Aetheromechanical Technology

The Aetheric Revolution

In the last two hundred years, Ithara has experienced a significant boom in aetheromechanical technology. When it was discovered that the same techniques to channel aether into magical power could also be applied to seals and conduits engraved in material to direct ambient aether, the potential applications grew a thousandfold. The first applications were entirely based on survival and ease of life: magicians who would cast areas of magic nullification around settlements to safely disperse aether storms were replaced by aether-dispelling arrays that could be triggered by any regular guardsman; the sails of sand skiffs were infused with enduring winds to send them speeding over the dunes; large-scale purification and pumping of water made cities cleaner and allowed functional plumbing in even larger structures. After all these years of development, Ithara has skyrocketed as the most technologically developed nation in the world.

Of course, these developments are not without their downsides. Aether is still a phenomenon localized to Ithara, so any technology that runs on it requires an aether battery to function in the outside world. So far, aether's volatile nature in large, compressed quantities means that only small batteries have been safely developed and tested, so anything larger than a man-sized device simply cannot function the same way in the wider world. The material cost of much of this technology is also worth considering: copper, gold, silver, and cobalt are used to help conduct aether through material and are fairly common in Ithara, but wood to craft vehicles can be much harder to come by in large quantities locally, requiring imports from Ogygia or cutting down the great trees of the Chikan Jungle.

As a result, large aetheromechanical machines are almost exclusively in the domain of the merchant kings, while smaller devices may be sold to villages or local establishments for a notable fee. Traditional vehicles and magical arts are still in use outside of the capitals of the merchant kings and their trade routes, creating a notable divide when one travels from a capital to rural areas.

by Ryan Pancoast

Aesthetics

In accordance with Itharan artistic values of color and vibrancy, aetheromechanical technology is not just designed to be functional, but also to be pleasant to the eye. Distinct visual design is used for all technology where possible, to an extent that some might view as gaudy: filigree, bright colors, precious metals and stones, banners, draping textiles, and sculpted adornments are all common sights in Itharan technology despite providing no functional value.

On the other hand, each bit of technology blends in well with the aesthetic values of Itharan cities, and just by appearance one could tell what particular region a piece of technology comes from, who it belongs to (assuming they have enough funds for customization), and even what ethnicity had more of a hand in influencing its appearance. A suit of enhanced armor made by a Duman artificer may have more geometric patterns and darker colors, while one made by a Hathian artificer may use more filigree and textiles.

Shortcomings and Risks

As all aetheric technology relies on aether to run, it is vulnerable to anti-magic effects or effects that interfere with magical function. Aether storms in particular are a massive risk to their functionality, much like a lightning storm with real-world electronics. Larger vehicles often come equipped with limited range anti-magic shielding around the most valuable aetheromechanical components, but as this shielding comes with the risk of interfering with the technology itself, this is not the most reliable defense.

Even the beasts of nature can cause issues with technology. The anzu with their ambient aether storms have been the bane of airships all through Itharan history, and the nguma-monene's unique ability to radiate an anti-magical field has made them nearly incompatable with technological environments.

Utility

Below are some of the most notable implementations of aetheromechanical technology in Ithara to date. New discoveries and improvements are made regularly, but the most basic applications have largely been solidified.

Safety & Quality of Life

While largely unseen, the development of functional plumbing systems is a massive improvement to city life, allowing for both better sanitation and (especially important in arid Ithara) easier transportation of clean water across longer distances. This also allows for cities to expand vertically with less impact on daily life, a fact many cities have taken advantage of with their developments. Equally important is the development of controlled anti-magic fields that can be deployed around major cities and settlements, ensuring that a passing aether storm will not completely cease all function in a metropolis - or worse.

On a more personal level, aetheromechanical prosthetics have been developed that can completely replace a missing limb or organ, within reason. These can either run off ambient aether or be powered by small batteries, though only the battery-powered variety can continue functioning properly outside of Ithara.

Labor

Non-sapient golems with enough programming to perform limited tasks and respond to environmental changes and verbal commands have made large-scale labor much easier in Ithara, and heavy lifting and other tasks that don't require delicate work have largely been delegated to these constructs.

Transportation

Easily the most significant development is the ability to take a few variables out of the equation when transporting goods. Not only can sand skiffs and river boats be enhanced with self-propelling means, but entirely new transportation in the form of airships and trains have also been developed.

Much like regular boats, airships can come in a range of sizes, from those intended for mass transport to vehicles intended for smaller crews. Larger ships must rely on compartments with lighter-than-air enchantments to stay afloat, while smaller vehicles can get by on vertical, forward, and rear propellers. A recent development for smaller airships involves the use of minor lighter-than-air compartments and a quartet of wings that beat at incredible speeds, like those of a dragonfly.

by Adam Paquette

Trains, meanwhile, sacrifice the flexibility of going where they please for the ability to cross distances at incredible speeds. These huge vehicles travel on land via pre-built metal rails, and are almost exclusively used to transport goods or passengers between the cities of the merchant kings. Most historic trains stay attached to their rails thanks to wheels, but some recent developments have allowed for magnetic elevation to come into play, significantly increasing speed of travel. Unfortunately, trains are still extremely susceptible to geographic challenges: if aether fluctuations or shifting land interfere with their rails, the results could be catastrophic. Travel speeds have therefore been restricted to a reasonable 50 miles per hour until rail stability can be reliably improved.

Armor & Weaponry

Inevitably, technological developments turn to combat and defense. Enhanced armors can provide increased protection against the elements as well as shielding against magical effects, an invaluable resource to any warrior in the harsh Itharan wilderness. The most advanced can even reduce in size and expand across the wearer's body, or replace entire limbs when worn. Concealed or projectile weapons are a fairly common enhancement for armor as well: many Itharan artificers equip armblades and elemental cannons to their armor as backup options.

All types of enchanted weapons have also been made, but the most significant is the vajra-blade, a customization that allows even an untrained fighter to cast simple spells through their weapon through the use of cartridges that store aether and spellcasting arrays. These have become standard issue to all elite guards and most artificers, though common folk with enough funding could order similar customization.

by Jason Nguyen

Similarly, these cartridges on a larger scale have been used to develop seige weapons capable of launching bolts of lightning, fireballs, or clinging magma. These are most often equipped on airships, trains, and other larger transports to defend against the great beasts of the wilderness, though ballistae and cannons are still the most common defenses due to their relatively lower material cost.

Manufacturing

Magical artifacts are an obvious analogue to aetheromechanical technology, and in fact, many modern devices owe their origins to replicating and mass-producing the effects of ancient magical artifacts. These unique items were once the domain of wizards of antiquity; now, these same wizards work alongside artificers to reverse engineer any items discovered by explorers and mercenaries so that their effects can be replicated on a mass scale.

While a skilled wizard could mass-enchant items as necessary to similar effect, accessibility and mass production are still issues. With aetheromechanical technology, attunement to an object is almost never required, nor is knowledge of the magical arts needed to use the item. A factory and mundane workers can manufacture several vajra-blades to arm a city's elite guards in the time it would take one wizard to enchant multiple similar weapons, and these workers can be replaced much more easily than the wizard could be.

In some cases, recovered magical artifacts may still serve as aether batteries or conduits for prototype technology, where their specifics have not been brought to the mass production scale yet. This is especially true for larger-scale technology: for example, the golems of ancient civilizations were largely powered by captured spirits, often the spirits of sapient creatures, and creating a golem now with a similar capacity and less dubious ethics requires careful workarounds.

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