Capturing or removing the Strange Mist?

[Chewett]

As the Strange Mist started to fill up some locations Chewett, Aia and Miq returned to discuss what could be done about it. It currently did not seem to be doing any harm but its sudden appearance, alongside raining plushies was concerning.

In the event the mist turned out to have negative effects, a discussion was had about the best way to remove it, or capture and study it.

We decided to open up this problem to the engineers and mad scientists of MagicDuel. We are looking for a device that could either capture, or remove the strange mist from a scene.

For this quest please:

• Describe how your device works (4 scoring points available, a short description can be as valuable as a long one, simplicity sometimes is key)
• Describe what materials would be required for it to work (4 scoring points, more points if you can relate it to MD resources)
• How you think you can use it on a mass scale (do you organise teams of Aramors? Do you enlist your friends, darchorns?, 2 scoring points)

Rewards:

Since we may urgently need such a device, the first three entries will receive 10 plushies.
The top scoring entry will receive 1 Anni creature, a WP or a custom item (with an effect) related to your design
The second scoring entry will receive 1 Anni creature, A snowman
The third scoring entry will receive 1 Anni creature

 

Scoring will start in 10 days time, ending on Day 13. Any entries used before scoring ends will be given additional prizes.

[Seigheart]

I would make a basic dehumidifier out of a bowl and something with moisture absorbing properties like rock salt. I'd get a bunch of Grassan/Trees(ents are good at breaking castles so why not rock salt lol) to mine for rock salt. Best place in MD seems to be Necrovion where there is the most arid environment ( the most likely place to find rock salt)

 

A basic container, and rock salt is all that is needed.

Edited April 15, 2022 by Seigheart

[Syrian]

the teddy bears must have something to do with it, i say, grab a plushie, shove it inside a heat jar, attach the whole thing to a really large pole, then start swinging and let the plushie collect it all for you

Edited April 15, 2022 by Syrian

[Else]

Device: Mist clearer

Describe how your device works
Using an iron cilinder with one blocked side we can force the heat from a heat stone to aim in the desired direction. Using some heat from his own, the user from this device can clear out any kind of mist known so far by forcing an evaporation even in the darkest places.

Describe what materials would be required for it to work 
It would need an iron cilinder made from iron ingots from the Weaponsmith in NML. Nickel for its heat resistance and wood to create a base for the user to grab the tool and some glue made out of resin to put it all together.
Finally it needs an input of a Heat Stone inside the cilinder which is triggered by the user heat to activate the tool.

How you think you can use it on a mass scale?
The tool can be mass produced as it is made from easy to find materials. Anyone who can produce some heat on his own can use the tool, so I am of the idea of enlisting players of MB, LR and GG by King/Queen decree.

[Nep]

I think that it would be a serious mistake to get rid of the mist until we figure out what it can be used for. Therefore I suggest we collect it into containers. I have designed a device that could be used to collect said mist. Here is how the prototype would look like, more or less:

How it works:

I would capture it like I'd capture gas in a chemical experiment. We'd need a big outer container, inside which there is a smaller, upside down glass cylinder. Both of these are filled with water. 

The idea is to get the mist inside the inner glass container, where it "bubble us" to the top, displacing the water into the outer container. This is based on the assumption that the "mist" is lighter than water, but more dense than air (which is probably true, given that it hovers above ground). 

Of course, the mist won't be getting into our container on its own, so the device has an elastic tube attached to it, that ends in a bulb pump (the kind you see on older blood pressure monitors, or maybe more relevant - gasoline hand pumps) and a funnel. 

Pressing the pump creates a vacuum, which after releasing it will suck in whatever is inside the funnel. After which it goes straight into the inner glass cylinder through the tube. 

The inner container even has a cap on it so that we can remove the mist when we need it for something (experiments, storing it in even larger containers, etc.). The cap can also be used to release any air accidentally sucked into the container - since it is lighter than the mist.

As you can see the device is quite large, it even has shoulder straps. This is because I want a single person to be able to collect a large amount of gas, since we don't know how much of it will show up and where. 

