re: Yellow submarine

From: Ian Gorlick <Ian.Gorlick.igorlick_at_nortelnetworks.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 16:10:09 -0500

Richard asks:
>What do we think the Mostali would use for long distance comm-
>unications with a submarine? I thought of lowering a large bell
>into the water back at base and bashing out slow morse code
>messages Any other thoughts? Spirits? Special sorcery? I'd
>like communications to be slow and difficult

>What would be the primary propulsion system? I'd like some
>analogue of a nuclear plant - arcane and potentially dangerous

For communications, why not stick to Extreme Long Wave signalling. Dwarves are supposed to be sensitive to pressure waves, just use a very large diaphragm (like 50x50m) driven by a huge steam-ram. Give it a pulse rate of about 1 Hz. Use something more primitive than Morse code, 1 pulse = A, 2 pulses = B, 3 pulses = C.....

Instead of a nuclear plant, how about an elementally enhanced coal-burning steam engine?

- -Undines extract vital air (oxygen) from the water.
- -Sylphs control the flow of the vital air into the combustion chambers.
- -Salamanders in the combustion chambers ensure hot clean burning.
- -Sylphs pull the combustion gasses out of the engine and pass it to exhaust.
- -Undines force the exhaust gasses to dissolve in water and vent it.
- -Undines also pump water through pipes in the combustion chamber and into

the cylinders where steam expansion occurs driving the pistons. - -Part of the power is diverted into spinning the prayer-wheels which keep the
control spells running on the elementals.

- -Lots of dwarves run around stoking coal into the burners.
- -Lots of nilmergs run around oiling, cleaning, adjusting, and aligning.
- -The engine room looks like a scene from Dante's Inferno. 
- -If it ever goes  wrong then the sylphs, undines, and salamanders

all get mixed together and fight like rats, cats, and dogs in a sack. They blow up
the engines and rupture the hull and everyone dies.

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