Aether-Fueled Auto-Electrocuter
The aether-fueled auto-electrocuter (also referred to simply as the auto-electrocuter) was an experimental personal weapon invented by Dr. von Breech. Powered by aether, the device was designed to be worn on the forearm and to discharge concentrated jolts of electricity at close range. It was described as experimental and was associated with use by knights.
Description
The auto-electrocuter resembled a leather arm-guard fitted with switches, gears, and a small exhaust. It was strapped tightly onto the arm—specifically the right arm—and activated by depressing a lever with the index and middle fingers. When fired, it discharged a jolt of electricity with an effective range of approximately four feet. Activation produced warm steam exhaust at the shoulder and could cause recoil. The device required aether to operate and needed time to recharge between uses.
The weapon was stored in a box that Dr. von Breech brought to relevant meetings and demonstrations.
Role in The Steam Knight
In The Steam Knight, Dr. von Breech demonstrated the auto-electrocuter outdoors on James Gentry. During the demonstration, a jolt of electricity fired from atop the wearer's hand struck a woodpile, blasting it to splinters. As the text records: "A jolt of electricity blasted from atop my hand. It hit the woodpile, blasting it to splinters."
Dr. von Breech also proposed the device as a trade good to Atrebla, suggesting to representatives of that nation that mass-producing the weapon could address the goblin threat in Atrebla's north. He stated: "You reverse-engineer and fabricate a few hundred of these, and you'll find yourself with far less of a problem with your goblins in the north." The device was kept in a box Dr. von Breech brought to this meeting.
The auto-electrocuter was also used operationally during the events of The Steam Knight. It proved capable of breaking locks with its electrical discharge, as electricity shot from it sent a wave of energy toward a door. However, the weapon carried significant hazards: it was dangerous near wooden structures due to fire risk, and dangerous to use in close proximity to bystanders. In one instance, its discharge killed a man named Handley, charring his body and singeing his hair and clothes.
The device had been used by James Gentry on a prior mission, and its prior use became a point of contention when James and Ethan von Lantern argued over who would use a separate tripod device, with the auto-electrocuter cited as a point of comparison. As one character noted: "You used the auto-electrocuter last time."
Hazards and Limitations
- Effective range of approximately four feet
- Required recharging between uses
- Posed a fire risk near wooden structures
- Dangerous to bystanders in close proximity
- Could cause recoil upon firing
Inventor
The auto-electrocuter was one of several inventions attributed to Dr. von Breech. He transported the device in a dedicated box and personally conducted demonstrations of its capabilities.
In A History of Rislandia
According to A History of Rislandia, the aether-fueled auto-electrocuter is notable primarily for its role in a pivotal moment of Rislandian royal history. The sourcebook records that James Gentry used the device to stop an assassination attempt on King Malaky XVI, killing the would-be assassin Knight Handley with it. This account frames the auto-electrocuter not merely as an experimental curiosity but as an instrument of direct historical consequence, credited with preserving the Malaky line.
The sourcebook describes the device as an arm-mounted lightning weapon powered by aether fuel that shoots lightning bolts up to four feet and is activated by a two-finger lever, consistent with details recorded elsewhere on this page.
However, A History of Rislandia adds one significant technical detail not found in the novels: the device gets extremely hot during use and can overheat and explode. This overheating-and-explosion risk is not mentioned in The Steam Knight and represents an additional hazard documented only in the sourcebook.
The Assassination Attempt on King Malaky XVI
The sourcebook situates the auto-electrocuter's most consequential use within the assassination attempt on King Malaky XVI. According to A History of Rislandia, James Gentry stopped the assassination using the auto-electrocuter, with Knight Handley identified as the would-be assassin. The novel-based account on this page records Handley's death by the device but does not explicitly frame the incident as a foiled royal assassination; the sourcebook provides this broader political context.