Truth detector



This complex device is employed in the City of Ratchet whenever the Venture Company is making an important deal with a new supplier and wants ascertain whether or not the supplier is trustworthy. The creature being tested sits in a comfortable chair surrounded by an array of machinery, and is slowly and painstakingly connected to each and every one of them. Clamps on the end of caliper arms help measure the movement between brow and jaw, tight elastic bands measure the contraction of muscles in the forearm, glass tubes filled with mercury track changes in temperature and pressure near the ears, and membranes pressed up against the chest help record the sound of liquids moving in the stomach. These measurements all feed back into a wardrobe-sized cabinet, and the result is shown by the movement of an arm mounted on a pivot on its exterior. If the arm points towards the painting of a full moon, the device is certain that the words spoken are the truth. As it swings along a line of waning moons toward the black disc of a new moon, it is increasingly likely that the subject speaks a falsehood. The device is surprisingly accurate; the results have led some wizards and priests to reconsider the abilities of technology. When measuring intruments are not in use, they can be stored inside the cabinet.