Greetings to all Erebonians, Calvardians, and those from beyond Zemuria's borders! Today, we're bringing you a special seminar on recent evolutions in orbment technology across Zemuria, from the once top-of-the-line ARCUS IIs, to the new and incredibly high-tech Xiphas of today. We hope you'll be able to learn a little something about the advancements in orbal technology as of S1209 and have some fun at the same time!
As a brief primer, "orbments" are small devices that can be used for a great variety of things, particularly combat assistance. Orbments are slotted with "quartz"—crystal circuits made out of a material called sepith—that provide a variety of helpful functions, including strengthening the user of the orbment, as well as granting them the ability to cast various magical arts.
To truly do a deep-dive on orbal technology, we would have to go all the way back to Professor C. Epstein's discovery of orbal energy back in S1150. As our time is rather limited, we'll stick to more recent advancements, starting with one of the top-end models of the last generation of battle orbments: the Reinford Group's ARCUS II.
ARCUS II
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III / IV
The ARCUS II was an improvement upon the previous ARCUS model, and was issued to members of Thors Military Academy's Branch Campus shortly prior to the events of the Great Twilight incident in Erebonia—particularly to the new Class VII led by Rean Schwarzer.
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Following from its predecessor, the ARCUS II had a major focus on strengthening the connections between team members both in and out of battle. It had a communication function that allowed users to contact each other almost anywhere, and a combat link function that allowed comrades to resonate together in battle.
Of particular note is the large "master quartz" that is set in the center of the device. These quartz were more rare than other varieties, and had a significant impact on what effects the ARCUS II could provide, including what arts could be used in battle.
RAMDA
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III / IV
Moving on, we have an orbment with a much shadier history: the Verne Company's secret collaboration with the Epstein Foundation, known as the "RAMDA." The RAMDA shares a lot of similarities with the ARCUS II, including its communication and combat link functions.
However, what truly sets it apart is its ability to cloak the user, rendering them mostly invisible to the naked eye. During the Great Twilight incident in Erebonia (as well as the lead-up to the Battle of Jormungandr), the RAMDA's stealth functionality was used to great effect by Calvard's Central Intelligence Department—specifically, their special operations unit "Hercules," who had infiltrated the Erebonian capital of Heimdallr.
Xipha
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Lastly, we come to the most cutting-edge orbments to date: the Verne Company's Xipha. Developed without the assistance of the Epstein Foundation, the Xipha marked a sea change in the world of combat orbments with the introduction of "shards": a special field deployed by the Xipha that grants its user an impressive amount of control over the battlefield.
More impressive still are "holo cores": AI assistants that provide help both on and off the battlefield. On top of this new technology, the Xipha brought with it improvements upon the communication functions of the ARCUS series, including access to the burgeoning orbal network in Calvard, which makes it a fully-fledged communication device in its own right.
While early versions of the Xipha were distributed very selectively, they have since been found in the possession of law enforcement, members of the CID, and even students of the illustrious Aramis Academy. Rumor has it that very soon, the Xipha standard will be made available to the general public with the combat functions removed, instead serving as a device purely for communication and entertainment.
That concludes our overview of the last few years of orbment development! Technology has come so far already, but only time will tell what orbments might look like in the future. Until next time, remember to keep your Xipha charged!
