Thaumometers are devices used to detect the energies generated when magic is used.
History[]
Little is known about the history and development of the Thaumometer. Both the Masked dwarf and the FractalEntity recognized the device Emdief brought to Steelhold, however, indicating their use in the past.
It is known that Emdief constructed his own thaumometer, and that his model was different from the standard recognized by the FractalEntity and the Masked Dwarf. As Emdief himself seems to believe his is the only device of its kind, no link between him and the makers of the devices Fractal and the Masked Dwarf encountered in their respective pasts is known.
Design[]
The design of a thaumometer is complicated, requiring engineers of the highest skill to produce. Exact looks vary, but all function the same way: The machinery creates an energy amplification effect, channeled through a gemstone at the heart of the machine: a gemstone. The exact mechanics of this function are a mystery.
Emdief's Thaumometer[]
The Thaumometer Emdief brought to Steelhold was different from most thaumometers. The gemstone at it's core, instead of a sunstone, was a wood opal. The amplification effect generated by the machine, when in close proximity to active magic, caused a pulse of power that tore apart magical effects in the local area. How this happened is a mystery, as is whether Emdief knew the properties of wood opals when he placed one in his thaumometer.
Thaumometer's in Demongate[]
By the time Demongate came along, the Scribes of St. Zane have access to Thaumometer technology, though whether they developed it themselves or modeled it off of Emdief's thaumometer. As evidenced by Tarmid, they also have the know-how to develop much larger, more powerful thaumateurgic detection arrays.