Greek Mechology - Part 4 - Automatia and Special Equipment

“The Greeks were known for their brains, the Romans known for their drains.”

- Anonymous.

Technology varies widely in this world.  Some locations are effectively the stone age.  Otherwise, are automated to the point where it’s approaching the modern quality of life.  The theater drove technological innovation by such greats as Pythagoras and Ptolemy (who are sort of around) who defined musical rules and regulations.

If there is a way it differentiates from our own timeline, it is the change in mentality.  In the original history, most of these automatons were little more than toys and rarely intended for practical application.  It only takes one person to change this mentality and that person is Archimedes.  By surviving, he acted as a catalyst for a change in technology.

This is further enhanced by 1^st Punic war.  It was far worse than in our timeline, and they didn’t get the massive influx of slaves, so it stirred the automation catalyst.

Furthermore, the shades of the past allowed certain knowledge to not be lost, so it was then expanded on.

But ultimately, it was a simple change in thought allowed for all the pieces to be brought together: cross-indexing.  Nobody is quite sure where it came, but the development of reference scrolls that allowed the sorting of material not only in alphabetical order but also in categories.  It has allowed creativity to create associations for new and exciting ways that spurred technology.

The Technology of the era.

The Aeolipile:

(Gts-tg - CC BY-SA 4.0)

This was originally conceived by Hero of Alexandria.  This was the first steam turbine.  It performed a simple task and levitated a sphere above a jet of steam.  Archimedes was given a couple of these machines as part of his surrender and learned that the steam could be used to push a fan in a circle, thus allowing a device to be propelled, then combined with screws, nuts, levels, gears, pistons and pumps allowed for great versatility.

The Antikythera Mechanism

(Gts-tg - CC BY-SA 4.0)

This was the 1^st Analog computer and it is a machine that originally used gears to predict the movement of astral bodies decades in advance.  Unlike in our timeline, this device was duplicated and innovated to use such clockwork, thus allowing analog devices to drive wondrous devices, often programmed by a drum with pins.     

Auto-drawing Lathe.

This copying device has been automated with a rudimentary mechanism with a photocopier to allow ideas to be transferred via scrolls.

Electroplating

The plating of metal was incredibly prolific.  It has allowed the development of grinding up of metals into grains smaller than sand and then fuse them to a medium to produce subatomic effects.  While originally performed with precious metals, it has expanded to use a wide variety of more conventional metals. 

This has allowed plating on objects to essentially have them change color depending on the light and has been used in military application to provide camouflage.  

They also have used phosphorous to shield metal underneath from weather effects and has experimented with strange metals to make weapons with unconventional material (ex. Rare earth metals) to enhance their combatant properties.

Electrostatic Battery

These reinforced jugs contain electric rays and provide a rudimentary charge that can use as a catalyst for many types of machinery. 

Stentorophonic tube

Setup along Greece and Rome at military forts and often are used as means of sending messages quickly as well as listening posts.

Rutways

These paved tracks were originally developed in Diolkos.  While originally of limited use, combining this with the aeolipile development has allowed a steam engine that gives rapid movement of goods and rapid deployment by defense forces.  Such tracks Crisscross the Italia Peninsula and the Greek Leagues.   These are in particular the pride of the Achaean League as they have used this to dominate their neck of the woods.

Sinous Rope

Rope made from animal tendons, while not exactly high tech, are usually the source of tension in most devices (ex. crossbows, gear crankshafts).  There has been a recent usage of a metal thread to increase durability.  Also certain fantastic creatures have tendons that are even more springy for use.

Vending Machines

These were originally used to dispense holy water in the temples of Egypt thanks to the legendary hero of Alexandria.  The toy war caused them to spread far and wide for objects that are generally nonperishable in areas of high traffic.   They are particularly prolific in Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Automata of Note

Bubos

(pic from clash of the titans)

These mechanical owls are designed to act as a helper and apprentice.  They are small and clockwork.  They look to be made of gold, but in fact seem to be plated with a more common shiny substance.

Centipede

This is strange automation that is used for that most difficult of operations:  namely the landing of troops from sea and land.  It has a Greek Fire spray and then uses its fairly low profile to drop off troops on the beaches for any and all invasions.  It has been adopted by all Greek powers and even the Carthaginians have adopted these to ensure control of the sea.

Colossus 

                                        (Talos from Jason and the Argonauts)

While these are few and far between, these huge statues are automated as guardians.  They are usually designed to be somewhat amphibious and often use ocean waters to reduce heat issues.  The driver rides in the head.   Noteworthy Colossus are in Alexander, Athens, Rhodes, and Rome.

Dolium Duarum Laminarum

This is a barrel with a rotating blade that circles as it moves.  It is a cheap means to tear through infantry in enclosed areas: just wind it up and let it rip.

