Thread: Revelations from Patch 5.5 (Part 1)

Originally Posted by Vyrerus

Please fill me in, if possible, Mr. Moose!

Always keepin' me honest with them citation requests! Lol. (Give me hell, I'd rather have good citations.)

EDIT: Oh, MrThinker already got the main one. Thanks, Thinker!

Aetherochemistry was Emperor Xande's attempt to merge aetherology and science - turning something magical into something tangible.

It goes without saying that the Allagan Empire would never have survived, let alone expanded and thrived, had it not been for the might of Xande's handpicked mage cadres. Their most important contribution to the empire, however, was not solely spellweaving, but the incorporation of their magicks into existing scientific principles. Siege engines enhanced with magicks launched projectiles further and with more precision. Ensorcelled treadwheel cranes lifted blocks ten times their maximum load with a fraction of the manpower. Once the secrets of aether had been unlocked, they were applied not only to war, but to everyday societal needs, from construction to medicine, transportation to communication. The field came to be known as aetherochemistry, and upon its back would the Allagans ride into a Golden Age of prosperity.

Garlemald's stuff came later; refining the "dead organic aether" of ceruleum ore into a highly combustible, high-pollution petrol-like fuel for use in engines.

At the turn of the 16th century, an engineer attempted to create a smaller version of the stationary steam engine for his workshop. In so doing, he stumbled upon the idea of using ceruleum as a fuel itself, rather than to heat water. His prototype was relatively weak, but compact enough to be portable. As if by fate, it then caught the eye of Legatus Solus Galvus, who insisted the military open its coffers to fund the new technology. With the army's support, a moving platform was built, driven by an improved ceruleum engine and mounted with artillery. This prototype proved more destructive in tests than Galvus had ever dreamed. He christened the new type of weapon "magitek," to signify the triumph of technology over magic. Thereafter, Garlean engineers fashioned more and varied magitek weapons. With each one, the strength of the Garlean Army grew. Starting around 1550, relics of ancient Allag were unearthed in the new territories of Garlemald. The Empire's keenest minds set about learning their intricacies, though in truth the archaic technology put the best imperial efforts to shame. The engineers never learned the fundamental principles of the Allagan devices. Nonetheless, the secrets they pried from the old machina advanced Garlean magitek by leaps and bounds. The Garleans also succeeded in reanimating a number of Allagan machina with ceruleum engines, and the Empire is rumored to be moving these to the front lines.

A good example of this is being unable to levitate death claws with aetherochemistry and just installing propellers.