Tome of Technology

[Trippy Hare]

Within this hefty tome lie all of the wondrous feats of mechanical wizardry in the land. May the knowledge contained within be put to good use!

Remember, only approved inventions appear here. If your invention is not listed, it is not approved...and doesn't exist.

[Trippy Hare]

TEMPLAR'S ARMOR
Created by Trippy Hare

Purpose: Humans, born without any sort of protective skin, scales, fur, etc., are always in the process of finding better means to protect themselves in combat. The Templar's Armor is the culmination of that drive, and not only protects its wearer, but augments the abilities of the person within to unnatural levels, increasing strength and endurance.

Appearance: Templar's Armor causes the wearer to appear about sixteen feet tall and six feet wide. Metal sheathing covers the entire mass, save for a thick glass window in front of the cabin to allow the operator to see. There is some variety among Templar suits, though most feature a large sword in one hand, and a collapsible shield in the other. Seen from a distance, the entire thing resembles a humanoid structure, conspicuously lacking a head. The operator's cabin sits roughly where the stomach would be.

Templar armor is very shiny, as a massive heating plate along the back and above the operator's cabin serve to absorb sunlight in order to heat water to steam- these heating plates must be kept fairly clean in order to maximize their effectiveness- this leads to a Templar's armor having a preternatural shine.

Construction: Each Templar's Armor has to be tailor-made to a soldier's dimensions...a 6'2" trooper could not operate the armor if it was built for a 5'10" one. Once a trooper's height, arm-span, hand-span, and leg length are measured, construction can begin, using those measurements as a general template. No matter what size the armor eventually becomes, the proportions of the trooper's measurements remain the same.

Either solid steel tubes, or steel tubes filled with slag, are used to make the support frame. Once complete, thin, flexible steel tubes made by weaving steel wires together run across the frame to the base of both arms and both legs. These will house the control mechanisms when the armor is complete.

Layers of metal plating resembling loricated mail are added, with a layer of shoe-leather in between to act as a shock absorber. The leg sections are strengthened with coils of steel or brass cables, arranged in slightly-offset spirals. This acts as a spring, which compresses upon contact with the ground and lessens the shock the rest of the structure- and the pilot- endures. These leg-springs are then covered with thin metal plates, to keep contaminants or debris from getting lodged inside.

Two canisters sit atop the structure, analogous to its shoulders. Each canister is a cylinder, with a diameter of 2 feet and about three feet long. One of these cylinders contains the steam tank, which houses the pressure used to drive the machine's ranged weapons and hydraulics, while the other is the water reservoir, from which the steam is created. The hydraulic pistons used to move the entire structure are housed within the legs, themselves.

Once the structure is built and the hydraulic pistons filled, control mechanisms are threaded through the woven-steel 'veins' to the hands and feet.

Operation: Templar's Armor uses steam-generated force to operate the flechette tubes and canister-throwers, and uses simple hydraulics devised from vegetable oils and a steam-pressurizer to move the machine itself.

The entire device has solid tubes for support, and enormous empty ones, filled with thick vegetable oil, for control. The back-plates and chest-plates are kept polished to absorb sunlight, and the heat generated from them turns the water from one tank into steam, which fills the other. Sometimes, the entire suit of armor, with its pilot, will stand astride an open fire to build up sufficient heat to rapidly boost the steam pressure.

Steam from the shoulder tank is diverted into the hydraulic cylinders within the limbs. This steam exerts force against rubber seals and gaskets that separate it from the oil. This pressurized oil acts as a simple hydraulic, enabling the operator to move the enormous and heavy metal limbs with much less effort. Although the operator still must have adequate strength, and full use of his limbs, to make full use of the armor. Armor that lacks steam pressure can still be operated, through the use of hand-pumps in the operator's cabin that build up air pressure in the hydraulic cylinders. This enables a Templar suit to move only a few paces, and is not a practical means of extended operation.

Each foot controls the corresponding leg of the armor via a foot-pedal that seals off the hydraulics from the pressurized steam. When pressed, the pressure is released, and the leg comes down, when released, pressure rises, and the hydraulics lift the leg.

Each arm of the device is controlled by the corresponding hand of the operator, save the thumb. A squeeze-grip operates the arms in much the same way the foot-pedal operates the legs.

The weapons, which have their own separate steam lines, are operated with the thumbs. Most Templar Armor suits have a large sword welded into one hand, and the two standard projectile launchers in the other. One is a flechette gun, which is operated by simply pressing the release valve with the thumb. This allows a jet of superheated and pressurized steam to flow out of the reservoir, into the launch tube, and propel the flechette therein at whatever is in front of it, like a large blowgun. This weapon is usually located in one or more 'fingers' on an armor suit. In order to maximize efficiency and minimize wasted space, flechettes are packed tightly into canisters- this canister contains a cog wheel, while the flechettes sit firmly in each gap between cog teeth. As steam pushes into the canister, the cog turns, lining up a flechette with the exit tube. Each canister can hold 7 to 12 flechettes, depending on the size of the Templar's armor.

