Workshop Fortifications

The mechanically locked shutters in the home of Yerrechin Inauron.

Utility

The fortifications serve to barricade the windows and doors in Yerrechin's home. They prevent unauthorized entry more reliably than regular locks which could be picked with simple tools, or glass windows which could be broken.

Function

While the bars locking the two doors and thirteen windows are heavy, the cranking mechanism reduces the force required for lowering or raising them. As an added benefit, up to six bars are moved by turning a single crank. This greatly speeds up the process of securing the building every night.
The cranks and bars are linked through a combination of leather straps and brass gears, depending on the direction in which each bar has to turn. Varying diameters adjust the force required for these rotations.

Manufacturing

Yerrechin designed and installed the fortifications on his own. He already had most of the necessary expertise and tools from building the casings of his radio devices and the Obfuscator Helmet.
Only the large metal parts were commissioned from a local smith, based on Yerrechin's detailed specifications.

Social Impact

Few people are aware of these additions to the building. Passers-by can see from outside that there are wooden shutters behind the windows, but not that they are locked in place by solid wooden bars. On the very rare occasion that someone is allowed past the sales room, these security measures merely confirm what that person is already likely to believe - that Yerrechin is a paranoid weirdo.

Inventor(s)

Yerrechin Inauron

Access & Availability

straightforward to produce

Complexity

medium

Discovery

applied knowledge of mechanics

Door Fortifications (closed)

Window Fortifications - Gears

Window Fortifications (closed)

Window Fortifications (open)

Further Reading