runs_on_batteries | IC Inbox/ Interactions 2.0

One of the smaller varieties of magitek native to my world. The design is not precisely one of my own, but it should serve as a reasonable example.

[There follows a sketch of what appears to be some sort of small, mobile turret - while the drawing itself is hand-drawn, it's more than clear that this is something that Emet is both accustomed to doing and has had time to get good at; each component carefully and meticulously sketched out.

...On the other hand, absolutely none of it is labeled and there's no indication of what it might use as fuel. Still, should Tony be interested in recreating it - and actually manage to do so in absence of any pointers about what the thing is made of - he'll find that while it is perfectly functional neither is it without its flaws. One of which is that it will only function for short periods at a time.]

[Tony had been dozing on the couch, one arm thrown over his eyes and a hologram image of the arena spinning about a foot nearby. There were some notes and measurements at various points of the diagram. However, the light was dimmed since he'd fallen asleep in middle of working on it.

He groaned and woke begrudgingly. At first, he didn't know what he was looking at or why but he figured it out. About a few hours later, 'Sully' got a reply. It would've been sooner, but he finished his nap first.]

Your design was flawed so I took the liberty of critiquing it. While your artistic skills are impressive your diagram was surprisingly unspecific. After I reviewed the design though, I think you did yourself a favor by not wasting anymore of your time than you already had on this.. let's call it a drone, shall we?

I don't see the point in a helmet for your drone here since it would be flying. If someone was shooting or striking at it, the attack would be from the ground. The nose, is this to serve as a face or canon? It's asinine. The wings themselves are ridiculously inefficient and are an easy target. It would be far more energy efficient if they were fans that created wind tunnels at two points or one larger one along a thinner, flatter frame instead of this circular, bulky design. You've essentially attempted to recreated a metal bee and while this may earn points among children and imbeciles, if I were you I'd find someone else to blame this atrocity on and fast.

Instead, here's a drone worth your while. Here

Edited (Because Hope is a dumbass..) 2021-03-05 04:04 (UTC)

It was not meant to be specific. But I'll pass your assessment of the design on to tol Scaeva, when next I chance to meet him.

[Which may well be some time, all things considered. But rather than bother with anything else along that line of discussion he turns instead to the more relevant details of design.]

As I recall, they were initially designed to support a larger - and more well-armed - warmachina. The forward armament - and it is meant to be a form of cannon - would have served to harry any adventurers foolhardy enough to seek the warmachina's destruction. However, the fixed position of the cannon would require them to fly at relatively low altitude. They may well have been beyond the reach of swords, yes. But they would not have been beyond the range of any of a variety of ranged attacks. Which would have included not only magic but the jumping attacks often favored by spear-wielders.

Thus, the presence of what you have termed a helmet.

[There's a brief pause there, but it's more to let his words sink in than any suggestion that he's ready to be finished with his explanation.]

As for the wings, those are a common design in ceruleum-powered vessels. For example...

[There's a moment of silence and the sound of sketching, before Emet offers up drawings of a strangely vertical ship that's possibly designed to see use on land and in the air, given the addition of what looks like clockwork legs on the undercarriage, as well as one of more typical airship.

Neither are to the level of detail as the technical details for the magitek bit he'd offered earlier, but it's still enough to get a general sense for what he means.]

You are, at least, correct that the wings would pose an easy target. But the fact that they are constantly in motion makes them difficult targets to hit accurately.

Edited 2021-03-05 05:15 (UTC)

Obviously I don't know who the hell that is. And why are you sending me shit that isn't specific? Are you always so lazy?

[He listens as Sully continues on with some of the description, but of course, has to interrupt.]

That's my point. If you were putting armor on the drone/ cannon/ whatever, you'd put it on the bottom not the top. Sure it'd look like a flying diaper, but then it'd just more accurately reflect what a deuce this design is. Any gain this machine gains in armor it's losing in being easy to hit. How about designing something that flies that doesn't need wings?

Oh fuck me sideways, are you drawing again?

[He groans, but waits. Sort of.]

Okay we had a mechanical bee, then a flying diaper, and now a bong with wings.

And now we have a blimp... At least I'm getting the idea as to why you have no issues with a bulky bee if your aircrafts are flying ocean liners.

Nero tol Scaeva. The engineer who first designed the, ah, 'drone' in question. And you seem to have managed to grasp the basics well enough without assistance.

[That he would have been more specific if he had intended it as something other than a way to see what Tony was capable of goes unmentioned.]

And did you not hear the part where it had been meant to support a larger warmachina? One that would have had its own compliment of weapons?

[And would have been more well-armored besides, though he doesn't mention as much.]

But in answer to the implied question. The wings are as much for maneuverability as they are anything else. Ceruleum gas provides much of the requisite lift in any given design. Nor do current technological advances allow for controlled flight without some manner of wings, especially in the absence of some manner of magic.

