Latest revision as of 23:21, 15 August 2013

Math that isn't magic?

Introduction

Engineering on Promise is a rare thing. Due to the dependance on mathemagic, beings with skills in traditional mathematics are few and far between - indeed, many common formulae simply have not been discovered due to the honing of such talents being overlooked for the best part.

However, it is not nonexistent and has its place in crafting, design - particularly golem control - and creator tech. Indeed these are the three major disciplines of engineering and technology on Promise.

Relation to Mathemagic

The reason magic hampers the development of mundane mathematics lies in the mindset from which magic arises. As described in the Magic's side effects section, the unbidden state of mind that produces divine math distracts a being from the mundane application of math.

Imagine, for example, attempting to determine the length of a beam of wood using Pythagoras's theorem. A being talented in mathemagic would begin to read the variables as though part of a spell. Depending on the math involved, a being could 'see' not a set of numbers, but rather a fire of varied intensity and size; an arc to fill with earth.

In another analogy for kevinscopers, recognizing the patterns and shapes in the blueprints for a house or bridge could distract the being with thoughts of the acoustics of an area, ambient sounds or colors.

Relation to Crafting

And yet, despite the huge pressures against common engineering, there are uses in beings with talent in the field.

For example, a being crafting a gun from its components would require precision. While math can account for discrepancies and produce precise fits, a mathemagically inclined being would be more likely to solve such problems with math - in some cases, producing a somewhat less efficient result.

While this is not a noticeable problem, it causes a deviation in the way technology is developed and blueprints designed.

Beings inclined to Engineering may be able to see between the interlocking plates of a golem and the intricacies of a gearbox far better than a being steeped in magic, and through those advantages discover different inadequacies in technology to a being looking for flaws with mathemagic.

The page on crafting is Here.

Creator Tech

The most famous examples of technology on promise: the sacred machines of the creators and the spirits dwelling within.

While many beings would gaze at the blueprints in a haze of awe and incomprehension, the majority able only to place the pieces together and pray they work, knowledge in engineering would place a being a little closer to comprehension of the components and mechanical logic instilled into the circuits of those machines.

Indeed, that is what a machine priest does as an occupation – place old circuits and pieces together into the appropriate pattern and provide the construct with power to run - from strange cells filled with energy to creator wrath. Many machine priests would thus have some of the elusive pieces of machinery on them for repairs, though the church they work under – the grand church of the creators – houses the majority of all creator technology recovered.

Typically, that work is conducted with a sense of reverence to the 'machine spirits' and the artifacts with which they work. While there are some that are less respectful of the technology, they are not as common due to the doctrine of machine priests - as the name implies, many of their traditions and methods are as ritualized as any religion's proceedings.

Where does it all come from? The old creator ruins that still litter the face of promise, of course! Though they are often dangerous places to visit, so there are some alternatives, typically involving the areas around these places – were there any immediately obvious tech just lying about in a frequented place, it would have been picked up and cleaned long ago.

Of course, the level of technology on promise still pales in comparison to even the minute components of those circuits -- a being could not possibly learn how to recreate such technology, but their edge is still tangible among their peers.

Golem Crafting

Golem crafting is an art that differs from normal crafting and the job done by a machine priest in many fundamental ways. The goal of the golem crafter is to create entirely new machines of their own specifications rather than fabricating a machine from pre-existing parts. While technically a craft in its own right, it differs from the standard methods due to the complexity of the machines - no single discipline truly governs one of their machines' creation. Machines made by a Golem Crafter often derive aspects of, or inspiration from Creator Machines

The golem crafter would start from scratch, building up the chassis and components from the appropriate raw materials. As the machine takes form, a combination of creator runes and divine math are utilized to provide power and functionality to the machine - though the prevalence of any particular method of power is dependent on the crafter - there are instances of golems powered by less conventional methods in part. The end result is a machine vaguely reminiscent of those repaired and maintained by machine priests, the design is ultimately the golem crafter's choice. As a result, there are many permutations of the same golem type.

Prosthetic limbs are a new type of machine a golem crafter can create, borrowing heavily on inferred data from creator machines that utilized lunars as a power source. As such, they are particularly complicated pieces of machinery but the addition of the potent lunars to the design enables them to function without an active golem crafter to control them.

The entire remainder of their design is identical to a regular golem: chassis and components made of metal and inscribed with divine math to provide the intended effect.

How they are controlled by the user differs from make to make.

Tools of the Trade

The tools used by crafters, Golem Crafters, and Machine Priests differ from one another in the application and use. A machine priest would find little use in a saw, as they need to try and keep the creator technology as whole as they can while repairing it. A standard crafter would see little use in a micro screwdriver, as they tend not to have to work with such small parts - and even then they aren't particularly common. Some basic tools that would fit them all however include such things as a hammer, standard screwdrivers, wrenches, and other tools as appropriate.

More specifically, the use of tools is dictated by their necessity to the job. A standard crafter doesn't need the smaller tools or spare circuitry a Machine Priest would, nor the specific branches of divine math and integrated engineering of a Golem Crafter. However, they are free to scribe new spells; applying them to machinery in such significant a sense as a Golem Crafter is unlikely. A Machine Priest has little need for cutting tools, requiring unique tools specific to the disassembling and reassembling of the machines they are famed for. Lastly, Golem Crafters require tools catering to the specificity of their work, depending on the means through which their machines are created. However, the tools used are not as 'archaic' as the Machine Priests.

Feats of Engineering

The Ark:

A great ship of creator steel, said to be the very vessel that brought beings between the stars to Promise. It was a truly magnificent vessel, however recently the Ark was removed from its location by Shadows, never to be seen again - likely cannibalized for elusive creator steel or components.

The great church at Shralesta:

A colossal building, formed of creator steel. High vaulted ceilings and an auditorium to rival any academy's are primary features of this structure in Shralesta. Words cannot quite describe the scope of the building, it is an architectural monument to the past on Promise for its size and bafflingly efficient yet effective design.