Myrmidons

This man-sized automata are designed to supplement standard infantry.  They are expensive to maintain, but often are great for mopping up troops.  They are armed with retractable spears and shields, but often contain chest weapons for ranged attacks.

Scarabs

These dog-sized mechanical beetles are an invention of Alexandria.  While they can be used for warfare, but also used in mining operations for their digging capabilities.

Weapons of note

Archimedes Claw 

Imagine a gargantuan crane with a grappling hook used to pull down ships.  This was originally used in Syracuse, but the Romans have adapted this to their automation as a means of allowing them to grapple their opponents at range and to climb.  It is mounted on the arm, but its winch and spool are mounted on the back to reduce strain on their machines.

Auto-Polybolos 

This automated repeating straight string catapult fires heavy arrows in succession has been augmented with the crank has been put on a piston track, allowing a hail of arrows that is easily moved by chariot, or even more bizarre constructs.

Auger Spear

This wind-up rotating drill-like blade on a short stick is good at catching enemies’ blades and breaking them, as well as helping with penetrating armor. Produced in mass, they are the default weapon of most modern infantries. 

Retractible Emota Tridenti

Originally a means to have some sort of polearm on the march, it somehow gained popularity with Women fighters as it provides reach and leverage.  It is an electroplated segmented pole with three blades that can easily retract into a baton for easy carrying.  It has two buttons, one that merely extends the blades for close quarter fighting and when that telescopes the handle to act as a polearm.

Greek Fire

This alchemical formula may or may not have been originally been created by the Greeks, this napalm-like substance sprays like a sticky oil and lights them ablaze.  It is a weapon of war that is currently sprayed not unlike a modern-day flamethrower.

Also, Barrels filled with sulfur, naphtha, and niter are either fired by catapult or floated as a weapon of denial. 

Heat Ray Packs

Archimedes pride and joy that allowed the defense of Syracuse for a while, its secrets have been rolled into the Roman forces.  While it was originally believed to be polished surfaces, it is, in fact, crystal light amplification creating a laser that can be used to ignite the fire or cauterize wounds.   It has been shrunk down to a backpack-sized weapon that allows Romans a unique advantage.   If it were not for the requirements of certain rare materials, they would be standard.  Instead, they are used in specialized legions controlled by generals and are used as shock troops.

Land Mines

Earthenware jars are often buried originally to make quicksand to create areas where infantry can move over, but larger vehicles will sink into the earth.  This is sometimes enhanced by the use of Greek fire contained in such canisters.

Steam Gun

While fairly slow, they act not unlike a pot that boils over.   Shooting a blast of steam through a pipe, allows a fist-sized bronze ball to hit with high velocity. They are mounted on Automata and defenses.

Vehicles of Note

Armored Steam Chariots

This one-man chariot is best described as a dune buggy powered by a rudimentary clockwork engine and with descent Shock-Absorbers.  Its speed and maneuverability allow an incredibly maneuverable ranged weapon platform.  The Romans have begun to use these in formations as a sort of cavalry.

Icarus Machine

Daedalus and his nephew Talus are rumored to have made his machine, and their shades revealed this knowledge.  It is essentially a one-man frame covered in feathers and frames that when launched from a height and then are propelled using a mixture of chemicals.  While masters claim to say they can stay up for hours, the truth is the average practitioner has roughly 10 minutes before gravity inevitably prevails.

Land Galley

(artist - triggerhappy from sufficentvelocity.com)

This vehicle seems to be the main defense of war machinery.   It is a vehicle with treads used for transporting and patrolling along the main roadways.

Scythed Chariot

Originally a Persian attempt to stop the heavy Greece Phalanx of Alexander the great, it has been updated to use rotating steam blades to penetrate tight formations.

Semaphore Wagons

These retractable wagons are easily wheeled and popped up to allow long-distance communications.  Both the Greeks and Romans are notorious for changing their codes on a regular basis.  They are built around an iron stove that blows smoke or fire depending on the time of day for long-range communications.

Wall Wagon

This collapsible wagon is designed to pop out at an instant, not unlike a tent trailer, but reinforced with heavy wood and iron, allowing for both relative comfort and instant defenses.  These are a new addition to Roman Legions as they increase range and reduce logistical issues.

#greek
#greekrpg
#roman
#romanrpg
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#greekpunk

The Eschaton · Viral Art for Sale - Part 4 - Under Normal Circumstances, Moving a Planet would be a Big, Long Term Project.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/371027394

The best Schism ever!

Greek Mechology - Part 3 - The World - Greece and Enemies (Including other Greeks)

(thanks to Triggerhappy and Undeadfrog from spacebattles/sufficient velocity.com for the inspiration)

Greece:

Greece is in turmoil.  There are multiple factions vying for dominance in the new era, while other independent city-states and factions try to play off the powers that be.

