Singing Stones

Invented in 1541 LE, the singing stones were a magitechnical device capable of transmitting sound over some distance. They took advantage of two things: the network of invisible leylines known to crisscross the landscape, and the basic principle of sound being a series of vibrations. The device used magic to first convert a sound into magical energy, and then transmit that energy across a leyline and to a waiting recipient device, where the energy would be used to vibrate pieces of the internal mechanisms to produce sound.
It was a revolutionary piece of technology for the time, but it did have limitations. It was difficult to properly direct the message to a particular recipient, for one thing. Often, the message would simply be sent to any and all possible recievers within range all at once. Another limitation is that its range was limited by the leylines. If one wanted to send a message to a recipient that was two stops over, it would have to go through a recipient in the middle and be passed along, much like a semaphore tower—which these were ultimately meant to replace.
Another big limitation was that it only transmitted sound, making it useful only to species that rely primarily on sound to communicate such as humans and emine. Even then, emine have been known to be capable of making loud enough noises to be heard from miles away as is, somewhat limiting the need for devices that can carry sound over long distances.
But, these devices were capable of transmitting messages faster than most other methods used at the time, and so for a time did see some use for important, time-sensitive communications.
They are considered the original base for modern smartphones, though obviously the technology has come a long way over the centuries.

Inventor(s)

Though the exacty name and details have been lost to time, it is said that the original inventor of the device was an eccentric inventor, known for their complex and off-the-wall inventions. Some descriptions paint them as a madman, but how much of that is true versus historical revisionism—in either direction—is unclear.

Complexity

By today's standards, the singing stones are almost laughably overcomplicated. The devices were said to occupy about a quarter of an average sized room, though there is some debate as to whether this measurement is from the perspective of human or emine design. The soundbox's mechanisms are so complex that it's a wonder it ever worked reliably in the first place, as some parts are known to interfere with each other's operation. Some who have attempted to replicate the devices have reported that the strength of the vibrations produced are often enough to cause the machines to break down. Whether this is a flaw in the reproductions or a known historical problem has never been conclusively proven.

Related Species

• Emine
• Human