Splintered Sky - Amplifiers (amps) · 6:04am Nov 15th, 2020
Authors note: just want to give a little more world building for Splintered Sky. Since I've mentioned amps a few times, here's a bit of in-depth info on their general properties.
In the wake of the Splintering, the sun-gazers continued to innovate on their artificing and enchanting skills. In addition to new runes, improved smithing and forging dances, as well as enchanting processes came the invention of the process to create amplifiers, or amps.
Most innovation in amp technology arose from the military as a means to compensate for the dangers of spell dancing in combat, though the process has been applied to other branches of arcane engineering in the years that followed their original development.
The reason for the development of amps was two-fold: spell dancing requires intense focus, which can take years to master, even for an experienced soldier, and leaves the caster vulnerable. As such, most units that wish to utilize spell dances must keep their lines staggered and their dancers protected. Amps were originally conceived as a means to allow for broader and less dangerous applications of magic on the battlefield, and proved to be both a resounding success, and a miserable failure.
An amp is, at its core, an enchanted item that can be pre-programed to generate a spell effect without the need for using a full spell-dance. Rather, the sun-gazer in question simply ignites their inner fire with the appropriate emotion and feeds it into the amp. As the flame is fed into the item, it passes through special runic circuits that are programmed to simulate the process of refining inner flame with a spell-dance. In this regard, amps function as intended: a shortcut to spell dancing. Any item that can be inscribed with the appropriate runic circuitry can become an amp. In addition, most amps have a “passive” enchantment worked into the runes, giving the amp additional powers that do not require actively feeding the runes, instead functioning like normal enchanted items.
However, despite their many benefits, amps have a few very severe limitations that prevent their widespread use.
The first and most immediate is that an amp only works for a single user. The runic inscriptions needed to power the amp must be customized to the flame of the sun-gazer in question, and altered to account for the particularities of both their spell-dances and their flame. This process can take months or years depending on the nature of the amp, and requires advanced rune-crafting skills to make. As such, amps are exceptionally and prohibitively expensive to produce.
The second is that for every spell that the amp is going to be able to cast, the circuitry becomes exponentially more complex.
The final limitation is that the sun-gazer in question must be the appropriate tribe to actually cast the spell. An amp keyed to a fire-caller, for example, can only be programmed with fire-caller spells.
As a result of these limitations, amps are rarely seen outside the most senior members of the military, aristocracy, and among the phoenix-born. Yet, the power of these items more than make up for their shortcomings.
Due to the power that these items possess, and the danger they represent, amps are highly regulated by the government. Owning an amp requires a license, and must receive unanimous approval from the Council of Light, or one of the phoenix-born. The process for creating amps is a tightly guarded secret among the sun-touched, the phoenix-born themselves, and a select few trustworthy smiths among the sun-blades. There have been instances where unscrupulous individuals have acquired the methods for developing amps, but most are tracked down by the Eyes of the Sun before they can master the process.
Example amps:
Here are a few example amps, three that have already been mentioned in story, and two that haven’t. As mentioned above, not all amps are combat tools, but most of them are.
Sun halberd
Linked user: sun-gazer members of the prominence knights
Object: Enchanted halberd
Description: One of the only “mass produced” amps, sun halberds are the signature weapon of the sun-gazer members of the prominence knights. Produced by the sun-touched, these weapons are lethally effective in their role as the primary armaments of Celestia’s protectors.
Passive enchantments: Disruptor - the cutting edges of the halberd generate a high-frequency sonic field that disrupts the structure of objects within 1mm of the blade. This allows the edge to more easily carve through objects struck.
Integrated spell (each prominence knight's amp will have one of the following spells encoded into it):
- Plasma inferno (fire-caller only, fuel: righteous fury) - launch a bolt of superheated plasma from the tip of the halberd.
- Frozen burst (fire-caller only, fuel: righteous fury) - creates a blast of sub-zero ice and cold from the tip of the halberd.
- Hurricane roar (sky-runner only, fuel: righteous fury) - generates a high-powered blast of gale-force wind from the tip of the halberd.
- Lightning bolt (sky-runner only, fuel: righteous fury) - arcs a bolt of lightning to a target from the tip of the halberd.
- Seismic slam (earth-weaver only, fuel: righteous fury) - generates a directed shock-wave along the ground from the tip of the halberd.
- Stone rampart (earth-weaver only, fuel: righteous fury) - creates a short to tall stone wall from the ground within 5 meters of the user when the butt of the halberd is slammed on the ground. Wall violently erupts from the ground when created.
