Brass Gear

The Brass Gear is a metal cog that, when it is magically enchanted, protects a building or complex for a limited amount of time. If a Great House is attacked by the undead because they have the fewest words, both the gear’s protection and the house’s magical protection fail, as it is the magic protection from words that is separate from the gear’s magic.

Invention

James Woodwright invented The Brass Gear. He noticed during the first war he was part of, which started in 2020, that House Lapin, and presumably the other Great Houses, would always be under threat of the Undead. During an attack, personnel would have to retreat into the building.   The Brass Gear was then devised, by James, so that the building and its grounds could be protected using Litromancy runes, on a brass gear that could be inserted above the entrance to the Warren.

Production

The Brass Gear is a gear that is unsurprisingly made out of brass. It has been divided into seven segments; three for the spatial coordinates, two for the start and end dates, one for what the material is and one for the activation rune.   The runes are first drawn on paper, written onto the gear with a whiteboard marker to make sure they are right and then engraved.   If all of the runes were drawn on, the enchantment may not work for the gear, as it would have a magic memory of what it would become. Putting a rune or segment boundary line in one at a time would allow the enchantment to be strong. Even a straight line drawn at an angle can ruin the enchantment.   The Enchantment is drawn on paper, as the paper “knows” that it is not brass and can be a good medium to store ideas on, without it activating the enchantment.

Enchantment

The Protection Enchantment for The Brass Gear is a specialised one, that detects those who are living compared to those who are the undead. Even with spoof enchantments, the protective barrier is not fooled.   Upon activation of The Brass Gear, the runes will glow in an almost molten consistency, and even if touched will not burn the person. This effect is the gear loading its magical program of what it will become. After this, the gear will lose this effect and the enchantment has been “loaded” until the end date has elapsed or the Great House has the fewest words.   At night time the activated gear will glow the primary colour of the house it is protecting. For Lapin, this is pink.

Limitations

Unbeknownst to James when he was a recruit, a mysterious figure had spies watching him on his progress, including his insight into The Brass Gear. When James was called up to Sable Aradia’s office, he was told of a well-known law of nature -- that if the house that the gear is protecting is the one that has the lowest word count the gear will deactivate, regardless of the end date elapsing or not. James dismissed her concerns. The Gear still provided major advantages by protecting the common people at night, so they were no longer required to retreat into the Warren for protection. James and his Litromancy lecturer were honoured. House Lapin's procedure's of barricading the door still continued.   While The Brass Gear deactivating if House Lapin is the house with the lowest word count would be a bad feature, it also, oddly, offers an advantage: that you know that you are about to be attacked by the Undead Horde and may be drafted into their ranks.

Legacy

On November 25, 2022, House Lapin fell, while its members that were not drafted into the Horde made their way to House Mollusca, in Japan. The Brass Gear fell from its spot and landed outside the entrance to be seemingly forgotten.   Once the living won the war on April 30, 2023, and some of the members of House Lapin returned as if by coincidence the gear was tripped over by James Woodwright, doing after war checks. At first, he dragged his foot against the gear to get it out of the way to allow the building to be repaired. At a much later date, he returned to it and commissioned a display case with a lockable drawer. This display case can be found and viewed as an item of pride in James’ quarters. Both he and Sable own a key to get to the notes if a new brass gear is ever needed.   Only time will tell if another gear is made!