Dowser

Dowser
World of Origin	Earth (Reckoners)

For the criminal in Elendel, see Dowser Maline.

Dowsing is a term used to describe the ability to detect Epics. Both Epics and devices with this ability are referred to as dowsers.

In Epics

Dowsing is said to be a particularly rare Epic ability. Larcener describes it as the ability to "smell" other Epics as if food were cooking.

Dowsing devices

Dowsers are extremely rare, to the point that most people think they are myths. Even Diamond, an underground arms dealer who trades in guns and motivators, is not able to procure dowsers. Although David Charleston seems to imply that dowsers are an Epic-based technology, it is not clear if they contain motivators.

Use

A dowser used by the Reckoners in Newcago was programmed by Prof and Tia. It is disc-shaped, and resembles a plate with a screen on one side. It has some sort of proximity sensing abilities, as it is able to focus in on nearby Epics, particularly if they are powerful. To definitively test for Epic abilities, most dowsers require physical contact with the target, such as pricking their skin or scanning their arm with an attached strap. The dowser also gives the user some idea of an Epic's power level.

Dowsers are not infallible, as they can be tricked by Epics with reality warping abilities. They may also give somewhat confusing readings in the presence of multiple Epics. At least one dowser used by the Reckoners was intentionally programmed to give a false reading on Prof, so a bad actor could also program a dowser to "hide" other Epics.

History

The Reckoners used dowsers to hunt for Epics, such as Conflux. They also used them to test their own members regularly in order to ensure that an Epic had not infiltrated their team. Larcener later mentioned that Prof had multiple dowsing devices. It is not known how Prof procured the dowsers, but it is likely that multiple Reckoner cells used them.

After Prof corrupted by his Epic powers, he had his team (including Neon and Fuego) use dowsers while hunting Larcener. Prof instructed Fuego to make a show of the testing process in order to flush Larcener out. The devices his team used were identical to the one the Reckoners had used in Newcago. A dowser used on David took an unusually long time to give a negative reading, likely due to his latent Epic powers.

Trivia

• Dowsing is a real-life term for a pseudoscientific method of detecting substances such as water or metal underground. It came into fashion in parts of Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Notes

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Big Smooth (talk) 19:20, 11 February 2020 (UTC)