Windmills of the Wizenzea (A to Z Challenge)

While magic can be used to power devices, relying on natural forces to power various mills and other devices is usually less expensive (and sometimes safer) for many practical uses.  One such practical use of windmills while developed by others, it is the Gemkine who have perfected the engineering to translate the motion of wind (and water) into motive power.

On the banks of the Wizenzea windmills are used for a variety of purposes from pumping out seawater to free up new land, to driving mechanical devices for the processing of various materials and, of course, as actual grain mills.  When their location is no longer suitable, they are dismantled and moved to a new location.  Sometimes the shell of the building is left and repurposed, sometimes just the foundation remains.

The Wizenzea has been slowly pushed back, giving more land to the Republic of Asterdahl.  The lands have slowly been expanding over the centuries, the initial financing was provided by their draconic patron (he flatters the sensibilities of the Republic by acting as an investor and not directly exerting his control over them except in the collection of taxes).

The process of reclaiming land has been tricky as sometimes dangerous creatures are attracted to the process or strange and hazardous things are revealed by the receding waters.  So, not only do the windmills need to be maintained but sometimes they need to be defended from attack.  Service among the guardians of the windmill-powered pumping stations pays well and is mostly boring routine work but when things go wrong, it tends to be spectacular.  The guardians are not expected to defeat any threats, only to keep them from destroying the windmills and pumps until reinforcements can arrive to dispatch them.

Notes: W is a tricky letter but then I thought windmills and there you go.  Asterdahl was already inspired by the Dutch Republic so why not lean into that.

Image from PublicDomainPictures.net and is in the Public Domain.