Bloodhound
Linked user: Steel Sentry
Object: 12.5mm caliber, six-shot handgun
Description: Steel Sentry’s favorite sidearm, Bloodhound has served the General for nearly four centuries. Despite firearm technology advancing, Steel is very fond of this gun, and has refused to retire it, instead having the enchantments upgraded as he devised new spells to incorporated into it. Bloodhound remains a powerful and highly effective weapon in spite of its age. Due to Steel’s increased strength as a phoenix-born, he is able to wield Bloodhound easily despite its weight.
Passive enchantments: High-velocity - bullets fired from Bloodhound are wrapped in an envelope of wind, reducing drag on the projectile, increasing its velocity and easing its flight. This allows bullets fired from the gun to achieve the velocity and range of projectiles half their size and weight.
Snap reload - reloading Bloodhound is augmented as the cylinder will automatically snap open and discharge spent casings when commanded to by Steel, and automatically orient itself so that the bullets are lined up with the chambers.
Integrated spells:
- rending shot (fuel: courage) - bullets grow multiple long, forking spines after penetrating a target. The bullet initially produces eight, 6cm long, 2mm wide spines, which, after erupting, grow a second pair of 6cm long, 1mm wide spines from just below the tip, which then produce a subsequent pair of 6cm long, .5mm wide spines at 90° to the original spines before stopping their growth.
- shrapnel burst (fuel: determination) - bullets are charged with air and fire elemental energy, violently exploding after entering a target's body.
- blood bore (fuel: desire) - bullets fired painfully dig into the wounds they cause and prevent them from clotting or closing. Given enough time, the bullet will burrow into the target's heart.
- corrosive blood (fuel: joy) - the bullet magically transforms any blood it comes into contact with into a powerful corrosive.
Honesty’s Apple
Linked user: Raven Inkwell
Object: Large ruby carved and polished into the shape of an apple
Description: One of Raven’s favorite amps, Honesty’s Apple was created by the royal sceneshal as her duties to the queen grew, and she began having to contend with ever increasing deception from the nobility and private sector. Though Raven is a master of reading others, she employs Honesty’s Apple when she must be absolutely sure of the truth behind a situation, or when she wants to test the integrity of an individual.
Passive enchantment: liar’s smoke - so long as Honesty’s Apple is active, it keeps track of all lies and truths told in its vicinity. The more lies told, the more smoke fills the inside of the crystal. For every truth told, the smoke clears. In addition, Raven is able to detect any lies told to her while powering Honesty’s Apple.
Integrated spells:
- Zone of Truth (fuel: honesty) - So long as the spell is fed, lies cannot be spoken within 10 meters of Honesty’s Apple. Any attempt to speak a lie will result in the speaker making no sound.
- Your Lie Is Weak (fuel: paranoia) - Honesty’s Apple records all lies told within 10 meters of itself. At any time within the next year, any of the lies devoured by the apple can be transformed into the truth, then played back.
- Deceiver’s Reflection (fuel: smug superiority) - Summon a earthen simulacrum of one person within 10 meters of Honesty’s Apple. The simulacrum will translate any lie told in it's presence into the truth.
- Trust in Honesty (fuel: trust) - Speaking the truth within 10-meters of Honesty’s Apple fills the speaker with conviction and hope, while removing any physical fatigue they are feeling.
Raven’s Quill
Linked user: Raven Inkwell
Object: Carved storm-linnorm bone stylus/dagger shaped like a feather quill and stained black.
Description: Both a weapon and a tool, Raven’s Quill is one of Raven Inkwell’s most often used amps. Despite it’s innocuous appearance, the Quill possesses very powerful enchantments created by Queen Celestia herself for her Hand and Voice. This amp serves Raven in both her role as diplomat, and as defender of Solaria. Raven rarely uses the device in an offensive capacity, but has no qualms about doing so if need be.
Passive enchantments: Never dry - the quill never needs to be dipped in ink, and will always produce clean, precise lines when used to write. Anything written by the quill will remain on the object marked until Raven wills it to disappear, or the amp is destroyed.
Quick runes - Runes drawn by Raven’s Quill do not need to be engraved into an object to hold flame or be powered, and do not need to be as precise as carved runes.
Integrated spells:
- Mind’s eye (fuel: creativity) - Raven can generate simple, temporary elemental (earth, metal, fire, water, air, wood, light) objects and effects by “drawing” them with the Quill. Most commonly used to launch volleys of elemental arrows or crescent waves of energy, the Quill is only limited by Raven’s ability to conceive of them. The larger the object, the more flame Raven must feed into the amp.
