Kershner Pylon

Tech

A Kershner pylon is special tower built and used by the Free Republic. A typical pylon is around 150 feet tall.

Passive Deterrence Field

The distinguishing feature of a Kershner pylon is the Passive Deterrence Generator (PDG), or "Dizzy Dome." The PDG is a large blue sphere. The sphere appears to be liquid but this mirage is a side-effect created by the deterrence field. The field creates vertigo and nausea in most living beings. This keeps most hostile wildlife from approaching a pylon and the surrounding area. The larger the being, the stronger the effect, so megafauna are strongly deterred.

The Republic has various countermeasures for the deterrence field. Walker shields can be tuned to filter out the field. Individuals can wear a "brainy band" for personal protection. The design of these countermeasures is a closely-guarded secret.

Other Systems

A typical pylon also includes a variety of transceivers (e.g., radio, microwave, satellite) and a variety of local monitoring systems (e.g., optical, thermal, gravimetric). A pylon often has wind turbines, solar panels, and a bank of power cells.

Each pylon is self-powered. However, a series or array of pylons can temporarily link up to share electricity and data, if they are close enough and there is no major interference (e.g., from weather). The Wall is interfering with most of these network features, at least for now.

Origin

Kershner pylons were primarily designed by Irwin Kershner, a brilliant Republic engineer. The Republic had an ambitious plan to build pylons around all settlements and along major walker routes. With the Wall up, the government is now focused on maintaining the existing pylons.