Dishonored Lore: Inventions and Technology
Roseburrow's discovery breathed new life into Dunwall. Even now he visualizes the next invention. In his day Anton Sokolov fired the engines of industry. He dreams of an army of mechanical soldiers. An alchemist. But her mind is...troubled. When we first enter the world of Dishonored, the Empire of the Isles stands at the dawn of a new age of technology and invention brought by the whale oil industry. The process of refining and using the semi-magical substance has opened a literal floodgate of innovation that revolutionized life in Dunwall and beyond. Here is a brief overview of just some of the
technologies and machinery that have developed as a result of this new age. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, so if I leave out anything you think is important, please comment below. The technology revolution began when Esmond Roseburrow discovered the immense energy density of refined whale oil. Before this, whaling was a minor, tangential industry.
Available lore doesn’t tell us precisely when this occurred, but it must have been sometime in the early 1800s. Raw oil is rendered by boiling, then likely filtered and distilled to concentrate its energy. The Roseburrow Prototype is the forerunner of all whale oil technology, and is on display at the Royal Conservatory in 1852. What this device does is not stated, but it may have to do with converting the volatile liquid into usable power, likely electricity. Before whale oil, electrical experiments and devices would have been primitive curiosities, much like in our world in the 18th century. This device was likely a generator capable of aerating and combusting the oil in a controlled fashion to generate electrical current. It was probably similar to the first internal combustion engines in our world,
but much more sophisticated to reflect the higher energy density of refined whale oil. But before discussing electrical machinery, there are several inventions using whale oil that rely on direct combustion. Raw whale oil had long been burned for heat by riverbank denizens. As we see throughout
Dishonored, lamps and lanterns also burn refined oil for light. We see wall-mounted lighting as well, and it’s not clear whether these are powered by burning oil, in a manner similar to Victorian gaslight, or by electricity. We do see that with the rise of Roseburrow Industries, indoor lighting becomes commonplace in even poor districts throughout Dunwall. Radiators are seen even though fireplaces are still common,
so we can also infer the recent invention of another type of power: steam. It’s been explicitly stated that before whale oil, ships were things of wood and sail, but afterward of iron driven by steam. The smelting of such vast amounts of iron probably couldn’t rely on whale oil alone, but it’s likely that the explosive power of the oil allowed industrial scale mining of coal in order to produce so much metal. I theorized once
that it might’ve been the rising steel industry that drove the timber-based Brigmore family to bankruptcy. These new ships could likely burn coal, but it’d be more space efficient to use whale oil to turn their massive steam turbines to drive ships to far-off destinations like Pandyssia. Given the age of the Dreadful Wale, it seems that steam ships were an early innovation, both feeding back into the whaling industry and making Gristol’s navy the dominant sea power, including modern marvels like the ISS Jessamine. Given human nature, it’s no surprise that one of the first innovations using whale oil was weaponry. Emperor Euhorn Kaldwin created the City Watch in 1809, but it was only later that their pistols were upgraded to shoot bullets powered by whale oil. These cartridges use oil instead
of gunpowder to propel the bullet, but advanced versions contain a second charge inside the bullet itself, creating an explosive bullet. The same design can be used to create explosive crossbow bolts. Pistols can be upgraded with advanced optics for range and accuracy, as well as revolving magazine chambers for rapid shooting and quick reloading mechanisms. Cartridges can also be
loaded with shot or possibly hollow point bullets for a spread damage effect. After realizing the oppressive uses to which his inventions were put, Roseburrow took his own life with a whale oil gun. Of course the generation of electrical current exponentially increases the possibilities for technology and machinery, from Samuel’s little Amaranth to wheels the size of houses. Audiograph players are capable of both recording and playing back up to a minute or two of sound using punch-card sheets as a type of digital storage medium. They are self-powered,
