Wonders of the Victorian Age
The level of technological advancement in the Isles fluctuates depending on where one chooses to look. In places like Isilgrad and Cylbaros, folk see no reason to change their way of life, leaving things with very little need to progress. In places like Craven and Dol Volgrum, however, technology has wrought amenities wondrous enough that the people of the Old World would likely mistake them for magic. For those who still cling to the traditions of their pre-Syzygy ancestors, civilization has been warped beyond recognition. Catalyzing this advancement in technology was one innovation in particular: the spontaneous generation and transmission of electricity. Using an alchemical combustible called phlogiston to create steam, mechanist Arnold Gaum began to install lead-lined pipes beneath his home, each etched with simple runes that enable electricity to flow unimpeded. To power an entire city is to bring its people out of darkness and into the light, paving the way for a multitude of other inventions, each exponentially more complex than the last.
Although many such inventions would arise out of a desire to improve upon older things, such as replacing oil lanterns with streetlamps or horse-drawn carriages with railcars, some innovations were entirely new. The most prevalent of these, beyond the obvious contenders of artificial refrigeration and the printing press, was the advent of silvergraphs. Almost by sheer accident, a dwarven alchemist by the name of Fulcanelli made a remarkable discovery: passing light through a precise arrangement of silver crystals (typically a roll of thin material called “film”) or onto a surface bathed in silver solution will produce a colorless image of whatever reflected the light. This technique facilitated the spread of knowledge like never before, allowing scribes (especially those in the budding field of journalism) to document events quickly and cheaply in the form of pictures. The art of silvergraphy captivated folk from across the Isles, capturing moments with unparalleled clarity that even the greatest painters of the Regency Age could never hope to replicate.
However, as a consequence of such rapid advancement, the practice of establishing companies dominated nearly every corner of commerce in the lead-up to the Victorian Age. So, when the temptation to the turn a profit began to creep into the minds of inventors, not even the man behind electricity himself was immune, founding his company of Gaum Electrics to much success during the Industrial Age. Many of these companies quickly rose to the top of their respective niches, dominating their competition with relative ease. For example, on the Frontier of Delaine, the Bolton Sugar Co., Fowler Tobacco Co., Hammond Cotton Co., and Meyers Rice Co. bought out every other company around their properties, making them the sole owners of every plantation in the Sunbelt, big or small. In Craven, numerous family-owned businesses became household names when their inventions first hit the market, including but not limited to: Fitzroy Paperies, Stahl Canning Company, Woolrich Textiles, Tajima HVAC, Yeadon Groves, and Winslow Motorworks.
Although many such inventions would arise out of a desire to improve upon older things, such as replacing oil lanterns with streetlamps or horse-drawn carriages with railcars, some innovations were entirely new. The most prevalent of these, beyond the obvious contenders of artificial refrigeration and the printing press, was the advent of silvergraphs. Almost by sheer accident, a dwarven alchemist by the name of Fulcanelli made a remarkable discovery: passing light through a precise arrangement of silver crystals (typically a roll of thin material called “film”) or onto a surface bathed in silver solution will produce a colorless image of whatever reflected the light. This technique facilitated the spread of knowledge like never before, allowing scribes (especially those in the budding field of journalism) to document events quickly and cheaply in the form of pictures. The art of silvergraphy captivated folk from across the Isles, capturing moments with unparalleled clarity that even the greatest painters of the Regency Age could never hope to replicate.
However, as a consequence of such rapid advancement, the practice of establishing companies dominated nearly every corner of commerce in the lead-up to the Victorian Age. So, when the temptation to the turn a profit began to creep into the minds of inventors, not even the man behind electricity himself was immune, founding his company of Gaum Electrics to much success during the Industrial Age. Many of these companies quickly rose to the top of their respective niches, dominating their competition with relative ease. For example, on the Frontier of Delaine, the Bolton Sugar Co., Fowler Tobacco Co., Hammond Cotton Co., and Meyers Rice Co. bought out every other company around their properties, making them the sole owners of every plantation in the Sunbelt, big or small. In Craven, numerous family-owned businesses became household names when their inventions first hit the market, including but not limited to: Fitzroy Paperies, Stahl Canning Company, Woolrich Textiles, Tajima HVAC, Yeadon Groves, and Winslow Motorworks.
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