Levinquick Radiophone
Historical Equivalent: Telephone
The Levinquick Radiophone, colloquially called the "Lev", is a marvel of eletech technology. Avalon’s Alexander Graham Bell is awarded a patent on his invention of the levinquick radiophone, and, three days later, famously makes the first phone call to Thomas Watson, his assistant in Eisen. The telephone is run by air elementals traversing the lines and carrying sound instead of the prior electric signals.
Rarity. Although available for public use in middle and upper class districts, the levinquick radiophone is not commonly seen outside of these public locations. Some aristocratic and noble households have a private radiophone, but much of their use is limited to communicating with the public phone network.
Bound Elemental. The lightning elemental bound in the EBC powers the device which otherwise functions as a normal telephone via-a-vis transmission of sound.
What do they look like?
How are they operated?
Someone at a public lev booth or private radiophone picks up the receiver and asks the operator to direct them to the corresponding lev on the other end. That operator will then ring the other device and connect them once someone picks up, allowing people to communicate with each other.
To use a levinquick radiophone requries no special proficiency, but repairing one can be more difficult, with an Intelligence (Tinker's Tools) DC 15 check needed to repair them. Making one is more difficult, requiring a Intelligence (Tinker's Tools) DC 20 check, but the technology for how one works is known to most artificers.
Where are they found?
Most major metropolitan centers have various “Lev Terminals” stationed around the city and at most major emergency service locations, such as police, fire, etc.
Nobles tend to own small personal versions that they have either built or purchased.
Of note, there are few if any terminals in lower class areas of major cities and a small village may have a single phone at a police station or post office that is owned and ran predominantly by public officials.
