While elves across Laminarum have no definite lifespan, the
Western Elves of
Urale have faced a plight of developmental decline which has only grown steeper with each new generation. Likely due to their
Waning Rock technology, the average lifespan of a western elf is approximately 40 years (ca. 1947 NG). While there remains a chance for their standard health to be recovered with the banning of
Waning Rock, the westerners are nothing if not stubborn, viewing the technology as an escape from the gods' determined fate placed upon other mortals.
While great strides have been made in improving the efficiency and safety of the arcane rocks, none are exposed more to its impacts than the elvish kings who reside within the majestic
Waning Keep. Held aloft in the sky through the rocks' transmutative effects, the keep is both a symbol of power and a threat to those within. Thankfully, certain pieces of technology have been developed to protect notable citizens, such as the "Iron Lung Throne," developed by Uridan Kruval. Rather advanced for its time, it was meant to emulate the less advanced "iron lung" within
Everis Dumont's voyaging ship. While they have the same task, many consider the throne to be the more advanced of the two, given the blueprints of the original iron lung were deliberately used and improved upon (though lacking permission from the original creator).
At present, two dozen western elvish kings have used the Iron Lung Throne and it's seen a range of improvements. While external medicine is still utilized, engineers are preparing for the day when the throne alone will be sufficient.
Form and Function
The Iron Lung Throne's seat is only for the likes of
Western Elvish royalty. Unlike its namesake implies, it is made of brass and aluminum with a velvet seat for the user's comfort. Its size appears rather modest, but this ignores the complex machinery beneath and behind the seat. Various mechanisms are constantly active while the throne is in use, all of which assist with the health and homeostasis of the king. Examples include air pumps to regulate breathing, waning rock regulators to maintain heart rate, needles and tubes to assist with hemodialysis, and backup waning rock generators to prevent cardiac arrest.
Some of the machinery is visible from the throne room, including dials and monitors so the royal guard knows if anything is awry with their king. While the aesthetic is in line with sights throughout the cities of
Ilobel or
Gerron, foreigners have described the throne as delivering a sense of foreboding, doom, and mortality. Due to its invocation of mortality, most use it as a prime example of the perversions of
Waning Rock in support of continuing trade embargo against it.
A Leader Fit for the Chair
Not just anyone can sit on the Iron Lung Throne, though not because of its royal status alone. Due to the chair's invasive qualities (needles, cables, piping, catheters, etc.), any heir to the throne typically has to be fitted with various receptors to prevent the chair from harming them. Typically, this involves surgeries for the user and personalized engineering in the chair. While such dedication to the throne can appear daunting, its all in the king's best interest, as the chair is said to increase the user's expected lifespan up to 40%, though this only applies to those often exposed to
Waning Rock.
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