lightning shield

The lightning wheel is a Water Seeker's tool of personal defense. By circulating water within its reservoirs, charge builds up in the wheel's power wells. The energy can be drawn upon later to create a field that greatly enhances the Seeker's ability to use the water in the surrounding air. The field can be strong enough to throw a spark at any object that comes within range.
Although lightning wheels have existed for more than a thousand years, it was only a few decades ago that the concept behind them was applied to defending a boat as well as a person. A handful of traveling Water Seekers now use large-scale lightning shields to guard against surprises at sea and in harbor.

History

The first lightning maker, the result of experiments in the 950s Vol, proved the viability of lightning power in places where direct steam is impractical. Since then lightning energy has become widely used by both islanders and tideriders, but besides the Seekers' wheels the technology was not used as a defense.
That changed in 2040 Vol with the downfall of the Unity. In its wake Alcendis Varenonde declared her intentions to revive the Water Seekers, rebuild the Eddy, and take the title of Dancinglight. This public announcement made her the target of both the Unity Dregs for her association with the Dissolvers, and dissatisfied islanders for her association with the Wringers. Worried about attacks, she had a battery of lightning wheels installed around the perimeter of her boat to give a minor shock to anyone who approached close enough to touch it.

Utility

A lightning shield is operated in the same way as a lightning wheel, but on a larger scale. Multiple reservoirs are needed to store up enough charge to protect a small boat. The amount of water needed scales up in volume as a boat scales up in circumference, so a small cargo carrier is the largest craft for which a lightning shield is reasonable.

Inventor(s)

Keshal Yosolertun, 956 Vol (original lightning maker)
Alcendis Varenonde, 2041 Vol (ship-sized shield)

Access & Availability

Use of the lightning shield is limited to Water Seekers with good handling abilities. In order to generate a usable amount of charge, the reservoirs need to be circulated in rapid succession