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Post by Red Charge on Dec 18, 2014 16:53:57 GMT -5
Enchanting - the art of bestowing magical properties to a regular object.
Enchanting goes back beyond recorded history and is widely considered one of the most useful schools of magic. You can see enchantments almost everywhere you look, from fashionable cloud-walking shoes to flaming swords of justice. From transforming signs to unbreakable mirrors, the practices of this particular discipline are all too common, but how does it work?
Enchantments are first broken down into two major categories:
1) Direct Enchantments – Enchantments placed directly on an object
2) Indirect Enchantments – Enchantments that are placed indirectly on an object
Direct Enchantments Direct Enchantments are not as simple as merely casting a spell on an object. They require the careful manipulation of the behavior in the ether within said object, without damaging the physical properties of said object. These Enchantments are usually broken down into these sub categories:
i) Elemental Enchantments – These enchantments for example, demand a transformation of the etheric energy in an item, for example, transforming etheric energy into fire, or electricity in order to give the wielder an edge in battle, or, by galvanic corrosion, corroding an enemy's weapon or armor. These enchantments are the easiest to do, however due to their expenditure of etheric energy, also require often return trips to enchanters for recharging.
ii) Quality Changing Enchantments – These enchantments demand the ether to work on the physical properties of an item without physically altering it, such as reinforcing it to increase its toughness, or, if used as a sabotage, to weaken an object. A knight might use such an enchantment to make his armor tougher to increase his survivability while an alchemist might use this to protect his equipment from violent reactions. These enchantments are harder to do, but are much more varied and useful, usually the most popular on the standard market. Depending on the enchantment, they might require occasional recharging, but not often.
iii) User Changing Enchantments – These Enchantments demand the ether to channel itself into the user of the object to cause a change in their attributes. For example a sword that increases strength, or an amulet that increases magical power. Items enchanted with negative qualities are often referred to as "cursed", for example – a ring that turns its wearer into stone, or a bracelet that drains energy from its wearer. These are the hardest enchantments to make, as these enchantments channel their behavior into a living body, altering the behavior of living ether. These are not recommended to anyone who is not a skilled enchanter, on the plus side however, these enchantments rarely, if at all need recharging as they do not spend the ether within the object. Of these sub categories, it is only possible for a unicorn to enchant one enchantment, no more, on an item at full strength. Which is why more sought after are Dragon Enchantments. Dragons are widely known for their magical fire breath, this breath can be also used for enchanting. This ability is often used by dragons to trade for services or gold to increase their hoards. Dragons may have any two enchantments on at one time at full strength.
More sought after than those, however, are items enchanted by Prismatic Dragons. Very few items are known to have been enchanted in such a manner, but all of them the stuff of legend: Destrier's Armor, said to increase one's magical strength tenfold while being nearly (if not completely) impenetrable to attack, Silverback's Warhound Blade – said to be able to cause earthquakes and penetrate any armor. Or Dreadwing's Medallion, said to allow the wearer to accelerate and decelerate to unimaginable speeds without being subject to physical laws of momentum. These items are as rare as the dragons themselves and are coveted by all. The Process of Enchanting
To directly enchant an item, a unicorn requires two crucial skills:
1) Molding Ether into an object
A delicate procedure where an item is infused with ether by the enchanter. The amount of ether infused depends on the type of enchantment, the desired strength of the enchantment and the limitations of the raw material. As a thumb rule, purer materials have a higher threshold. Infusing Ether might sound simple enough, but a good Enchanter will want to infuse into the item as much ether as possible to strengthen the enchantment on the item. Infusing too much however, will completely destroy the item and can sometimes even cause a violent reaction. Many enchanters found themselves injured or worse due to failed infusions. A skilled Enchanter would be able to infuse ether as close to the limit (or precisely as much as) possible without destroying the item.
2) Defining the behavior of the Ether
Much like in the casting of a spell, enchanting requires etheric manipulation. However, this manipulation must be done on ether external to the enchanter's body. It must be manipulated within the target object. In spell casting, this is considered an awesome feat, possible by few and used by fewer. However, as enchanting is mostly done in laboratory conditions and on molded ether (as opposed to raw ether), this is far more doable. Despite this, however, defining the behavior of Ether in an object is still a very demanding and hard thing to do, like spell casting, making a mistake in calculation can have disastrous effect. Unlike spell casting however, the results might not be immediately apparent. It can range from a compass enchantment pointing south instead of north, to a strength increasing enhancement removing the bones from a user's body.
While Ether Molding defines the strength of the enchantment, the Behavior Definition is what determines the quality of the enchantment. A quality enchanted item will have ether infused close to, or precisely at the limit of its capacity and a precise and powerful Behavior Definition imposed on said ether.
Indirect Enchantments
Indirect Enchantments exist in two forms –
1) Embedded Magical Gems 2) Magical Runes
Gem Enchantment is a very common method of enchantments and well affordable for the casual adventurer or mercenary. Gem Enchantment eliminates the need to mold ether into an object, as gems contain a great concentration of ether within them. However the downside is, gems cannot be recharged and instead must be replaced. Another downside is that gems can be separated from the object, or worse yet, damaged, rendering their effects completely useless. As in any raw material, the purer a gem is, the better.
A subsidiary of Gem Enchantment is the unique Diamond Dog Gem Tending. Diamond Dogs, having a unique connection with gems, are capable of connecting with the ether inside the gems, bringing out their full potential and manipulating them to their needs effectively and efficiently, much more so than any unicorn. Skilled gem tenders have such an ability with gems, that they can use them as an extension of their own will, using them as projectiles or as devices in both offensive and defensive situations. Most unique is the way gems are used by the Blood Fang Pack, who have progressed as far as sewing gems under their own skin permanently, creating a symbiotic relationship between the host and the gem. By reports, it is not uncommon for a senior Blood Fang to have gems literally growing out of their body as they grow in power.
Rune Enchantments are slightly less common but just as useful as Gem Enchantments. This method of enchantments eliminates the need to externally manipulate the ether, instead, one might simply etch or carve a spell formula directly into the object they wish to enchant and then mold ether into it. Runes are activated by closing an etheric circle by simply pressing down on them with an exposed body part. Runes are carved with a pressure threshold, depending on the type of enchantment needed. You wouldn't want to activate a burning rune when simply brushing against someone in the market, after all. The big downside to runes, is that as far as armor and weapons go, they are tricky to maintain unless made on the toughest materials. Any dent or scratch may distort the rune, rendering it completely null. Fortunately for runes, this only causes the ether molded into it drain out in a harmless manner, but it also renders a rune useless. This can be lessened by careful selection of rune placement, but unfortunately never solved completely.
Rune Enchantment is used often in more static environments, such as construction, concealment, protection for a building or area and such.
To sum up, Enchantment in all of its forms is varied and quite useful. Whole civilizations, such as Winter Wolves revolve around enchanted objects and their uses are infinite. It's therefore important that we maintain our enchanted items properly and always make sure to buy any enchanted items from a trusted Enchanter!
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