Work In Progress Zenithian Solar Crucible

[Nepheli N. Tzunidahr]

Name: Solar Crucible
Type: Technological Siege Weapon
Credits: ChatGPT
Consolidation Thread: N/A (WIP)
Description: The Solar Crucible is a colossal technological siege weapon, built into a mobile land platform resembling a crawling bastion. Its towering frame is crowned with a focusing lattice of solar-reactive crystal arrays, channeling condensed sunlight through an alchemical prism. The Crucible unleashes a golden lance of fusion-light capable of cutting through fortress walls, anti-air defenses, and even magical wards. When idle, it glows with a low, reverberating hum—the sound of the sun waiting to strike.

ATTRIBUTES

• Main Stats
  
  • Defense: High
  • Defensive Elements: Ablative solar plating, anti-magic shielding around the crystal arrays, heavy armor plating beneath sacred runes.
  • Offence: Extreme
  • Offensive Elements: Solar Lance projection array, radiant saturation burn effect, extended heatwave blast radius, spell-disruption beam embedded in secondary turrets.
• Durability: Very High
  • Solar Crucibles are built to endure long campaigns and magical counterattacks; the reinforced frame can resist corruption, erosion, and most siege-level return fire.
• Scarcity: Semi-Unique
  • Each Crucible must be attuned to a specific Warden or Royal Artificer and maintained by a dedicated battalion of Engineers.
• TvM Requirement: 4v1
  • Requires mastery over radiant-aligned engineering, high resource investment, and centralized logistic capacity.

Strengths

• Siege Dominance: The Solar Crucible is unparalleled in land-based siege operations. It can neutralize entrenched magical and physical defenses with overwhelming radiant force.
• Warding and Area Denial: The light it emits passively suppresses necromantic or shadow-based magic within a significant radius. No unholy construct can stand long in its glow.
• Symbol of Dominion: The sight of a Solar Crucible approaching a battlefield carries immense psychological impact. It is both siege engine and herald of imperial judgment.

Weaknesses

• Slow Deployment: Due to its size and energy demands, it must remain stationary while firing. Requires a full five-minute anchoring and charging sequence.
• Vulnerable to Precision Raids: While heavily armored, its core lattice is exposed from above. A coordinated strike team or airborne unit can damage or destabilize the beam array if not protected.
• Solar Dependency: Without clear skies or sufficient sun exposure, its main lance cannot fully charge. In prolonged night, underground campaigns, or solar-dead zones, its offensive output drops significantly.

Historical Information

The Solar Crucible is a direct evolution of the Radiant Vow’s Solar Lance system—reverse-engineered and adapted for terrestrial war by Zenithian engineers following the Unification of the Southern Coast. Its first deployment was during the Siege of Caer Ethar, where it breached a supposedly invincible blood-iron citadel in under an hour. Since then, it has stood as a vanguard relic of the new Espadian age—used sparingly, but with thunderous effect.

Each Crucible is named, blessed, and consecrated before deployment. The first model, Eclipser, stands as both monument and defense platform outside the Zenithian capital. Its beam lit the horizon the day the Emperor’s decree reached the south.