Technology in Avonlea, while comparable in function to that of other universes (IE if we can do it with Tech, they can do it with Magic). Avonlea has Plumbing, advanced computer systems, phones, tablets, materials and motorized vehicles all driven and designed with magic. The corrupted magic from the Wastes however, tends to wreak havoc on these magical systems and special shielding was invented to help anyone crazy enough to venture into the Wastes. The Orders of Magi are the leaders in this “Magitech” as it’s Artificers are responsible for much of Avonlea’s advancements and rebuilding since the Fall. Bel’inor boasts the highest concentration of Magitech due to it’s treaties with the Orders.
Airships
Airships come in many sizes, but all of them share a resemblance to seagoing vessels – they have an exterior hull made of wood or metal, and enormous sails. The difference in the latter being that an airship’s sails often extend out to either side on metal spars, not unlike wings, rather than straight up as with an oceanic ship. Some supplement their lift ability with large air bladders above the main hull, though these are typically slow ships, used for their ability to loiter in the sky for long periods with limited airspeed.
The interior of an airship varies depending on its function, but the engineering spaces in every airship contain the same main components. The first and largest component is the Drive core, a huge magitech creation that powers all the rest of the ship’s systems. While the core is a magitech device, it is almost unique among such machines in that it does not require constant recharging or purchase of fresh crystals from the Order, rather the core is somehow able to recharge its own energy so long as it is properly maintained. The method for this is a closely guarded secret, and even a majority of the Order of Artificers do not know it.
The second main system is the Lift core, always situated at the airship’s exact center of gravity. As its name would suggest, the lift core is designed to counteract the force of gravity on the ship, providing its buoyancy. Increasing the power to the lift core causes the ship to rise, while decreasing the power causes it to fall.
The third system is known as the Impeller, and is a collection of smaller nodes along the centerline of the ship. The impeller supplements the ship’s motion – when the wind is insufficient to move the ship as the captain wishes, power is diverted from the core to the impeller, which is able to produce powerful wind currents against the ship’s sails on demand.
Aside from those critical systems, an airship may carry nearly any sort of technology. Many are armed to one degree or another, and nearly all are protected by magitech shields, though normally only military ships are either heavily armed or armored, except those privateer ships running dangerous routes, such as those known to be dense with pirates. Full-scale airships are extremely expensive to purchase and maintain, as such they are generally operated only by professional crews, just like seagoing vessels. It is not uncommon however for small businesses or middle-class individuals to own very small vessels operating on similar principles to an airship, which are known as ‘Skiffs’. A Skiff possesses only a lift core and impeller, which run on standard mana crystals, and lack the complex main drive core of a true airship.
Prosthetics
Though some healer mages are capable of regrowing limbs entirely rather than using prosthetics, this is difficult and highly draining even for experienced healers, and so golem-limbs were created. They are literally small golems, programmed only to perform simple actions in response to stimuli from the nervous system of the user. While a few models still exist, they fell out of favor after the Fall when a few units malfunctioned and began acting on their own, injuring their users.
Magitech versions were invented because of their wide use as enhancements as well as to restore function to the injured, far more of these were produced than any other type, and they are perhaps the most varied type. Whether to improve interfacing with the mind of the user, or to replicate racial abilities that a ‘normal’ prosthetic would otherwise deprive them of.
For most species, the best type of prosthetic to use involves hardpoints, surgically connected to their bones, giving the limb the same strength and stability their original limb would have. For races whose glamour or natural shapeshifting involves additional challenges.
For those unable to afford the surgery for a mounted unit, there are prosthetics that can be connected and held to the body with a series of straps across the body. A good quality model of this type can give the same dexterity and feedback as one that is ‘built in’, however it will be limited by how well it can be held on to the body in terms of strength. It will also usually have to be removed when one change forms, if that involves a change in size or shape.