FIRE FROM HEAVEN
The Story of Gaston Montpelier

One of the most important members of the Church was Gaston Montpelier, famed artist, poet, and inventor. Until Montpelier joined the Church, Nadiria was just a dream. Then, with his new invention, Heaven's Fire, suddenly the Colony seemed possible for the first time. Montpelier invented a number of devices that proved beneficial to the Colony, but none was as important as Heaven's Fire, a mixture of three simple chemicals that created a variety of useful products. The formula for Heaven's Fire was kept a close secret, and unfortunately vanished along with the colonists.

Gaston Montpelier grew up in Ivry-Sur-
Seine, a suburb of Paris in the early 19th Century. He went to the Sorbonne when he was of age, and quickly displayed his wide-
ranging talents. One of his first inventions was for testing the thickness and integrity of ice. When he was a student, one of his friends died in a tragic accident ice skating on the Seine. This started young Gaston to do research on the effects of sound on material objects. He developed anassort-ment of giant tuning forks and listening devices, which

served the purpose of determining the thickness of ice, its density, and the existence of any cracks. Needless to say, this early invention of Gaston's proved quite useful in surveying the Antarctic ice sheets when he was taking part in the initial survey expeditions with Ronald Sutcliffe.

This invention, the Sonic Probe as he called it, was followed by many others. They ranged from high capacity steam-powered turbines for pumping fluids to elaborate pulley systems that enabled small children to lift vast weights. Montpelier thus quickly gained a reputation as a young genius. He also wrote essays on nature, architecture, philosophy, science, religion, and psychology. His ravenous intellect also found expression in oil painting, sculpture, and the writing of long, epic poems. While his artwork was noted by many critics, he was mainly known for his inventions.

It is supremely ironic that his most powerful and useful invention was never known to his contemporaries, and will be forever lost to history. He kept the formula a closely guarded secret, only teaching a couple of his most loyal assistants in case of his death. Heaven's Fire itself served several purposes in the Colony: excavation, heat, and light. Depending on the precise ratio of the mixture of the three principle chemicals, different chemical reactions occurred. When these chemicals are combined one way, an intense fireball erupts and burns for a short time, primarily used for excavation of the ice sheet, as well as melting ice for water gathering. With another permutation, Heaven's Fire ignites as a slow burning fire, suitable for cooking, powering steam boilers, and heating rooms. With still another combination of the chemicals, you can create a long burning flame that emits very little heat, but does emit a bright, white light. This last combination was used for creating lighting within Nadiria, both for human use as well as for the underground gardens on the lower levels.

This extraordinary invention single-handedly made Nadiria possible. Montpelier was wise enough to know, however, that Heaven's Fire could be put to malicious uses. So he kept the formula secret, intending its release to the world when he felt the world was ready. Unfortunately, the entire colony vanished without any records of the formula or evidence of which chemicals were used.