Iron Beacon

An Iron beacon is a piston-like cylinder aparatus that contains a Lycen crystal. This crystal is able to emit a pulse of Nexurium energy, which is detectable by Elemental and Soulbound Mages.

Discovery

A Largely Useless Quirk

It was known for a long time that Mages were able to feel the energy contained within Lycen crystals as it was slowly released over time. For most of history, with the exception of mages being able to help detect deposits of these crystals within mines, this phenomena was only seen as a interesting, but largely useless quirk and nothing more.

Reserching the Crystals

This all changed after the invention of the Winged ships. These large vehicles needed something to guide them, especialy in bad weather or low visibility conditions. Meanwhile, many scholars were already reserching these crystals in an atempt to make a weapon out of them, which eventualy worked.

Breakthrough

However, while reserching these crystals, they discovered that the nexurium they were emiting could be regulated enough so that it would form a pulse that, if consistent, was many times easier for mage to persceive. Indeed, whereas before the range of detection was limited to around 20-30 metres, depending on many variables, like the size of the crystal and the sensitivity of the Mage towards nexurium. Now, using this new method, the mages could percieve its pulse dozens of kilometres away.

Complexity

Energy Source

Since the first Iron beacons were used to guide winged ships safely to the airports, they were intergrated with the steam engine of the Clock Machines.

Pistons and Heating Chamber

The iron beacon uses the power of the steam engine to drag a metal cylinder, usualy mad of iron, up and down around a copper platform, on which a Lycen crystal is instaled. The copper is heated by the nexurium naturaly escaping the crystal. This then becomes a snowball effect as the internal temperature of the crystal climbs, thus releasing more nexurium through sublimation, which heats up the copper plate even more, until it is saturated. Once the copper plate is saturated, the nexurium doesn't have a place to store itself and it becomes trapped by the Iron cylinder. The Beacon can then be activated

Ups and downs

Upon activation, the cylinder comes down, which releases the Nexurium, which then produces a wave of energy radiating outwards from the beacon, travelling dozens of kilometres away in all directions before dissipating. Around a quarter of a second later, the cylinder is pushed back up, which stops the release of energy and the pulse. Immediatly, the energy pressure inside builds up again and the small space quicly becomes saturated again. A quarter second after the cylinder was pushed up, it is dragged back down, allowing the energy to escape again, releasing another pulse of equal strenght as the first one.

Cycles

This cycles is repeaded twice every second action, which transforms the release of energy into a constant pulse. This pulse of energy can pass through most of all materials, except for iron and steel, and it gets distorted and ultimetly dies in water, which means that it works less well in heavy rain or snow.

Utility:

The Iron beacons are used for one reason: Guide Mages by emiting a pulse of energy they can regcognise and follow the source of. Upon its invention, it was quickly implemented in all airports across Enaskia and Arros as well as in many coursier station when the system was still new. Since then, the discovery of Etherial Waylines has redered them redundant and combined with the possible health impacts of constant exposiour to their pulses on mages, the The Continental Guild of Coursiers have decided to remove them slowly from the stations. However, they are still very much needed in Airports in order to guide ships to them safely.

Social Impact:

Many mages, especialy Elemental Mages are wary of the possible health impacts of the Iron beacons. This is because after prolonged exposure, some of them had begun to suffer from dizziness, headaches and blurry, which remained persistent even days after leaving the radius of the beacon. In cities, where the Coursier stations were first built, with beacons inside, it had the effect of pushing mages away from the neibourhood, and sometimes the city. Thankfully for them, this did not last long as Etherial Waylines were soon discovered and most of the Iron beacons were deactivated and removed

Related Vehicles

• Winged ships