Magical sailing vessels built from wizardwood - timber harvested from dragon cocoons. After three generations of a family live and die aboard them, liveships 'quicken' and become sentient, developing a figurehead that can speak and move. Liveships are central to Bingtown's trading economy and the Liveship Traders trilogy. The revelation that wizardwood comes from dragon cocoons adds a tragic dimension to their existence - each liveship is, in a sense, a dragon denied its true form.