Chains of Loss (27 page)

Rashraan? – Orcish city.  It’s built right on the edge of the Worldsedge Escarpment, a whopper of a cliff.  I didn’t spend much time in my trip through, so I can’t tell you much about it, except that the locals aren’t very friendly.

Technology:

I’m only describing basic principles of New Athenian technology here, rather than specific devices.  More would bore a New Athenian, and only confuse someone without the proper educational background.

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Private Note:  Try to find files on following technologies, in case I have to actually discuss them.  No sense in looking like more of an idiot, or in wishing I’d read up on them back when I actually had time and opportunity.

Nanotechnology – This consists of very, very small machines, called nanites, that accomplish specific tasks.  Not all nanites can do the same things.  Some make other nanites, some work on metals, some work on organics, etc.  Even within a single category, they often are built to specific tasks.  For example, body nanites that are built for fixing blood vessels are capable of trying to bolster a damaged nerve system, but operate at only a fraction of the efficiency of a specialized type. 

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Nanotechnology does not work for free.  Nanites usually have self-contained power sources – a large reason why repairing a damaged shroud is likely to be difficult – but body nanites usually feed off of the body’s own nutrients.  The reason why they don’t use their normal power sources is because they produce great amounts of waste heat, compared to burning calories.  The machines themselves can tolerate extreme temperatures, but the human body can’t.

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There are things nanites can’t do.  Sure, they can reattach a severed head if applied in time (preferably, days or months before the head is severed).  They can’t restore a brain that’s
gone
, or, actually, replace tissue on their own.  Body nanites are made to patch up immediate threats, preventing their host from suffering worse harm.  They’re less effective than they look.  Broken bones get splinted and locked into place, but the bone cells that were damaged in the break are still lost.  Nerve cells split in half by a cut are replaced with others harvested from nearby locations, or patched through lingering nanites; damage is only mitigated, not undone.

Many New Athenian tools are built with multi-scalar components.  This means that some parts of a tool, like sensors on my flight suit, are nanotech-scale, far too small for even a cyborg to see.  Others, like the suit’s armor plates, may range in size up to a few millimeters.  They all cooperate to do their jobs, and with a guiding intelligence, can be repurposed to new tasks.  For example, my spy drone incorporates magnetic locks – used in spacewalks, among other things – to launch and return, sensors to gather data, and armor plates arranged in aerodynamic patterns to stabilize itself and aid in its landing.

Magic:

Private Note: Magik? Magick?  Spelling unknown, likely irrelevant.

I’ve received a briefing on magic, and it’s been helpful, terrifying, and disturbing.  Apparently, people here can bend some laws of physics at will.  Mycah has spoken of several types of magic.  The implication she’s given is that there are several ways to do any particular task, and magic is no more free than technology is. 

Sorcery is apparently the conjuring of objects, manifested through force of will.  These objects have myriad qualities, some of which are the ones that their manifester actually intends, depending on skill.  I don’t know nearly enough to say more.

Channeling is apparently a subset of sorcery.  It allows for mental redirection of energy without physical contact, though not without apparent effort.  Energy is not created or destroyed by channeling, but it can violate thermodynamics by being forced in a direction that it is not inclined to go.  For example, a pool of water can be forced to concentrate its heat in one area, causing another part of the same pool to freeze solid.

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Private Note:  This worries me most of all.  How many devices are made under the assumption that the waste heat they produce will always go from hot areas to cold areas? 

Biting – I don’t understand the principles at work behind this effect, but must warn future New Athenians about it.  A flight suit will NOT protect you from biting effects; in fact, I haven’t seen anything stop one yet.  More experiments will come, when I have the opportunity; so far, all experiments have consisted of someone trying to kill me, and coming very close at some points. 

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Mycah and Calarto said that biting effects can be produced by channeling as well as by runes. 

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Private Note:  Multiple ways to do this…spreck.  Probably not going to be rare, or at least not as rare as I hoped.

Runes – These appear to be the weirdest type of magic.  They’re some form of symbols, carved into a solid surface, then marked with fresh blood.  Lastly, someone has to call on their power.  Based on what symbols are there, as well as the intent of the person activating the rune, something happens.  I haven’t seen any runes used yet; I’m fervently hoping they don’t actually work.  The rest has my head hurting enough already.

Looking at this jumble reminds me of how much I miss my Shadow.  He’d be able to get all of this into a good, organized whole, and remind me of every
thing I’m forgetting to include.

That’s all for book one of the Hero’s Chains.  Visit
my very basic page at
heroschains.tumblr.com for a few unusual policies on fan works and the like, as well as occasional updates on
when the next book will be out.  I hope you enjoyed this book and will let others know about it; as a self-published author I am trying to claw my way up by my fingernails.  You reviewing it on Amazon (if you picked up the book from there) or GoodReads (or both) could make things a little easier for me. 

Special thanks to Peter Vialls

Author of Sorrel in Scarlet

Who made
the cover of this book.