I did, I just still don't understand the point of these things if they aren't going to have defenses in the direction attacks are coming from.

[He opened his mouth to argue further but then he paused and stared at the blank screen for a moment.]

Wait,... Sully, what are we doing?

[It dawns on Tony that he did ask to see the fellow's designs. He was so used to getting things and fixing them that he'd automatically started doing that but perhaps that wasn't the point here.

And now he almost felt bad. Almost.]

You're showing me the height of technological advances from your world?

Yes? [He says it as if he thinks it ought to have been obvious, though he does at least continue on shortly thereafter.] The precursor to what would become the modern ceruleum engine was only created some 60 or so years ago.

[Which is not to say that the field of magitek hadn't grown by leaps and bounds! But it's still very much a relatively new field.]

The taller ships are designed as mobile scouting platforms, able to cross a variety of terrain or make a difficult crossing by air should the terrain become genuinely impassable otherwise. The 'blimps' are the more commonly found commercial airships.

[Crap. He really hadn't meant to do that. While he wasn't willing to actually apologize- because, come on, the guy was a tool- his tone changed. Maturing sucked.]

Did you have a hand in designing either of these?

The mobile platforms, yes. That particular model of airship, however, is not strictly of Garlean design.

[Still, the lack of an apology doesn't seem to bother him any. Indeed, he may not have been expecting one, much less seen a reason for there to be one.]

It looks like a tall lady's boot, one of those old-fashioned things. You have more embellishments on your mechanics than I'm used to. Is there a reason for it to be so.. top heavy like that?

While they are capable of flight, as designed they were meant to remain largely stationary upon reaching a suitable vantage point. A power-saving measure, you understand. Incorporating a number of viewports allows for a greater ability to accommodate for both more mountainous terrain as well as greater insight on the field of battle, should they be called upon to serve in that capacity.

[A pause.]

The embellishments are... largely decorative. But could serve to identify which legion any given ship had been assigned to.

[They'd be so much better off using planes, but clearly they hadn't figured something out as far as energy went.]

What are these using as fuel? How plentiful is it?

[Probably, yes. But for all that larger warships do exist, even those are nothing quite like planes - and that there are but a scant handful of airships even outside of Garlemald rather limits the possibilities when it comes to air-to-air combat.

(Which is, of course, the point to some degree, but Emet is hardly about to mention that.)]

Ceruleum, of course. [Pause] An aether-rich liquid found in abundance across the continent of Ilsabard.

[He sighed irritated in that pause, but he was glad he didn't actually have to say anything.]

What's aether exactly? I've heard the term used for other worlds but it's not used in mine. I want to make sure the meaning is the same in yours.

Also, how many nations are you having to fight against that you need all these warships?

I can hardly speak to other worlds. Only my own.

[It may be the same. It may not be. Either way, there's only a brief pause before he begins his explanation.]

Aether is the current through which life flows. Ever-present, within and without, granting life to that which otherwise would be lifeless. Indeed, that alone might well have been enough. But it is more than simply that. Aether is the heart of life and the soul of magic. And it is for that reason ceruleum is held in such high regard - to touch it is to touch magic.

[Raw, unrefined, unfocused, and often explosive magic, yes. But magic nonetheless.

A pause follows, as he switches tracks back to the more mundane sorts of explanations for the rest of Tony's questions.]

As to the rest... the world from which I come is one of tenuous alliances and often uncertain borders. Conflict is, regrettably, inevitable - even were one to look at merely those of men and not consider even, say, the whims of the dragons one might come across. Any one of which would might prove troublesome even were one able to manipulate aether - that is, to cast magic. As such, many nations employ a number of mages both in their armies and elsewhere. Garlemald does not. Cannot, even - her citizens lack the ability and are thus at something of a natural disadvantage.

Why can't Garlemald?

[This was a lot of information and without really any practical use for it just now, Tony's interest was starting to wane a bit. Although that really wasn't Solas' fault. Tony never did have much of an attention span.]

Also, are you interested in improving some of these designs or what? The history lesson is great and all, but I have another city's history and magic and gods and all that to figure out too.

Because her people cannot. [There's a faint edge of 'like I just said' in his voice, at that.] Or had you meant to ask at the reasons they lack the ability?

[Which he is also more than willing to get into, should Tony have any particular interest.]

And you are free to do as you will with the designs. I cannot guarantee any modifications will see use, should I manage to return to the world from which they have come, but I can hardly stop you from making them.

[The answer is no.]

You know what, I'm so bored, I don't even remember.

[He yawns and checks his watch- not that Solas can see him.]

You'll have to excuse me, Sully. I need to go stick my hand in a socket. Next time, can we do this over some wine?

If you insist.

[He's not sure how much it will change, in the long run, but it's not something he'd be particularly against, either. Still, unless Tony has anything else to say, he'll leave it at that.]

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