The Water Clocks of the Kisangi

On the Kisangi time is measured by means of water clocks. Each settlement has a clock tower containing the settlement's water clock which will toll the time with a large bells.

Some very wealthy households will have their own personal water clocks, setting their time by the town's clock.

Every solstice, the water clock is reset to match the journey of the sun as measured by the town's Water Carrier, those engineers who ensure the smooth running of the clocks.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Liquid flows from an upper container into a lower container, lifting the Time-Ship higher and higher. At a certain point, the Ship will overflow from the lower container and enter the bell plane.

On the bell plane, the Ship flows through a complex set of gears which determines what Bell it is and triggers a mechanicism that allows the time of the clock to be tolled.

The full container is shifted by automaton, an empty container takes it place and the liquid of the full container is siphoned to the upper container.

In a traditional water clock, the liquid is water. However water can freeze on some very cold winters and thus has been replaced with mercury in many modern towers.

If a specific length of time is required to be measured, for examples in cannonical debates of the The Order of the Threesome, water is poured into a bucket with a down spout that can be blocked if required. The time alloted is as long as there is water in the bucket. Should the time be interrupted, the down spout is blocked, allowing the countdown to be resumed at a later time.

Engineer's drawing of a water clock.

Weight

Extremely heavy

Dimensions

5x25 m

Base Price

1 chime

Expressions

• A moment, a second: a drop
• A small period of time, a few seconds: droplets
• A few minutes: A ladel of water, a ladel
• Ten minutes or so: A bowl of water, a bowl
• Time is passing: time flowed away
• Run out of time: [his] bucket is full, [she] ran out of a buckets
• Wasted time: If time were wine, we'd be drunk.
• Killed him: Stole his water, put a hole in his bucket
• A threat: I'm going to count the bells with your blood.
• A desire to spend time with someone: I want to float with you here.
• Bought time: scoped the water [out]
• Stop dwelling on the past: Don't fill the clock with tears.
• Someone is late: They're in a drought, their clock is dry.
• Bribe someone to look the other way: Gold in the flow
• Insult to someone punctual: pissing silver.
• Someone obsessed with time: haberdasher
• While there is time: While the bucket has space