so they may be spring-wound in a manner similar to early Edison phonographs, or have an internal battery for an electrical system. A simple lead-acid battery would certainly be possible for this time, or even a miniaturized Roseburrow device that uses whale oil. The data density needed for such recordings should be far higher than what we see on the cards with just a few holes punched in them, but audiographs may in fact employ a more advanced system than we know, akin to wax cylinders or even vinyl records, with grooves that are too small to see. Throughout Dishonored 1 and 2, propaganda is broadcast via a system of loudspeakers. These devices certainly use whale oil, since when their cables are cut they fall to the ground and explode. The lines are therefore probably used for voice transmission, and it’s not some type of radio system. In our world, the first loudspeaker was invented in the 1860s, with practical
quality systems coming several years later. The electroacoustic transducer that allows speakers to work requires only knowledge of coils and magnets, so would have been well within the capabilities of Sokolov or another from the Academy of Natural Philosophy. But it’s the energy of whale oil that allows the necessary amplification of signal for a high-volume speaker system. Oddly enough, the rail wagons and street-level cars we see in Dishonored do not seem to use internal whale oil combustion for power, and are completely electric. You will learn this very conclusively if you touch the charged rails. The Dishonored Fandom Wiki states they are whale oil powered, but I’m not certain what the source for that is. There do seem to
be internal fluorescent lights, so some parts of the cars may be oil powered. These private cars transport the elite all over Dunwall without regard for anything or anyone in their paths. In the beginning of the game you can see one parked on the grounds of Dunwall Tower, so they may have oil powered engines just to maneuver onto or off of electrical rails. Trains are also electric, and are usually suspended above street level. These transport cargo and plague dead over longer distances. Such a large-scale electrical grid implies the existence of a power plant somewhere, using either coal or whale oil, or a combination of both.
Kaldwin’s Bridge uses a massive vertical-lift system to raise the bridge deck upward to allow passage of large ships. In our world vertical-lift bridges were invented near the turn of the century and typically use counterweights and hydraulic jacks to raise and lower the decks. This bridge was constructed during Euhorn Kaldwin’s city-wide restoration program following the Morley Insurrection and the end of the Olaskir dynasty in 1803. Again,
electric motors are likely used, with the electricity generated by whale oil in areas such as Midrow Substation. The floodlights are electrical and powered by oil, as are the rat lights found all over the city. Many houses and businesses lie along the bridge, including the cannery baron Pratchett’s house, Sokolov’s apartments, and one mad survivor. According to the Heart, many people died in the bridge’s construction.
Most players will be more familiar with the technology they must overcome to complete the missions, and most of these were invented by Anton Sokolov himself. The first of these is the water lock. Large hydraulic pumps raise and lower the water level in the lock housing to allow or deny access to Dunwall Tower from the river. There’s no other way to get onto the Tower grounds from this direction, so it’s an effective defense. It’s implied that there are other water locks in the Empire, but this one is the highest at 120 feet. A series of water locks can be seen in Karnaca at Dead Man’s Bluff, though these are stepwise rises. In our world, locks of this type existed in the 1830s, using
boilers and steam engines to pump water. However, these locks rose only around 15 or 20 feet. The highest today is 138 feet, in Kazakhstan, so Sokolov’s water lock was quite an accomplishment. Up to now, all the technology discussed has existed in our world, or has some corollary. But walls of light venture more into the fantastical when it comes to the principles of operation. These barriers create arcs of electricity of such intensity that they disintegrate anyone not authorized to pass through. This invention of Sokolov’s was used extensively during Hiram
Burrows’ regency, and continued thereafter throughout the Empire. The walls feature two coils on either side of a passageway. The voltage across the coils must be just high enough not to arc on its own, so that when when a person or animal passes between them, they decrease the gap distance enough that the current can arc through them. The current must be extremely high, explaining the large amount of whale oil they use. In our world,
channels such as StyroPyro’s show extreme arcs, how they can obliterate certain materials and how humans can trigger arc flashes. Please do not try these experiments at home or you will die. It’s not possible to vaporize a person, but it can certainly do some damage. More puzzling is how the wall allows certain people to pass unharmed after touching a charger. In Dishonored 2, walls have a camera-like device above them, which may be some kind of sensor that can detect whether a person has been “polarized” in some way that momentarily disables the electricity.