Macedon:

The former homeland of Alexander the Great, they are fighting tooth and nail to retain control of the Greek Peninsula.   They are having problems adapting to the new era, most notably because it seems like every two-bit commander claims to be the successor to Alexander the Great, creating rivalries that will not give up in the phalanx as a base unit.

However, while limited by treaties, they have turned to sponsor privateers to weaken their foes at sea.

What is particularly of note is they have created a massive fortification around Mount Olympia and claim to be the protectors of the gods, even if the gods often dispute this claim.

There is also a rumor that the ruling family is a snake cult that comes from a time long before the time of humanity.  So far, this is unfounded, but the rumors persist.

Epirus:

The young Pyrrhus II has claimed the throne of the region, this land of small villages is essentially the Greek frontier and broken by Pyrrhus’ ancestor, who reached the outskirts of Rome at great cost.   Believed to be possessed by his ancestor who wants a do-over.  It is a place of strong religious belief and 2nd chances and is often a place where outcasts and outsiders go when they aren’t sure where else to be.

At Dodona, the oracle of Zeus has expressed their favor by clouding the location in a massive thunderstorm, only allowing knowledge to those that are worthy.

Aetolian League:

The Aetolian League was the first to form and while considered semi-barbaric by their neighbors, they are the dominant state of Central Greece.  They are driven to a position to upset Macedon and are currently weighing their options to ally with either Carthage or Rome.  They have abandoned the Phalanx for a more wave style of warfare, where they prefer cheap automation with interchangeable parts over using citizen armies.

They have the mighty oracle of Delphi under their heel, but the Oracle keeps warning of a war that "all will lose."

(For the purposes of this post, the Role of the Oracle of Delphi will be played by Bea Arthur, a more age-appropriate Oracle).

Sparta:

While nominally associated with the Aetolian League, they are their own city-state and often do things in the name of the state and “the gods”.  Just about their entire soldier caste is merged with the shades of the gods (most commonly Hercules and Leonidas) to become a society of demigods.

Achaean League:

The Achaean League, similarly, had existed for centuries as a loose religious association before it reformed itself in 280 on the same lines as the Aetolian League.  This is a strange unification of such ancient and legendary cities of Argos.  It dominates the Peloponnese through the use of mercenaries.  They rely on their mobility of their citizen soldiers to repel invaders, using both rails and small automation.

Argos:

The ancient city of the Hydra has regenerated.  The beast itself is now a mixture of the serpent and the mechanical thanks to the power of interchangeable parts.  The animation of beast and machine has made it a perpetual guardian, but it demands regular sacrifices for its services.  Its minions are known as it's heads and is sent out on its behalf.  These forces are difficult to route out as they are always working behind the scenes.

Thebes:

Is one of the prominent members of this league and considers it’s automation that of the new Spartoi or "Sown Men."  While destroyed by Alexander the Great, it has been restored using a blueprint and is one of the most orderly cities in Greece.  It is also a place where it’s police force is completely automated in the name of public order.  They were traditionally Cavalry, but have adapted this tradition to small steam chariots.  They still have that contrary and bullheaded nature that made them famous, and often looks over old innovations in the hopes of finding something new "just to show them."

The Athneo-Knossos Alliance:

At one point two powers were going to go to blows, but instead of getting into a fight, they got into a debate that lasted days.  Once exhausted from the discussion, they ended up making an alliance that dominates the Aegean Sea and a lot of those city-states that are dependent on it, not unlike a federation.

Athens:

The birthplace of innovation, naval power, and Automation and has regained long lost power and dominance.  It is the Greekpunk city of wonder and conformity.  They are also essentially the town you go to make it big in the theater and more then one vigilante organization has used these skills and technology developed to fight or commit crime throughout the ancient world.

Knossos:

The land of Philosopher Minotaurs whom species is the fusion of the spirits of Daedalus and the Minotaur who conquered Crete through brains and brawn.  They consider themselves the Platonic ideal and have a bad temper to those that point out their inconsistencies.

Rhodes:

The Island kingdom is known for having the greatest Colossus in the ancient world.  It wades into the depths of the water driven by heroes to keep the Aegean safe from sea monsters.  But there is a nasty rumor that there are organic sea serpent components in the mighty Colossus.

Other powerful allies in this federation are Pergamum and Byzantium.

The Trojan Necropolis:

This town was found by a couple of freebooting adventures, that the shades of this dead city immediately possessed them.  They then began to offer themselves as a waystation but continued to possess travelers until the population of Troy has arisen again as their personalities were rewritten by beings of legend, abet with a slight green tint.  It is a step back in time, with huge ancient walls, and a dedication to getting revenge on the Greeks and the Romans (whom they consider an insult they claim their ancestry).   Poseidon is their patron god now, after the horse fiasco, and it prepares it's deadly hippocampus forces that merge the dead and machine.  Troy never forgets.

