It is simply... incredible. That we can communicate without need of a rider. This amazing creation brings such great glory to the Empire.— An Elven Noble after her first use of the Station
Discovery
In the Year 23 of the First Age, Elven savant and arcane inventor
Ealamunn Kapsrik noted Emporer
Tuloni I's significant dissatisfaction with the length of time it took to relay information across the Empire. He conceived of an arcane device that could capture the image and voice of a user in one location and transmit it to another, similar device in a distance place. Through much trial and error, he discovered it was possible to achieve this leveraging large, precisely-shaped crystals engraved with arcane sigils, and oriented along lines of arcane power. He called the device a "
Rysbecht Station."
Building the Stations
The resulting stations were large, rising about six to eight feet (1.8m - 2.4m) in height. They were extremely heavy, taking up an entire room. Highly complex arcane formulas were needed to calculate the exact dimensions of every face of the crystals, the precise location where the station needed to be placed, and the distance with which the arcane energy could travel.
Advancements
Because of the complexity involved in their creation, early rysbecht stations could only link to a single destination station. To address this limitation, Ealamunn expanded on his initial work, devising a means to allow the crystals to be carefully re-calibrated within the station. If done properly (which was no easy feat), it it was then possible to change the destination station with which one could communicate.
However, there was a side effect to this improvement. Since the crystals had already been engraved with the mystic sigils and were operational, those servants who maintained the stations were regularly exposed to high levels of concentrated arcane energy. They often contracted arcane poisoning, and eventually died, a fact which Elven nobles were willing to accept as the price of innovation.
Access & Usage
When the first pair of stations was unveiled to the Emperor and his inner circle, the innovation was very well received. Ealamunn's work was met with much excitement and anticipation. The Emperor commanded a dozen of the devices be constructed and deployed to key strategic locations across Gokrenxia. They were largely kept secret from the general populous, and those trusted and loyal individuals in the know were under strictest instructions to protect that secret upon pain of death.
Rysbecht Stations & the Great War
As the Great War raged across the land, in the Year 840 of the First Age the Elves found themselves on their heels. The
Kynekin armies had gained significant momentum and it became apparently to Elven leadership the "beastmen" spirit would not be easily broken. Elven cities fell one after another and the order was given to destroy all rysbecht stations before retreating from a city, with the plan to eventually rebuild them. Unfortunately, all of Ealamunn Kapsrick's complex formulas, notes, and research were lost, collateral damage to the war. Though there are some hopefuls who remember the stations, and hold onto the thought that somewhere buried in the archives of The Library at
Stoverj there may still be copies tucked away, waiting to be rediscovered.
Comments