It may be akin to grounding yourself to prevent getting a static shock, temporarily decreasing the electric field across a person’s skin just enough that the wall coils will not arc. Arc pylons are essentially giant Tesla coils that function in a similar manner to walls of light. A normal Tesla coil produces extremely high voltages which create its characteristic discharges, but at very low currents. Arc pylons discharge at currents high enough to vaporize a person, again a practical impossibility in our world. In this way, a given area can be protected from intruders, as once again touching the device before operation allows it to “recognize” a person without triggering it. They were invented by Sokolov in 1833. Both walls of light and arc pylons can be rewired to affect previously recognized persons. However, if a recognized person is standing
between an arc pylon and an unrecognized person, it will still trigger, implying that the process actually blinds the device to a person rather than actually recognizing them. Arc mines are smaller, single-use versions of arc pylons. They were developed by Sokolov for use against striking workers and rioters. They were extremely expensive and came with a high risk of accidental discharge, so they did not continue to be in much use after the Rat Plague. Stun mines are similar devices but deliver only enough electrical shock to
incapacitate a target. Again, they seem to be triggered by the proximity of a living being’s electric field, or perhaps the vibrations of their movements. Watchtowers are automated weapons that surveil an area and fire on unauthorized targets. Its
floodlight turns red when it acquires a target. How it functions is another mystery, but it may be a form of infrared detection, where recognized persons are tagged in a way similar to arc pylons, effectively blinding the tower to them. They can also be rewired to invert the recognition. Not all the inventions around this time were electricity-based. Chokedust is a nonlethal weapon that uses raw whale oil and a small explosive charge to generate a large amount of acrid dust that disorients targets temporarily. It will kill rats, however, so it likely contains some toxins. A springrazor is a shrapnel weapon containing many sharp pieces of metal that can cut a person to bits. It is constructed around a tightly wound metal coil, storing a great deal of potential
energy in a small space. It’s triggered by nearby vibrations, specifically those of an approaching target. Rats do not produce strong enough vibrations to trigger therm, so they can be placed on rats and used and sent toward an enemy. In the game, the player’s own movements do not trigger the device, though this could be explained away by the player character intentionally avoiding making too much of a disturbance near it. They can also be placed on bolts while using Bend Time. Sokolov’s Health Elixir and Piero’s Spiritual Remedy are inventions that help prevent the plague, but do not cure it for the already infected. These medicines also restore general health and mana for the player. These restoratives likely contain a mixture
of multivitamins that boost the immune system, and may also contain small amounts of antibiotic compounds. In our world, bubonic plague, which is a partial inspiration for the Rat Plague, is transmitted by the yersinia pestis bacterium, so it’s possible that antibacterial agents may be effective in preventing infection. However, it’s implied that the health elixir is at least partially homeopathic, a pseudo-scientific notion that diluting a medicine actually increases its effectiveness. In the world of Dishonored this may actually be true, since Slackjaw’s watered-down bootleg elixir is just as effective as the official stuff. Piero’s Remedy
includes ingredients derived from river krusts, so perhaps their deadly toxin can be transmuted into beneficial forms, in the same way that snake venom is used in preparing antivenom. These potions may thus also be primitive forms of inoculation. By 1852, these two products had been combined into one. Hypatia’s Addermire solution seems to be based on similar principles, but formulated locally to include protection from bloodfly fever and possibly lung infections from mine dust.
Perhaps one of the more advanced examples of practical technology is the imager, seen only once during the infiltration of Dunwall Tower. It appears to be a form of television. However, it in fact uses a complex system of lenses and mirrors to reflect an image all the way from Burrows’ rooftop office down to the palace lobby, as well as the other way. This explains the poor quality of the image. Tallboys are special units of the City Watch that walk on long stilts high above rats and weepers, wearing heavy armor, shooting explosive bolts and drugged into apathy. These were also invented during the plague to control crowds, infected or not.