Materials needed: 

The outer and inner containers would be made of thick glass, kinda like a big alembic. I have previously thought about using some kind of metal but then we wouldn't be able to tell how much mist or water is inside. That said, the parts holding the inner container in place could be made out of metal, to make it more durable. Both glass and iron exist in MD, and there is precedent for various alembics and such in the lab. We just have to make bigger ones. 

The shoulder straps could be made out of ropes that can be found on GWI or a similar material. 

The funnel can be made out of metal too (iron ingots?). 

The water needed to fill up the containers already exists in the realm. 

The only part I'm not sure about is the tube and the pump, since both of them would need rubber which I have yet to see in the realm. But I'm sure we can figure something out. 

How to collect the mist: 

I'd pay a few people to use my device to collect mist until we figure out what it is and whether or not it is harmful. Like I mentioned before, the device is this big in order to enable few people to do a lot of work with it. But we can make it smaller later if necessary, maybe even a handheld version

If the mist proves to be harmful we will be forced to deal with it on the "government" level, which means paying for its collection won't be my problem anymore. 

If it proves to be useful, people will collect it without incentive. 

If it proves to be harmless and useless we can just leave it be. 

[Ledah]

If you ask me, the only way to truly solve anything is a good old fashioned sacrifice - we must sacrifice some poor soul(s) in the hopes of ending the incessant rain of plushies. Therefore, my device will be a rather saucy altar.

The altar works primarily as a surface on which to conduct said sacrificing to appease the plushies.

We would need a good amount of Stone to build it, plus some skulls to give the altar a nice uplifting ambience. Some Pure Gold to decorate it all would make the affair more stylish. Last but not least, we need bottles of Grasan Ferment... you just can't carry out a sacrifice sober!

In order to carry this out en masse we'd need a lot of... volunteers constructing altars, providing skulls, and volunteering as tribute. I have enough ferment, so we are fine on that front.

Should the mist continue to manifest afterwards, we could simply drop it in a river. If it floats it is harmless, but if it sinks I would suggest it has been purified by the water, so is no longer harmful.

 

[Fyrd Argentus]

Plans for Strange Mist Capture Device - by Fyrd

The key is to cause coagulation and precipitation of the mist.  My device does this using sound scientific principles, then separates the pure mist in a liquified form.

The mist must be mingled with an aerosol of a material with as extremely different electronegativity as possible.  Given the inert nature of the strange mist, a pungent sort of volatile liquid is in order - I suggest we try with "Exotic Perfume", "Knator essence aftershave", any sort of bottled emotion (or flattery or loyalty), or superheated solid stench (or sticky goop or sloop goop).

The electro-attractant is sprayed as an aerosol into the mist, where the droplets are attracted to one-another, coagulate into larger droplets, and precipitate as they grow in size.

A funnel mechanism captures the falling droplets and sends them to a boiler, where a heat source re-volatilizes them into a fractionation column.  The two materials will make condensation rings at different points in the column, where each is shunted to a condenser, cooled by water (chilled by frozen berries, ice cube, solid rain drop, jar of snow, or unmeltable snowflake), and captured in a bottle.

Schematic attached.

[Chewett]

Judging is as follows, apologies for not posting this earlier as I have had it sent over from the judges for a week or so now but it was buried!

Quote

Seig - 2, 2, 2 - 6 points (plus 10 plushies for first entry) - We like this idea
Syrian - 3,1,1 - 5 points (plus 10 plushies for second entry) - Maybe more details on what these evil teddy bears are doing
Else - 3,2, 2 - 7 points (plus 10 plushies for third entry) - Good use of resources
Nep - 4,4,1 - 9 points - Very nice diagram
Ledah - 2,2,1 - 5 points Interesting idea, we suggest you volutenteer
Fyrd - 4,3,1 - 8 points - A very good second place, also an excellent diagram.

Therefore I announce Nepgear the winner, Fyrd second place, and Else third! I will contact you with your prizes. Plushies will be given out too.

[Chewett]

Rewards distributed