- Binding (fuel: greed) - by drawing an 'x' on an object or creature, Raven can seal their magic away as long as the ‘x’ remains on the affected creature/object.
- True intent (fuel: distrust) - While holding Raven's Quill, the complete and true intentions of the author of any documents or legal papers are revealed to Raven.
- Binding contract (fuel: loyalty) - If Raven writes a legal document with Raven’s Quill, any party that signs it will be bound to the letter and spirit of the contract. Violating the agreement will instantly alert Raven, and tell her the nature of the violation.
Thorn
Linked User: Roseluck
Object: Living vine whip with razor-sharp thorns covering the last ⅓ of its length
Description: Despite her peaceful nature, Roseluck is periodically called upon to defend her territory. When diplomacy fails and violence is needed, her go to melee weapon is Thorn. Thorn is a special enchanted whip made from the vine of a razor-thorn plant: a rare yet hardy species of liana found growing on the islands off the south coast of Solaria. Thorn’s thorns are razor-sharp and easily able to slice through flesh and cloth, leaving numerous shallow yet painful lacerations when it strikes. The whip is able to retract the thorns when not in use.
Passive enchantments: Twisting vine - Thorn can be controlled by Roseluck like a living tendril, and will regrow itself in seconds if damaged or cut. The thorns will automatically retract if they would strike Roseluck. Roseluck can also cause Thorn to tense, transforming the whip into a spear or staff.
Life burn - Being struck by Thorn pumps excessive life energy into the point of impact, causing the tissue to burn out and become necrotic. Excess life energy seeps out from the wound, causing the surrounding tissue to rapidly grow into a painful, cancerous mass. Roseluck is immune to this effect.
Integrated spells:
- Implant (fuel: love) - One of Thorn’s thorns breaks off in the wound, and begins to grow into a short-lived, blood-drinking razor-thorn plant. Lashing vines erupt from the wound, striking at the creature implanted and anyone other than Roseluck within reach.
- Spine barrage (fuel: joy) - launches a barrage of sharpened thorns by cracking Thorn. Thorns that land in the soil grow into short lived razor-thorn vines that attack anything that gets near, while those that strike a living target can be used to trigger implant.
- Verdant warrior (fuel: desperation) - Striking a tree or large plant with Thorn implants thorns into it, transforming it into a wood golem under Roseluck's control. Golems last until destroyed or Roseluck dismisses them, upon which they return to their original forms.
Man those are some seriously dangerous sounding toys. Where can I get one?
This just sounds like a lovely arsenal to have fun with.
Interesting
Ah. Amps are more like steam-driven automata than magical Turing machines. Except that not all steam is created equal. I wonder what equivalents the night-weavers have developed in the meantime, if any. Song seems much easier to work into combat scenarios than dance, though the training times are likely equivalent.
It really says something about Steel that he turns blood into acid with happiness. Yes, it's good to see Bloodhound harnesses positive or at least neutral emotions—if Undertale taught us anything, it's that determination is a double-edged sword—but the way he uses them...
Meanwhile, Raven's amps aren't always powered by strictly positive feelings, but the applications are generally a lot less horrific. I do wonder if we'll see the Quill's binding in action.
And then there's Thorn.
I know we're only working with a two-point data set, but it feels like joy is always used to power horrible, horrible amp functions. And that's not considering life burn, because holy crap that's terrifying.
I suspect Celestia will have Sunset make herself an amp as her masterpiece. I can only imagine what functions she'll put into the thing.
INCOMING LOST POST
(sorry in advance, this post left me with a lot of theories and impressions)
Given how useful and powerful these enchantments are, it’s no wonder Steel Sentry wants Sunset to stay in Heliopolis. A Phoenix-Born dedicated to Artificing would increase the power of their military forces by a possibly exponential degree. I’d be shocked if Sentry isn’t already coming up with plans to either keep her in the city or build some sort of positive relationship with her, it would be too costly not to
With the Sunblade’s being so important and the fact that the Prominence Knight’s halberds are of the ‘few’ mass produced amps, and given General Sentry’s preference for firearms I’m guessing they also have gun amps, possibly carbines or shotguns given the latest chapter mentioned them specifically
Given that joy is what powers Corrosive Blood, I think it’s fair to say Steel Sentry’s got a bit of a sadistic streak
Not quite sure what Your Lie Is Weak does, does it alter the recorded lie so it’s as if the speaker was honest or does it have some minor reality warping where the spoken lie literally becomes truth? And how exactly does it know the truth beyond just magic, is there some sort of mind-reading?