Ephesus:  

This fabled city of the Amazons are one of the staunchest allies of the Trojans and are often responsible for kidnapping new hosts for them.  Their city contains the legendary Temple of Artemis and it influences the actions of the entire city: namely that of the hunt and moon.  They have been rumored to have strange, secret technology that allows them to track when others would give up and are one with the night.

Pergamon:

This mountain fortress in Asia Minor was virtually impregnable, but instead of conquering most of Asia Minor, it instead had underwent possession by the Trojans and has become an important base for them as a rallying point for their own purposes.

Scythia:

(special thanks to Incognito from SB.com for this one).

Horseman tribes and confederacies are bound to these grasslands as they are dominated by the bloodline that merged a dragoness and the mighty Heracles that mated during one of his many adventures. Purity has been key by the rules to preserve this bloodline which allows the draconic features to manifest.  Their lack of unity is the only thing stopping the rise of the dragon, but for how long?

The Seleucid Empire:

The dominant power of the Middle East, it is on the decline.  Its feudal structure allowed political vibrancy, but it also has affected the stability as local rulers become rebellious vassals.  It has lost territory to its neighbors but is currently going through a revival through Antiochus III the Great.  He plans to raise an army like the world has ever known and just simply march east and drown them in sheer numbers and teamwork. This includes supernatural creatures such as ogres, manticores and even stranger creatures of power.

Antioch:

The center of the Seleucid Empire, this is a young city of opulence. Built as the choke point for the middle east, this is where the forces are amassing to move out east.  It is the city of the Jinn which influence the city using their knowledge of the legal code to wield their supernatural power.

Babylon:

This city was ancient even by these eras standards, it is currently abandoned. Plant life has taken over this city and it's rumored that some of the plant life is sentient enough to be amassing forces within.

Bactra:

The Graveyard of empires is a little too literal. It teams with shades that are unsure of their heritage (due to the surprisingly high Greek population in this neck of the woods), who have deteriorated into ghouls. They would be a danger to all if Antiochus hadn't come to a "working agreement" which is rumored to be his ace in the hole for his own schemes.  They are also a focal point of the silk road and use the Oxus river as a weapon of commerce along with huge mud brick walled cities.

Egypt/The Ptolemaic Kingdom:

This ancient land was conquered by Ptolemy I, the childhood friend of Alexander the Great and he still rules.  While he died over 80 years ago, he arose from the dead and repossessed his original body.  The mummification process gave him eternal life and he has been cannibalizing mummies, temples, and artifacts to only increase his power as Pharaoh.

Alexandria:

While many cities claim this name, the one in Egypt is the one people refer to.  It is a place of writing and is the place of cosmopolitan, 2nd only to Rome in sheer size.

It is probably best known for its library.  While there is some modern skepticism whether it existed in history, it exists in this world and is a place where all knowledge ends up: you just need to know where to look.  Whether you survive is another matter entirely as the library is a very dangerous place for the ignorant.

Isthmus of Suez:

One of Ptolemy's many projects.  He has hired some Roman contractors to dig a canal to allow access from the Mediterranean to the Red sea using Steam Technology.  If completed, it will allow an unprecedented amount of prosperity and control over trade.  But there are many that are trying to sabotage this endeavor.

Memphis:

This ancient city of the Egyptians is the religious center and has undergone a renaissance of sorts. This is the city that Alexander the Great has been entombed, at least for now, and is the city of a thousand gods.  A side effect of this city is the sheer number of ancient shades, and not all are happy with the new regime.  The people of the nearby Set maat (the place of truth), the town of artisans, is home to what can be described as "shade stoppers" that are sent throughout the Kingdom and beyond.

Tutankhamun:

While not a location, there is this persistent urban legend of note.  A minor Pharoah was missed during the magical cannibalism of Ptolemy.  He was resurrected by his shade and now wanders Egypt and beyond, looking for resources and force of arms to reclaim his kingdom.

Ankhar the Defiant:

Claiming to be the son of Ra, this mighty hero runs around the world looking to right justice with a large toothy grin.  The Greeks compare him to a Hecatoncheires for his giant size, mighty strength and ferocity in combat, but he isn't the brightest and often gets into trouble because of it.

Hyperborea:

This land far to the north beyond the Northwind.  While often depicted as a utopia, it is closer to a land of fire, kept warm by the magma flows from the volcanoes that isolate this region.  The circular temple to Apollo is occupied by a multi-headed dragon that sleeps, forever guarding the golden apples that grow in the rich volcanic soil.  These apples are rumored to be an ever-burning fuel source.

It is rumored that it's mainly the twisting currents that make people think it's that far north, and in fact, it might be Iceland.

#greek

#greekrpg

#roman

#romanrpg

#rpgmaker

#rpginspiration

#worldbuildings

#greekpunk