the long-distance passenger airship "Petit Atlas" approaching the mooring tower.

Welcome Note

Welcome intrepid explorers, genius scientists and skillful inventors! Welcome travelers from all countries and nations! Should you be none of the kind....well, then, ah...welcome to you anyway, whoever you may be! Welcome to the Steampunk Confederation! The world you are about to enter is a miraculous one...

First of all, allow me to briefly introduce myself: I am Hieronymos Esperi, captain of the proud and independent airship Hermès. I fancy myself to be an explorer, a researcher and a mechanic. And a decent cook, too (although my assistant Klaus tends to have a different opinion on this point...). Some ignorant and ill-humored people call me a pirate, a liar or a sky-vagabond. Well, let them talk and everyone else be his or her own judge on that matter, I say! But first and foremost I am your humble servant and teller of tales: I travel the known and unknown parts of the world in my airship and strive to discover things which no lady or gentleman has seen or heard of before. These secrets and wonders I record and report back to all who will listen to the tales of my journeys. Should you wish so, I will gladly let you partake in these adventures!

In my next letter I will tell you a little bit more about myself, my crew and my ship. Until then, I hope you all stay well and curious.

Yours truly,

Hieronymos Esperi