Dwarves think communication is the province of the Gold Caste - they act as postmasters in the dwarven complexes, among other things - since it involves transporting information, and information is the material the Golds work with.
Any communication device therefore must incorporate gold in some form, logically. Your bell idea is nifty: it could be combined with one helluvabig EAR made out of some gold-based alloy at the Home Base. It is constantly hooked up to a very sharp eared Gold sitting in a large echo cave.
Of course the bell is also made out of a gold alloy, and connected to
a device similar to a telegraph: you know, the operator
click-click-clicks on a small lever, and the sound progresses through
the metal to the bell.
To _receive_ messages, the operator listens in a big tube connected to
the device. An incoming message starts with a very sharp note that can
be clearly heard without putting your ear close to the tube, so the
operator can notice it.
This communcation system utilizes a large number of sending and receiving buoys manned by gold dwarves served by nilmergs. It is rather vulnerable to interference (it can be noisy down there), but also allows the golds to eavesdrop on underwater enemies who uses sonar to move and communicate. Those same enemies (particularily Sea Trolls) can also use that sonar to create interference, of course.
'We are surrounded! Number 7 Gold A, excecute plan 56X4, calling backup!
'Yessir (puts head to tube) AAAAARGH! (falls to the floor with blood
flowing from his ears)'
'Captain, No 6A broken!'
'Grow it! The uz are jamming our bells! This leaves as no other
choice...'
'Captain!' 'Silence! Number 4 and 3 Tin B, stoke up the heliotic on full power!' 'Captain, he'll blow!' 'I'm counting on that! Number 1 Silver A, erect antiaetheric fieldscovering aft power deck! All leads, prepare for ejection of escape pods!
> What would be the primary propulsion system? I'd like some
> analogue of a nuclear plant - arcane and potentially dangerous
>
The heliotic engine, an enormously powerful sun elemental imprisoned within a large rune-covered and tin-cased (tin is the metal of Storm which conquers the Sun, and the metal of control over living beings for dwarves) and forced to fight the water ejected into it by large hydraulic pumps made of enchanted copper. The water creates a powerful gust of steam which propels the large padwheels which drives the large brass sub forward, as well as the pumps.
To feed the elemental, dust of highly volatile magic crystals mixed with pulverized earthbone (coal) is shoveled into the engine by muscular and sweaty nilmergs. The magic crystals are created by dwarven alchemy and very unstable; they cannot be used to power magic without the risk that they'll explode, and will devolve into non-magical in a matter of weeks unless properly protected.
One spark in the dust-and-coal-bins and bang! The elemental, controlled by the Tin overseer of the nilmergs, is enraged because it is locked up, famished since it needs magical energy to sustain it and is forced to use it up fighting the water, and frighted out of its wits because it can feel it is closing in on the Underworld when the sub goes deeper.
Of course, all parts of the engine are carved and shaped: the hole into which the dust is shoveled is a gaping maw, the thick lead-glass covered windows are like large maniacal eyes, and the pistons that turns the padwheels are large clawed hands.
> For the reserve system I'm assuming there are a couple of
> Jolanti-sized hand cranks in the engine room It would become
> the Jolanti Wrangler's job to ensure that commands relayed
> from the Captain are converted into instructions to the Jolanti
Perfect! Obviously the Jolanti in question is the loader of the
torpedoes on normal occasions; wouldn't be room for two Jolanti on the
ship.
==
'The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea,
In a beautiful, pea-green boat...'
>From 'The Owl and the Pussycat' by Edward Lear
Erik Sieurin
Did you think I would reveal things about myself in this .sig?
HA!
sieurin_at_yahoo.com
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