The second weapon is the canister launcher, which works in the same way, only larger in scale. Instead of an aerodynamic flechette, this launcher propels a spherical container of thin steel, containing small shards of flint rocks and filled with highly flammable liquid. Upon impact, the steel shell cracks open, dousing the area with the flammable liquid. The shards of flint strike the remnants of the steel shell, spark, and ignite the liquid. This happens very rapidly, and often explosively.

Ranged weaponry on the suit must be reloaded periodically. The reload tubes and spare ammunition are stored alongside the operator within the cabin, usually within small hatches or compartments built into the device.

Templar's Armor suits must be well-maintained, as a single leaking seal could douse the pilot in scalding steam or boiling oil. Also, they are prone to breakdowns in drawn-out combats. To prevent this, each operator is given a vial of sodium powder, as well as forced to drink a great deal of water before battle. When the pilot needs to relieve himself, there is a built-in urinal with a one-way valve. The pilot adds his contribution, then throws in the vial. Sodium reacts explosively with any water content, producing a great amount of heat and pressure. This, combined with the water recycled by the pilot, will provide the suit with enough steam and pressure and heat to continue operating for nearly two hours.

Retail Value: Templar's Armor suits do not rely on costly materials, or high-quality metals. So long as high-grade seals and refined oils are used, a Templar suit may be made with even rusted iron and still be combat-effective. However, because of the labor-intensive construction and maintenance, Templar suits are pricey. Most knights can afford one, vassals, dukes, and regional governors can afford more. The commoner can not...though he could endeavor to build one.

[Trippy Hare]

FIREBREATHER SIEGE ENGINE
Invented by Trippy Hare

Purpose: Firebreathers were primarily designed as an implement of psychological warfare. an enormous, seemingly impervious war machine that can burn a village into cinders, Firebreathers are a rare, but undeniably deadly, part of the Waeleden military. They are hardly ever used on the battlefield itself, usually being relegated to obliterating upstart villages as a show of power, or to scare enemies into capitulation. If, however, they are employed at the front lines, it is usually in an effort to humble the opposing forces, as they are not practical weapons in fierce melee combat. The mechanisms that spew out the plumes of flame cannot differentiate friend from foe, and the path of the flames are wide, which would cause a Firebreather to incinerate friendly troops as well as foes.

Appearance: Firebreathers resemble large tortoises in design, usually with a face carved into the front of the machine and a mouth-like decorative opening where the actual flames come out. It is supported by several small metal wheels which cannot be seen unless one is either lying prone, or inside the actual machine itself.

Construction: Firebreathers begin as a wooden skeleton, similar to a ship, but in a circular, dome-like shape. This framework is built upward to form a short cylinder with a rounded top, about eight feel tall at most. Wooden ribs are added, filling in the gaps, until the structure is solid. An iron chassis consisting of two axles joined by a perpendicular mounting shaft are then added, giving it a squared base. Any gaps in the hull are filled in with clay, and once the structure is thus sealed, the entire machine is covered on the inside with clay and on the outside with a layer of plaster and iron plates.

Inside the main chamber is a barrel, usually filled with oil (in some cases filled with a caustic acid) and a smaller barrel nested inside that is constructed of rubber and filled with air. The main barrel is connected to a hose, which runs to an oil-lamp in the device's "mouth". Two large, rectangular openings are cut into the base of the structure, allowing it to be propelled by horses or mules, while also sheltering these animals within its armor.

Operation: Firebreathers are propelled by horses, mules, or other sturdy pack animals, in pairs. The yokes and harnesses for these animals are located within the armored shell, giving the illusion that Firebreathers are self-propelled. Due to their great mass and the small number of animals used to carry it, Firebreathers are slow, cumbersome, and difficult to mobilize.

Two operators also sit inside the armored shell, one to steer/control and care for the pack animals, and one to operate the main weapon, which consists of an oil-lamp in the mouth. This weapon is fueled through a small ceramic fuel-barrel that doubles as the operator's seat. A hose opens just in front of the lit oil lamp to a large barrel of oil or caustic acid. This 'payload barrel' is usually lined with a thick rubber coating, to prevent leaks and protect the fuel from bumps and jolts. Within the enormous payload barrel is an air-bladder, constructed of thick rubber. The weapon operator pumps a handle to inflate the bladder, thereby putting pressure on the payload's contents. Once pressurized, squeezing a separate lever opens a valve in the main hose, allowing the pressurized fuel to spray out of the hose, through the oil-lamp, and out toward the target.

Retail Value: Firebreathers are slow to build, labor intensive, and require an enormous supply of wood, steel, rubber, and various fuels or acids. They burn through an enormous amount of fuel, and despite their brilliant engineering and design, operating one is a dangerous business, and the only thing that can motivate a person to pilot one is absurdly high pay. Firebreathers are, therefore, available only to kings.

[Trippy Hare]

DEATH-HAND WAR MACHINE
Created by Trippy Hare

Purpose: Though Dwarves are fierce fighters in their own right, they do not rely solely on foot soldiers to grant them victory in battle. The Death-Hand War Machine is just one piece of their mechanized cavalry. Self-propelled and self-operating, it's role is anti-personnel in nature: it exists to decimate enemy soldiers and formations, though it is all but useless against heavily armored foes, such as Terran Templars.

