Lightning Rods

Rods Against the Gods

The land of Das Konigreich has been ravaged by godly thunderstorms for over one thousand years after earning the ire of Jerun and Rufio. Citizens have been looking for solutions to the Göttsturms since their initial inception. Risen efforts to reverse the storms via arcane magicks have all been in vain thus far, and the people of Das Konigreich are far too proud to bend their heads to Rufio and Jerun after all of the centuries spent losing their homes and land to the wrath of the storms. After the arcane had failed, they turned to technology and created the first functional lightning rods in the year 881 AR.
Permanent lightning rod fixtures are now positioned on the roofs of most buildings throughout the cities of Das Konigreich. They are roughly three inches in diameter and extend fifteen to twenty feet vertically. These have a long, braided wire that connects at the ground level to another rod buried into the ground. The rods and wires are made from local copper mined from the Göttdonnersbirgen and are primarily fabricated in Franzburg. The metal is extracted and forged by a variety of smiths and reinforced by a family of Dwehrlen magismiths who have passed down their techniques for generations specifically for the creation of these lightning rods. Their magick enhancements allow for greater conductivity and resistance, allowing them to ward off even the fiercest bolts that the Göttsturms can muster.
Portable versions have been made more readily available in recent years. These are smaller, at one inch in diameter and only ten feet in length. They are usually pre-mounted to the tops of traveling wagons or have their own stands to be carried alongside them. With the need to keep them mobile, An additional enchantment is placed upon the grounding rods at the end of their cables which can be activated to allow them to burrow deep into the ground, completing the chain to disperse lightning strikes into the earth.
Although solutions are still being sought to avert the Göttsturms entirely, this step of controlling and diverting the lightning strikes has been a solid leap forward for reclaiming the land of Das Konigreich.

An Arduous Journey

Obtaining materials was and continues to be the most difficult part of these rods. Establishing working mines that did not easily flood or collapse from the effects of the Göttsturms took centuries to obtain a net gain from the process.
As well as avoiding the worst parts of the storms, the magickal beasts present in the mountains have proven to be extremely lethal and aggressive towards travelers and would-be miners. Local drakes and tunneling worms have spelled the end for many attempted mineshafts and continue to harass the people of Das Konigreich.
Now, with the first generation of portable lightning rods being in active use, workers could more safely travel between Franzburg and the copper mines deeper in the mountains whilst traveling in larger groups and with the employ of monster hunters.