Lore24 Mar 7: On the Magical Properties of Different Materials

As discussed before, steel holds enchantments like no other, and copper is useful for channeling magical energies, but what about other materials?

Wood in and of itself is not supremely good at either holding enchantment or channeling magic, but it has the curious property of taking on the enchantment capacity of other materials it is joined with. For example a spear with a steel tip and a wooden haft can act as it it was entirely made out of steel. The better quality the wood, the closer its enchantment capacity is to the other material. Good cedar is especially prized for this reason.

Skin and bones adsorb enchantments readily if they relate to death, decay, or the Underworld, and are quite tricky to enchant otherwise. They also constrict the flow of magical energy, so using them as a casting implement is not recommended. They are still used in this capacity if a sorcerer is trying to show off, or is trying to fine-tune their spells to have very small effects. This of course only applies when they are no longer part of a living creature, leading to the somewhat strange phenomenon of a dead body being harder to affect magically than a living one.

Gemstones have absolutely no magical properties, despite clearly looking like something that has absolutely wonderful magical uses. Many sorcerers have spent their lifetimes searching in vain for some way to utilize them in the creation of enchanted artifacts, and many more are still trying. They still often end up incorporated into magical items, because they definitely look like something that belongs on a magic item.

Sand drinks up magic, leeching the power from spells, and enchantments woven to sand fade away with time. Sorcerers wanting to increase their magical powers often live in deserts for a few years, as practicing magic in such a hostile environment can give rise to incredible proficiency.

Glass on the other hand reacts quite unpredictably to magic. It refracts and partially reflects spells, making them spill out uncontrollably around the glass object. The Sij people of the southern desert wear glass beads on their clothing, and it is said they are even able to use them to reflect a spell right back at the caster.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lore24 May 9: The White Gates of Enki

Image
Legends tell of an old city, long claimed by the deserts . In ages long past, this city was the crown jewel of the world, its walls tall, and its sorcerers mighty. According to these legends, when the favorite wife of its Sorcerer-King, Enki, died in childbirth, he became obsessed with getting her back. Now, for the meager men of today, such a feat is impossible, but people have grown feeble since the times of their ancestors, and indeed, Enki’s magic was so powerful, that he reclaimed his wife from the Underworld . The gods, however were not happy with this violation of the order they set up at the dawn of time. They sent ferocious beasts, one after the other, up from the depths of the Underworld to reclaim their prize, and to drag Enki down as well. But the city held. Monster after monster fell before they could breach the walls, killed by the magic of Enki. Enki, on the other hand was worried. He knew he couldn’t hold out forever, so he made a daring plan. He traveled to the mout...
Read more

Lore24 Jan 26: Peoples pt. 1: Orcs

Image
There are a multitude of different peoples in the known world. Most are quite similar, sharing a basic bodyplan of one head, two arms and two legs, but some can be quite different. In the age of great empires one could travel and trade all over the world, so it’s no wonder that all kinds of people exist basically everywhere. It is true, however that certain peoples are more numerous in certain parts of the world. Of course people aren’t a monolith, and even among, say the orcs, there are multiple ethnic groups, different languages, and multiple kingdoms, each with their own history, friends, foes and agendas. And of course an orc living in Nashat-Ippur will have more in common with their bronze elf neighbors than with their kin living on the western islands. The following are just some of the various peoples one can meet. Orcs are thought to be masters of combat, on account of having four arms and fearsome tusks. This allows them to fire two bows, if rather inaccurately, to wield a ...
Read more

Lore24 Jan 21: Hath-Ur the Brilliant Sun

Image
Depending on the myth, rite, or prayer Hath-Ur can be either male or female. This does not mean that Hath-Ur is of indeterminate gender, or that Hath-Ur is genderfluid, for the Brilliant Sun is above such mortal concerns. It also doesn’t mean that Hath-Ur has a male and a female aspect either. Hath-Ur expects mortals to know the lore of Hath-Ur, and to know in which contexts is Hatth-Ur male and in which others is Hath-Ur female. For this reason when people speak of Hath-Ur not in the specific contexts of Hath-Ur’s deeds or Hath-Ur’s rites, they do not use pronouns to refer to Hath-Ur. While this is a bit troublesome, it is preferable to the alternative, as misgendering a deity carries grave punishments indeed. Hath-Ur, as mentioned, is the Brilliant Sun whose rays give life just as readily as they take it away. People revere and fear Hath-Ur in equal measure, and this is reflected in the way Hath-Ur’s worship is carried out. The priests pray for her life-giving gift in the spring, a...
Read more