Diving bells

For those folk who can't breathe underwater or afford magic, diving bells allow them to stay underwater for longer periods of time than would be normal. They do this by trapping a pocket of air inside them which divers can use to replenish their air. Its origins are lost to time but the Vikani claim that it was their people who brought this invention with them when they first came to the Isles. Regardless of its origins the diving bell can be found in use across the Isles by a variety of folk.   Diving bells can be made from a variety of substances, but it must be something sufficiently heavy to overcome the buoyancy of the air trapped inside it, thus most bells are made of iron or another suitable metal which can hold up to the pressures and ravages of the sea. They are lowered over the side of a ship and dropped into the water. The bells are attached by a strong rope or cable to a pulley system on the deck which allows them to be raised easier. Divers can either go down inside the bell, or hold onto the rope or chain as it descends, the same for the ascent, though for especially deep dives it is safer to come back up inside the bell.   The Falassi of the Kimben islands use the shells of the giant bell crab, whose shell is shaped remarkably like a bell though its bottom aperture is much smaller. Normally shells wouldn't work as they are generally too light even the big ones, however, the shell of the bell crab is made of a much denser substance than most shells. The smaller aperture at the bottom also offers divers protection from some of the other creatures that inhabit their waters. The wreck divers of Hanrock carve protective runes into their bells to ward off evil spirits and the undead which are becoming more and more of a problem for the people of this region of the Isles.