They cannot be taken down nonlethally. The curved leaf spring suspension shape is meant to assist the user in lifting and moving forward, providing stability with minimal weight. They're likely some exotic alloy similar to titanium-aluminum. In our world, stilts of similar appearance do exist, but are much more fragile, not suitable for armored combat. Tallboys may use some
unknown hydraulic or gyroscopic stabilization mechanism we can't see to aid in their movement. By 1852 and the events of Dishonored 2, improvements have been made in several inventions, and some new ones have appeared thanks in part to Kirin Jindosh. The electrified floor is used to protect large areas from intruders, such as in banks and private collections. Here, voltage is applied across small nodes on the floor. Similarly to arc pylons,
anyone not tuned to the device triggers an arc discharge. Since, once again, a person’s mere presence is enough to complete a circuit across a large air gap, the applied voltage must be extremely high. The discharge can be lethal or merely incapacitating. A full discharge triggered by one person uses up a quarter tank of whale oil, and a Clockwork soldier a whole tank. Another security feature found in Dolores Michaels’ bank is the central vault, which rises and lowers to prevent or grant access. This device uses hydraulics powered by whale oil.
The Clockwork Mansion is of course one of the most impressive inventions in the Dishonored series. Here, an entire house has been fitted with movable configurations, reforming whole rooms with the pull of a lever. This is more of an engineering marvel than a technological one, since the basic machinery seems to use gears and lifts based on electricity and hydraulics. The waterfall found in the middle of the residence provides most of the power via hydroelectric turbines, saving it from massive expendages of whale oil. In fact each room has only two configurations, with walls folding in on themselves, ceilings moving up and down and furniture appearing out of the floor. The entire place is fitted with pressure plates that allow Jindosh to track the movements
of anyone within. Unless of course one gets into the space behind the walls, in which case they can move undetected. It is possible to get trapped there, as Stanislaw Shepherd fatally discovered. The system is prone to malfunction, and can be used to confuse guards.
Jindosh’s proudest invention is the Clockwork Soldier, an autonomous killing machine capable of independently seeking out and engaging enemies. They guard his mansion as well as the Duke’s palace, and less expensive sentinel versions prowl Dolores Michaels’ bank. Several were used in Delilah’s coup, and even afterward two appear in the novel The Return of Daud. They have long blades as arms, use strong electrical discharges as attacks, and are equipped with advanced optics in front and behind that can recognize enemies. They also possess very sensitive acoustic detectors that can hear all but the quietest movements. Their appendages are magnetically attached, allowing reconfiguration for various purposes, with two or four arms. When active, electrical
signals allow control of arm and leg movements. Sentinels use creepy, ceramic humanoid faces, but updated soldiers have a wooden bird-like face, which Jindosh decided was more intimidating. They can be rewired to attack allies, but will overheat and explode soon afterward. Jindosh uses recordings of his own voice to indicate the unit’s status and what mode of aggression it’s currently in, whether searching, recharging or fighting. Dolores Michaels refitted her sentinels with her own voice, which of course includes advertisements. If the head is destroyed,
it cannot tell friend from foe, and will attack anything in its range. Multiple stun mines will destroy them completely. Extremely expensive, only around forty of the Clockwork soldiers were made. Still, members of the Grand Serkonan Guard protested the “clankers” taking their jobs. Coming full-circle, so to speak, the final piece of technology to discuss is the wind power used in Karnaca. The Wind Corridor was constructed back in 1810, exploiting gusts from Shindaerey Peak. It’s likely this was first used for simple machines such as mills and pulleys,
but was quickly adapted to the new inventions coming out of Dunwall after the whale oil revolution. With the increasing rarity of whales and their precious oil, alternative forms of power generation became more and more necessary. With the use of its wind turbines, which we see power walls of light and other machines, Karnaca is well-positioned to ascend in power both electrical and political, perhaps even eclipsing Dunwall itself in time. Technology in the world of Dishonored is a curious mixture of both real-world practical machinery and fantastical, magical contraptions. The extreme energy density of whale oil, which as I discussed in my video on the whales might derive from the Void itself, allows great feats of both creation and lethality. This ability to amplify humanity’s best and worst qualities to an absurd level is part of the charm of the games and their enduring popularity. Like
fossil fuels in our world, whale oil has been a crutch that’s allowed for incredible advances, but it won’t last forever. Perhaps the ultimate test of the Empire’s ingenuity will be whether it makes the leap to more sustainable ways, or remains mired in smoke and grime.
2025-02-22 11:42