Appearance: A four-wheeled, square base (about 6'x6') provides a stable platform, on which are two separate and distinct housings. A cylindrical housing, about four feet tall, containing the various mechanisms that move the machine, as well as storage for the ammunition it fires. This housing is heavily armored, and also features two hinged armor plates, which can be extended outward to provide cover, or folded in to provide extra armor to the main control housing.

Atop this sits a bizarre sight, indeed, resembling an inverted cone. Dwarves jovially refer to this housing as the "Song of the Afterlife", as it contains the machine's secondary, and almost always final, weapon...which gives a distinct shriek when in operation. Several long, scythe-like blades fold inward on top of the main housing, overlapped like fish-scales. Though they curve inward, the cutting edge is on the outward curve of the blade (the exact opposite of where the cutting edge on an actual scythe is). Three large square-shaped openings, thinly covered by leather flaps, also appear on this housing, set an equal distance apart. On the inside of these openings are sharpened points and three equally-sized cables, from which a highly-explosive charge is suspended. Between this housing and the main housing lies a shaft about 3" thick, and a smaller wheelbase, about 2"x2". Four mithril wheels, about the size and shape of marbles, sit on this wheelbase.

Construction: Death-Hand war machines are constructed out of steel, which both gives them strength and a great deal of weight. The square platform/wheelbase is made of mithril, as mithril is the only metal that can support the structure itself. Each wheel is made of steel, with 2" long mithril spikes protruding from its surface. These both give the device traction in all but the most treacherous terrain, and allow it to quickly gain purchase and speed on flat terrain.

Within the main housing is a complex labyrinth of springs, gears, cables, pulleys, and cogs, all spread around an enormous central spring, made of woven steel and mithril cables. Uncoiled, this main spring is nearly 600 feet long, though by the time it is tightly wound by several teams of dwarves over the course of an entire day, it fits easily within the four-foot-high central housing.

The top housing's final charge is usually made of a rubber or leather skin filled with water, and a sodium outer shell. The remaining empty space in the top housing is filled with nails, glass, iron filings, discarded ore, and any other leftover scrap material that can be used as shrapnel. These materials alone aren't long enough to be able to penetrate the sodium shell and water-core, but the pointed inner-pikes are.

Operation: There are three separate weapons systems built into the Death-Hand, and yet another system that moves the device. Only one Dwarf is required to operate it, though his job is mostly steering, as the machine can perform the rest of its functions without the need of a pilot.

The main, cylinder housing of Death-Hands is almost solid, as it contains all of the vital cogs, springs, gears, and pulleys that propel and operate the machine. Before combat, a team of 4 to 6 Dwarves has to wind the main spring, a task that takes almost a full day to complete. Other 1 to 2 Dwarf teams wind secondary springs in the upper housing and load the final, sodium-shell charge into the device.

Once in combat, the stored energy of the tightly-wound central spring is partially-diverted, via gears and cogs, into the wheels to allow the device to move, or into miniature weight-pulley systems mounted sideways on the main housing. These act like smaller versions of catapults, firing laterally across a wide area. A series of gears and levers diverts some energy from the main spring to rewind and reload each micropult. These micropults are themselves loaded with ingenious ammunition in the shape of 8"x8"x8" cubes. These cubes are actually metal plates joined by tightly-coiled springs on a loose spot-weld. The space between is filled with fuel oil and iron filings. Once launched, the weld holding the spring-tension together is jarred, which either causes the weld to fail and send shards of iron and flammable oil out onto enemy troops, or weakens it in such a way that when the projectile impacts the ground or an enemy soldier, it bursts apart, showering them with lethal shrapnel and flammable oil.

The upper housing, once a switch is opened, diverts energy from the main spring to set to spinning itself rapidly. This spin causes the mounted blades to rise up and outward, giving the upper housing the appearance of a giant, and deadly, spinning top. These spinning blades also cause the shrieking whistle referred to earlier as the "Song of the Afterlife".

Once the upper housing's weapon is activated, the machine cannot move, as all the main spring's stored energy is used by the 'top'. Once the main spring is completely uncoiled, a large square weight acts as a stopper. Once the main spring has completely transfered all its energy to the 'top', the weight immediately halts the spinning and jolts the machine. This jolt is hard enough to both snap the tin driveshaft and jar the entire housing off its base. It will continue on, propelled forward by its own momentum and stabilized by its spinning motion, out into enemy formations, where it will slice its way through enemy troops. Once it comes to a rest and topples, the explosive charge within is detonated by the inward-pointing spikes, and showers any unfortunate nearby with excruciatingly hot steam, white-hot flecks of burning sodium, and deadly shrapnel.

The main housing, now useless, can then be manually rolled at the enemy like a giant stone, or left in place as an obstacle, or the armor plates can be extended to provide cover for Dwarf soldiers and peltasts.

Retail Value: Death-Hands are moderately priced, given their incredible usefulness. The most expensive aspect of the machine is its mithril wheelspikes and wheelbase, though the mithril used is such a small amount that costs can be kept low. It is out of the price range of a peasant, though a moderately wealthy merchant could feasibly afford one.