Given Deceiver’s Reflection is powered by Smug Superiority and Binding by Greed, guessing Raven might have a bit of a superiority complex we haven’t really seen yet. Also, given the tech level I wonder if anyone finds it weird that Raven keeps using her quill instead of a pen
Geez, and I thought Roseluck’s weapon would be more defense-based, but it’s actually pretty messed up, implanted vampiric thorns and necrotic poisons are no joke. What worries me the most is that Implant is fueled by Love of all things and Spine Barrage joy, not two emotions that I would’ve expected from Roseluck of all people in the middle of battle
Overall, I’d say amps are powerful and terrifying, and the needed emotions for certain moves definitely says a lot about the wielder. If Sunset truly becomes known as the Artificer Phoenix-Born, she might quickly establish herself as the most dangerous of all of them, despite her young age. Also fairly certain the West is about to hit a bit of a technological revolution with her at the helm
(Also only realized after writing this that I start too many paragraphs with the word ‘given’)
i miss read the title as splintered shy and was thinking this was some flutter shy splinter cell cross over
i am now dissapointed
5398497
Join the prominence-knights or rise to the rank of colonel in the sun-blades? As mentioned, amps are very rare due to the time and expense needed to produce one.
5398501
5398530
In a good way, I hope.
5398541
The Night-weaver equivalent is something called a lens. One of the biggest differences between night-weaver and sun-gazer magic is that the latter lends itself to creating permanent enchantments, while the former does not. Because of this deficiency, a lens is a very different beast to an amp. A lens isn't programed with spells, but instead with 1-3 of the requisite emotions for spell-song, allowing the singer to cast their magic without having to call up a specific emotion on the fly. This lends itself to greater flexibility, but still requires the caster to actively cast their magic.
Regarding the emotions used to fuel most of the amp's powers, consider that it was never stated that the emotion had to be generated by their current situation. For example, when feeding emotion into Thorn, Roseluck can fuel it with her love for Amara, or the feeling of joy that she gets from remembering her garden. The source of the emotion doesn't matter, only that it's the right emotion.
That said, Steel relishes combat, so in his case he does tend to feel those emotions while fighting. Also, recall how terrified Highblood was when Steel threatened him with Bloodhound. This is why.
Regarding the Quill's binding, consider how that might interact with the Quill's first passive ability.
Yea, Thorn's pretty horrifying. When Roseluck originally created Thorn, it was to fight against D'compose and his army of undead. Life burn was originally meant to counter undead (which are powered by anti-life-energy), but she later learned what effect it would have on the living. Rose doesn't enjoy having to use Thorn, but how horrific the weapon is does have a benefit: few foes are brave enough to continue fighting Roseluck after seeing what Thorn does.
As for Sunset, I've got a couple amps in my notes. But, its going to be some time before she's ready to make them.
5398543
Yup. Even with the limitations of amps (since they have to be custom built for each user), being able to produce more of them would really benefit the military.
Regarding sun-blade amps, they're pretty much reserved for elites units and aren't nearly on the same level as the amps used by the phoenix-born. Again, the cost in time and skill is the biggest limiting factor: creating an amp for a regular soldier wouldn't be efficient, because if that soldier is killed in combat, all the time that went into making their amp is gone. But, amps aren't the only enchanted weaponry used by the sun-gazers. Runic weapons are much simpler to produce than an amp, and only need to be powered by a fire-caller before combat. While not as powerful as an amp, they're easier to make, and don't have to be keyed to a specific individual.
Putting enchanted items into a hierarchy of power and ease of production, it would go as such (from least powerful but simplest to make to most powerful but complex): runic -> enchanted -> amplifier. Runic objects do not carry a permanent enchantment, and must be charged before use, but are easier to make. Enchanted items are permanent, but require more time and effort to make. Amps are permanent and very powerful, but take years of development per amp, and can only be used by one individual.
Regarding the emotion needed to feed an amp, the emotion doesn't have to come from the current situation. Any manifestation of the emotion will do. For example, when Roseluck feeds Thorn with love, its almost always love for Amara, her people, or her garden. The specific target of the emotion doesn't matter. Just that she's feeling the emotion in the first place, and can feed it into her flame.
That said, Steel really loves to fight, so chances are, if he's in combat, he's in a very good mood.
Your Lie Is Weak translates a statement into a true statement. So, if someone told Raven that they didn't eat the last piece of cake, and it was a lie, if Raven used Your Lie Is Weak then she played it back the recording would play as a confession that they did eat the last piece of cake.
