Plumbing

I know what you're thinking but trust me it could always be worse, we could be in the Stormlands. No working shitters up there

— Dayne Reed

    Of all of Tairos' many wonderous advancements, none are so mundane and yet so impactful as working plumbing.   The history of this technology can trace its roots back to the tribal origins of many of Tairos' people. Some of the ruins of humanity's most ancient settlements show dug-out channels lined with bark and oil that acted as early latrines. It's likely that Melanthris and Ghal Ankhar have similar such systems buried under their nations as well but archeologists are not welcomed in such places. There's plenty of existing evidence to show that humans and Halflings used these simple channels to funnel wastewater from the settlements and to farming regions were it could be used as fertilizer.   The earliest known examples of the use of pressurized water come from this era as well. Tairos has many pockets of underground water, thanks in part to the Bitter Depths, and many of these early peoples were able to create simple aqueducts and funnel these waters into narrow chambers creating geysers of pressurized water for fountains or water wheels. The dwarves of Ghal Ankhar still make use of these simple systems to move water into their mountain halls.   The Empire of Skyrir is the first known example of industrialized plumbing systems. While most of the empire is in ruins today, buried beneath the sands, much of its plumbing system remains intact. Clay piping was constructed during the early period of their civilization, complete with easy segmentation designs that allowed for quick cleaning and replacement as needed. In the later centuries of their empire, much of the capital's piping was replaced by copper. They were also the first civilization to use flushable latrines as well. The pressurized water systems allowed for water to be forcibly pumped into waste receptacles and flushed into the waste pipe system below.   Skyrir's intricate plumbing advancements also kept the region safe from flooding. Prior to the disaster that claimed their nation, the Scorch was a lush and wet region identical to The Serpent Lands where flash flooding was common. Skyrir's system helped to prevent devastating floods. It also pumped water away from the capital and other colonies, allowing for more stabile land suited for heavy construction rather than the soft swamp that existed there naturally.   The Elves of Melanthris would be the first people to incorporate magic into their plumbing system. Artificers skilled in constructing purifying magical devices applied their talents to the unique problem faced by the island nation. They could not simply pump their wastewater into the lake, so instead, they built a closed system beneath Melanthris, where wastewater is funneled into arcane purifying chambers. Magic cleansing and heat work to transform the waste into steam that vents out beyond the city walls. Magic was also used to draw water into showering pipes, drinking faucets, and any other use imaginable. Spells were often inlaid into the spouts of these devices to heat or chill the water as desired.   Magic would quickly become integrated into the plumbing of all major nations. The Balmoran Empire adopted a similar system to their elven neighbors. Ghal Ankhar laid magic runes into mechanical pumps to modernize their pressurized water system as well as to automate it. Ghal Pelor uses this exact same system: dwarven pumping stations powered by magic runes. Only Carda eschewed magical systems in favor of their purely mechanical solutions. Many of those systems were run by Clankers and in some cases Clanker minds were installed into the system to directly manage things.   With The Queen's Rebuke came an immediate wastewater disaster for many systems across Tairos. City-States like Balmoral and Frial were left completely in ruin after the war and the sewage systems seeped into those places turning a bad situation even worse. Melanthris continued to feed manacite into their magical sewage treatment systems, something that was extremely costly but necessary. They lacked the labor and machinery to overhaul the system and with plague spreading in their fiefdoms they didn't dare bring outside labor into the city. In Ghal Ankhar the dwarves worked quickly to stabilize their sewage system because of the uniquely dangerous situation they were in. They mountains were a self-contained system and moving waste material out was a near impossibility. Much of the waste was pumped into the depths of the mountain and sealed into the caverns there while a mechanical pump system was built. That system would eventually be used to carry new waste out into the eastern ocean. However; the wretched caverns from just after the Rebuke still exist, sealed away deep below the mountain nation. These cess pits have become spawning beds for dangers that often crawl up into Ghal Ankhar's halls.   There are some places in Tairos where plumbing was largely untouched by the Rebuke. Frostmere has simple commodes and chamber pots in most of its territory. The waste material is then collected and used to fertilize what farmable land they have. In the captial they do have a modest plumbing system acquired through trade with Ghal Ankhar but it is always at risk of freezing. Considerable effort goes into preserving flowing water in the absolute worst of their winters. The Stormlands, has similar simple systems like Frostmere but lacks modern plumbing even in their capital of Harrowhold. Only the Storm Lord's castle has dwarven plumbing, acquired from their allies in Cinderstone. The rugged individualists of Far Harbor never prioritized plumbing as an infrastructure. For them, it can vary from building to building. Some may have bought compact versions of dwarven plumbing system while others are happy enough with a simple pot. If plumbing systems are prioritized the most likely place will be on the ships of wealthy Pirate Lords. Many of them have splurged on dwarven systems that allow for maximum comfort while at sea.   Newer cities that never had to deal with the Rebuke have perhaps faired the best. Homestead was built around a modern plumbing infrastructure that merges dwarven systems with some surviving data on old gnomish clockwork engineering. Their system is entirely free of reliance on manacite or spells. Lockland has very modern plumbing that suspiciously looks like reengineered dwarven systems. It relies on manacite as well though Lockland is more likely force enslaved mages to power the system without manacite, forcing these captives to endure the painful backlash of the Rebuke daily. Tengu Town is fully capable of deploying their own plumbing systems if they choose but because of the nature of their relationship with Ghal Ankhar, they were more then happy let the dwarves build plumbing for them. It lets the dwarves believe their favor-based relationship with the Tengu has any actual sway.