BurgerSlave/EssenceBattery
Essence Batteries
Large artifacts require Essence in order to operate. The larger the artifact, the greater its Essence draw. Many artisans solve this problem by crafting specialized Hearthstone settings, tuning the setting to draw Essence from the stone rather than pour Essence into it. This way, large artifacts such as warstriders and flying ships are able to operate.
However, ask any engineer-smith of Lookshy, and they'll tell you--there just ain't enough damn stones to go around. Third-rank Hearthstones are far too valuable in their own right to be sacrificed just so they can act as a power source. The Twilight Caste artisans of the First Age felt the same way. Manses of sufficient power are woefully finite. There are nowhere near enough of them, and their locations too far-flung, in order to provide adequate power sources for the legions of mechanized armies the Solar Deliberative fielded in the First Age.
Fortunately, there is a simple solution. While Hearthstones may be finite, Essence itself is not. It is the nature of Essence to resonate within ordered, precise structures--hence why Hearthstones manifest as gems and crystals of aching flawlessness, and similarly why Essence-powered artifacts must be of exquisite workmanship. Thus, the artisans of the day were able to produce Essence batteries--crystals of similar size and shape to Hearthstones, but whose sole purpose is to provide power for artifacts. Even the largest Essence batteries are simple to produce. In Lookshy, there is a thriving trade wholly dedicated to the production and sale of these batteries. Conversely, on the Blessed Isle, the Dragon-Blooded consider it a point of pride and wealth to use actual Hearthstones to power their limited First Age arsenal.
An Essence battery's power output is directly related to its Artifact rating. All Essence batteries will power an artifact for one day before requiring a recharge in a solar charger. If a battery is placed in a smaller artifact, the battery life is extended by the difference in days (thus, a level 5 battery can power a suit of dragon armor for 5 days before requiring a recharge). Essence batteries are useless for anything else, and provide no benefit when set into an ordinary Hearthstone setting. While all the batteries listed below refer to a battery's 'size', they are all the same physical size and shape of a standard Hearthstone. Instead, the 'size' refers to the battery's capacity. This is usually imprinted on the battery's surface, so that the correct battery may be used.
• - A small battery, capable of powering a suit of dragon armor.
•• - A middle-sized battery, capable of powering a common warstrider.
••• - A moderate-sized battery, capable of powering a noble warstrider or the First Age amenities of a single building.
•••• - A large battery, capable of powering a royal warstrider, a city-sized haze shield, or a flying craft.
••••• - A power-plant sized battery, capable of energizing a region's defense grid or bearing a First Age flying city aloft.