Thorn's not a pretty weapon to be on the receiving end of. It's one of the reasons Roseluck doesn't like using it except as a last resort.
Regarding Sunset sparking a technological revolution in the West, even with her skill, she's only one woman and a prodigy. Most artificers and smiths will never be able to replicate what she can make, because it's so far beyond their ken. While she's likely to have a bunch of really shiny toys, she's not going to be able to mass produce them unless she worked all day, every day on just production.
5398556
Sorry for inadvertently getting your hopes up?
So not all of them were caught and may very well be out there and causeing all kinds of trouble with the amps they make?
5398623
There are. Most of the organizations that have black-market amps do their best not to draw attention to themselves, because that's a one way ticket to have Dawn Wings decide you need to be looked at. And they don't want that for many reasons. Black-market amps also tend to be less powerful than legal amps, since the process used to create them is much cruder.
Phoenix-born amps also are not the standard for amp power. Most "common" amps fall into the same power range as the sun halberds of the prominence knights. If we were to use a crude analogy, a common amp would be like a boat with an high-performance outboard motor, while a phoenix-born amp is somewhere around a dedicated speedboat. This is still more powerful than either runic items, which are the equivalent of oars, and enchanted items, which is like a cheap outboard motor.
Seriously well thought out. So much attention to detail that enriches the characters and the world as a whole. Of course, this fuels my curiosity of what kind of amps the Lunars have.
Ravens amps sound overpowered as hell hahaha
5398691
Luna's people don't actually have amps. Night-weaver magic doesn't lend itself to permanent enchantments like sun-gazer magic does, and those that it can make are very different. As such, the night-weaver equivalent is a device called a lens. Rather than store spells, lenses store emotional imprints (typically 1 emotion, but they can store more the more powerful the lens is). This allows the night-weaver to cast their spell songs without having to focus their song through their own emotions.
5398762
With how old and how powerful Raven is, it shouldn't be surprising that she's got some really OP gear. Then again, consider that most of her stuff is predominantly non-combat oriented. Honesty's Apple wouldn't do much for her in a fight, but it's deadly when dealing with negotiations and politics.
5398831
Fair 'nuff
Sunset's gonna love it in there.
Ironically, development of magic items might actually hold development of society as the whole. It's funny but when people have access to magic they mostly thing the most amazing thing must done by magic while our magicless society reached the Moon. Literally. We have planes, internet, Animated stories about Ponies! And Amps while powerful don't fare well in mass production and become only good trinkets after person for it's been made dies. They would need something cheap and something that can be mass produce. Would it be something that Selenians could come out with?
Theoretically, could Solarian create an Amp that Night-weaver (or Shadow-stalkers) use and vice-versa with Lens(es) (and whaever equivalent for Stalkers would be)?
5433033
The most mass producible magic items are spell tempered ones: items with minor enchantments that improve their durability, resistance to corrosion, etc. That's the kind of thing that Bronze and Sunset were producing at the Golden Tree smithy. Items like that are typically just a little more resilient than their un-tempered counterparts, but don't have extra effects. To get something more, the item must be made into a runic item (something with enchanted runes that must be charged) or enchanted items (given permanent magical effects).
Selenian magic doesn't lend itself very well to permanent enchantments, but is also easier to use in everyday situations. Spell songs are slightly more forgiving than spell dances like that.
It would be exceptionally difficult, mostly because the ways the magic work are fundamentally different. It'd be like trying to run a program for Linux on a Mac without access to the source code. There are ways to do it, but most of them are more trouble than they're worth. I can't say more than that without spoiling stuff.
As for the shadow-stalker equivalent, they're called echos.
5398831
Mmmh... So Selenia have devices that store emotions to fuel their spells and Solaria have devices that can store spells but they need emotions to be fueled.
How Interesting...
5658253
In a sense. The emotional resonance that a lens contains isn't so much stored as imprinted on the item, so it's less of a canteen containing a pool of emotions to draw from as it is a a different "filter setting" like on a camera.
The idea for the shortcut items is that they give the caster a minor substitute for the keystone aspect of their spellcasting system. Since emotions are mind-aspect, and thus the key to spell-songs, the Night-weavers found a way to provide themselves with the emotional focus without having to constantly call on vastly different emotions on the fly. Conversely, the physical motion is body-aspect, and therefore key to spell-dancing, the Sun-gazers found a way to generate the same "flame refining" process of their dances so they don't need to spend minutes to hours dancing in order to cast complex spells.
For shadow-stalkers, their items are called echos, and are more of a focusing tool to help the caster concentrate their willpower, since willpower is the keystone of spirit-based magic.