Yes, ships are here!

There is only one ship type at the moment: the Thalassian seastrider,
which is a "windship" built for speed and manoeuvrability. I'm afraid it
isn't cheap: commissioning one costs 5 million gold. If you are unsure
about purchasing a ship, you may wish to wait for more ship types to
come out, as there will be both more and less expensive options than
this one. (Please don't ask me at this time when or how much though! I
will let you know, after I'm satisfied with the progress of this first
phase of ships.)

This IS an initial phase for ships, and the main function of a ship at
this time is to allow you to travel on the ocean, and to reach islands
that cannot be reached by any other way. We do have much more planned
and in the works than simply sailing from island to island, and we shall
be introducing them gradually after this initial testing phase of ships
- more ship types, ship upgrades, deep sea fishing, deep sea treasure
diving, random encounters with sea monsters, naval combat, a Seamanship
skill (which will be like the Riding skill - not a miniskill, not part
of a skillset, simply a skill on its own that anyone can learn), and
more. I do think that the sailing and exploring you can do with a ship
right now is a lot of fun in its own right, though, as I think any of
the current ship owners/captains will tell you!

Currently, if you wish to commission a ship, you will have to use your
resources to find your way to the hidden harbour in Tasur'ke and
COMMISSION SHIP from Maelstrom. He can only work on a limited number of
commissions at any time, so it's first-come, first-serve. Please be
aware that this is a major new addition, and we are continuously making
tweaks and additions to the way ships work in practice. If you purchase
a ship now, I will likely be in touch with you to be part of the testing
group.

I shall have a HELP SHIPS written up later tonight, for the curious!

Penned by my hand on the 21st of Scarlatan, in the year 461 AF.