Wonder
Description:
One of the more common Wonders, Kinetic Impellers are gently curved rods made of rough, red ceramic. On one end (the emitter), the device terminates in a tube with a beveled edge, while the other end (the regulator) sports threads of glassy material running through the ceramic in a pattern akin to wood grain.
Highly sensitive to temperature, these glass threads act as the control system—modifying them appropriately not only allows a Kinetic Impeller’s wielder to trigger the artifact, causing it to shoot conical projectiles (about 2.5 cm long) at high velocity from the emitter, but also to control the behavior of those projectiles once they connect with their target.
When the wider end of a projectile makes contact with it a solid target, the two will bond on a molecular level. The wielder of the Kinetic Impeller may then cause the projectile to emit an incredible amount of thrust (although no heat or exhaust gasses), making the uses of this Wonder limited only by its wielder’s imagination...and their understanding of its control mechanism, of course.
Quirks:
Warning: Do Not Aim at Face!
While every Kinetic Impeller is physically identical to any other, they differ greatly when it comes to how easily one may control the behavior of their projectiles. With a little practice, most sophonts capable of manipulating temperature can cause a Kinetic Impeller to fire projectiles that emit thrust on command, ceasing only when the wielder inputs the correct command or creates a new projectile.
However, the control threads of some specimens either damaged in a way undetectable to the naked eye or are simply different from most other Kinetic Impellers, as there have been reports of those whose projectiles only travel in spirals, or make 90-degree turns every 18 seconds (regardless of the level of thrust being emitted). Some specimens even allow for control over multiple projectiles at a time, making them exceedingly valuable.
The quirks of other Kinetic Impellers—such as those whose projectiles emit thrust before hitting their targets, or explode violently after a certain distance traveled from the wielder—make them more suitable as weapons.
Adventure Hooks:
The Jadescar Consortium and the Favor
For many years, merchants along the trade road known as the “Pearlescent Way” passed through the Tohbram Gap, carefully navigating the narrow switchback paths down one side and up the other in order to avoid a weeks-long detour around the gorge. That is, they did so until about a decade ago.
At that time, an AI awoke at the bottom of the Gap and announced itself to be the Jadescar Portering and Hauling Consortium. Appealing to the power of ancient law (as well as the army of cybernetic porters and haulers it woke up from cryosleep), Jadescar declared that all goods within its domain to be its property. Barring the few caravans willing to play Jadescar’s game and “repurchase” their goods on the other side of the gap, most merchants accepted the loss of the shortcut, except for one.
One merchant revealed that they’d recently come into ownership of a unique Kinetic Impeller not only capable of creating multiple projectiles at a time, but also incredible control over the thrust they produce. Using this Wonder, the merchant has created a prototype flying machine—one that will allow them to ferry goods directly over the Gap.
As is to be expected, the Jadescar Consortium is less than pleased with this development, and it sends the PCs a message. Deliver the merchant’s Kinetic Impeller to the AI in the Gap, and it will grant them their choice of wealth or knowledge. An ancient mind, Jadescar has accumulated both over the centuries. If the PCs refuse, the Kinetic Impeller goes missing a few days after Jadescar sends it message, and then it’s the merchant’s turn to ask for their help in retrieving it.
Equal and Opposite Explosions
An isolated road with a thick patch of vegetation on one side and a gully on the other. Perfect place to ambush the diplomatic windskimmer the PCs have been hired to protect. Armed with Kinetic Impellers (loaned to them by the diplomat they’re guarding), the PCs are on high alert when brigands drop their displacement fields and attack with Kinetic Impellers of their own. As the conical projectiles fly, a one-in-a-billion shot sees two of them perfectly strike each other face-to-face, but as they trigger, there’s a flash of light, a strangely discordant tone, and everyone gets dizzy.
An isolated road with a thick patch of vegetation on one side and a gully on the other. Perfect place to ambush the diplomatic windskimmer the PCs have been hired to assault. Armed with Kinetic Impellers (loaned to them by their brigand allies), the PCs strike when the vehicle reaches the designated spot, dropping their displacement fields and letting loose, only for the windskimmer’s guards to fire back with Kinetic Impellers of their own. As the conical projectiles fly, a one-in-a-billion shot sees two of them perfectly strike each other face-to-face, but as they trigger, there’s a flash of light, a strangely discordant tone, and everyone gets dizzy.
An isolated road with a thick patch of vegetation on one side and a gully on the other. Perfect place to...realize the PCs are stuck in a time loop. The details may be slightly different each time, but every version ends up the same way, with a “one-in-a-billion” chance happening 100% of the time. If the PCs could somehow alter the outcome, they might escape the loop, but if the only remember the previous loops just as the new one is about to begin, how do they pull that off
The Sky is Literally Falling
Every three days, the Elders of the Shrouded Groves must take their stations in the secret places shown to them by the elders who came before, raise their holy implements to the mists above, and chant the sacred words. If the ritual is performed properly, the holy implements will grow warm in their hands—like freshly baked bread—and then icy cold for a moment—like the walls of the secret places—a sign that their offering has been accepted by They-Who-Dwell-Above-the-Mist. If the ritual is not followed precisely in this way...then Doom shall descend from the Mist and lay waste to the Shrouded Groves.
Immediately following the most recent ritual, a few strange things happen shortly after one another. First, the PCs appear in a hitherto-undiscovered sacred space beneath Elder Gwandyne’s home, although they have no memory of how they arrived there. Second, one of the PCs is the spitting image of Elder Gawndyne, (albeit a few decades younger), which is strange, because Gawndyne has never had a child. Third, on seeing this PC, Gawndyne growls at them in a guttural language, smashes their holy implement to pieces, and then collapses into a fevered sleep.
While the villagers are worried about Gawndyne, the Elders’ greatest concern is the loss of the holy implement. The PCs will recognize it as a Kinetic Impeller, but will this knowledge help them forestall the imminent doom of the Shrouded Groves? Not to mention the question of what they’re doing here, or how to get home?
Your Support = More Gazetteer Entries!
If you enjoy my work and would like to see more stat-less bizarrities, places of interest, odd creatures, and strange settlements, please support me on Patreon or Ko-fi! (Non-monetary support is always welcome, too. Spread the word of the #WeirdGazetteer far and wide!)
Also, please note—The Gazetteer of the Weird and all entries within it are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, so be cool.