Emergency Steam Injector
A metal tube with a shiny red button just begging to be pressed; also a potent steamtech tool.
Full Item Description
The Emergency Steam Injector is an 18-inch long metal pole about and 2-inches thick. There is a red button on one end, usually covered in glass that must be broken before the button can be pressed (for safety reasons). On the other end is a hole, you should take care to make sure this end is never pointed towards your face.
History
A relatively new item in Govenheim's tech sector. It was invented by Getherious Aetherwatt, an Mech-Arcanist of some notoriety. He created this useful tool by sealing a large amount of super-compressed steam in a metal tube and having a Ward Mage buddy of his weave some minor protective magics on it.
There were many failed attempts that found use in some other way. The most note-worthy of them are the Everlasting Heat Pipe and The Boiler Wand.
Properties
When the glass is broken and the button is pressed a large amount of steam is released. This is useful for giving a large boost of power to a small device, or a smaller boost to a larger device. Larger models of the Steam Rod for larger machines may be possible, but have not yet been attempted.
The Everlasting Heat Pipe is similar but the metal shaft is not magically cooled, causing it to be heated by the steam. Advanced versions use a knob on the end to adjust the temperature from hot to extremely hot.
And The Boiler Wand is a variant full of super-compressed boiling water.
Steampunk!
Any sort of steampunk at all from thaumatech to simple old-fashioned steamtech.
Wind up your imaginations and start the kettle boiling!
15XP for each submission with 100XP for 1st and 50XP for second.
Not Registered Yet? No problem.
Do you want Strolenati super powers? Registering. That's how you get super powers! These are just a couple powers you receive with more to come as you participate.
- Upvote and give XP to encourage useful comments.
- Work on submissions in private or flag them for assistance.
- Earn XP and gain levels that give you more site abilities (super powers).
- You should register. All your friends are doing it!
? Responses (10)
A useful tool or weapon.
This is definitely an intriguing idea, although the first use for it that actually spring to mind is sabotage, by creating a situation of serious overpressure in smaller devices to wreck them, or as a weapon to scald and blind opponents. Possibly also useful for creating covering fog on a cool night, although the sudden turbulence would certainly mark the fog as something unusual.
I'm not too sure about the variants; I could see the heat pipe being used as a heater in a cold place, or to help bake food, but the main use I'd see for the boiler wand would be to refill a steam engine's boiler without lowering the boiler's temperature in the process. I suppose if you needed to cook some lobsters in an emergency it'd be good for that, too.
Names aside, do they run out, or are they self-renewing somehow? Are they relatively common, or rare? I could almost see them being a tool of the trade in some respects, particularly the boiler wand, for maintenance types who feed the furnaces with coal and top off the boilers with water.
I thought from they way they function it would be clear that they were a 1 time use item. I imagined the steam coming out to be only as much as was in them to begin with, so I guess the steam could be replaced. Maybe there could be some sort of Steam Pipe recycling program like we have with cans and bottles. And as for the rarity, they could fit well into any category. Large supply, many different manufacturers. Ancient tech, found in some ruins. Or as I pictured them, a new device that is on the rise with a complex system that is a closely guarded secret.
And a better name for the Emergency Steam Injector would be nice, I think I would just call it an E.S.I.
I figured they'd be one-use, really, but wanted to be sure; the 'Everlasting Heat Pipe' was what puzzled me. I presume the warding that keeps the ESI and Boiler Wand cool is what keeps their contents hot, as well, but does the EHP gradually 'run down' as it bleeds off heat?
Well, the EHP was a prototype gone wrong, so the Ward only had half it's function at that time. I suppose after this was discovered it would even be possible to "turn off" the EHP.
Original models may 'run down' as you said. But if this was to become a mass produced item, I think they could possibly function like a glow stick. Perform some action and it heats up then slowly cools (again, 1 time use).
Having just read Kassil's rifle, I can see this getting used not as an immediate supply, but as a kind of steam battery. Well done, though I can also see use as a weapon. In fact, I'll go post it now.
Plug and go power for your steam punk mech, or an emergency starter for a steam engine. Reading about steam engines on wiki, they have to get up to temperature before the engine starts to work. Plugging a ESI (pardon me mate, might you have an Easy?) could be a way to hot start a cold steam engine.
Ah Easy! That's friggen brilliant! Just the flavor it needs to really bring a world alive. Could be an obscure trivia fact that an Easy was originally called an E.S.I. or Emergency Steam Injector. Love it! Thanks!
A simple, common item within steampunk settings.
Handy little device. Could be good for interrogation.....