Makon - Flint Carver
A Makon is a traditional Goliath item that is used for a variety of reasons within their culture. Makon's are long, slender pieces of pure flint found within the mountains of Icewind Dale and honed by experienced hands. It is primarily used by the Flintworkers of the Goliath tribes, who carve runes of magical power, traditional tattoos, and any other form of messaging through scripture. Instead of having an assortment of tools for various tasks, such as ink and a quill for writing on parchment, a magically infused needle gun for an enhanced tattoo, or a chisel for stonework, the Goliaths have found a way to incorporate it all into one unique and extraordinary tool.
Although magical in nature, the Makon is not the source of the power it is most often used for. With Goliath runes, the Goliaths access their elemental magics whilst carving and form it into applicable magic through the shape of the rune, similar to spells accessing the arcane. However, the Makon has given the Runesmiths an option of colouring the runes, whether to highlight the rune on a shield of sword to frighten the enemy, or to disguise a trap rune on a door or nearby stone by colouring it the same colour as the substance it is etched on to. For the magical tattoos that have recently surfaced in Elderforge as of 450AU, it is a similar process where the tattoo artist is channelling powerful magic through the tool into the tattoo. The Makon just adds more customization to the process.
Makon's are very rare tools due to the construction process and the cultural significance. An important ritual takes place whenever a master Flintworker creates a new Makon, a ritual that can take days at a time. The Flintworker must sit in complete darkness and is given a large piece of flint. They use their instincts and inner magic to feel out and create the perfect size and shape of a Makon, and only come out of the room once it is complete. This process unlocked a magical effect within the flint, that can only be found within Icewind Dale, where through channelling certain emotions whilst holding the Makon, a Flintworker can change the colour of power that flows from it. If a Flintworker were unfocused, and chiselled a rune into basic stone, the rune would appear like it had been etched with any other type of chisel. However, because of the specialty and connection a Flintworker has to their Makon, if they focus on an emotion such as rage, and let it overcome them, they can chisel a red rune into the stone. This colouring is extremely durable and almost has an ink-like quality to it once applied. The emotion is not limited to rage, and an entire assortment of colours can be accessed to utilise the colour spectrum.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
Some of the more theoretical Goliaths have hypothesised that the flint contains a type of light energy, and when a Flintworker attunes to the sliver of flint, they are able to pull at different parts of this light, producing varying colours because the white light is a combination of all the colours on the spectrum. For rune etching and chiselling, the Makon functions the same except for the magical colouring. However, as Goliath society began to associate with the members of Ten Towns, they found their own society progressing in some ways and needed tools to use with this new technology. The Flintworkers found that the Makon had the same effect on paper that it did on stone, and when used correctly, could be used as a replacement for a quill on parchment. This has resulted in the Flintworker of each Goliath tribe being the onnly member who knows how to read and write, and handles all messaging for the tribe. A more recent technology called magical tattoos, which take the traditional Goliath or Dwarven tattoos and imbue them with magic, has found use for the Makon as well. Traditionally, the Goliath tribes would use a rake-like instrument, usually made of teeth or bone, to break the skin; then a flat-edged blade was used to tap in the dye, creating a tattoo with a scarred, chiselled appearance. With the Makon, some experimental Flintworkers found that if they pushed more of their elemental magic into the tool and traced it on skin, it would create a burning sensation that would scar the skin with the current Makon colour. After a few adaptations, Flintworkers found themselves able to control this well, being able to do finer lines and in more detail, and now use a Makon as the traditional tattoo tool, able to burn on regular tattoos or imbued, magical ones.
Significance
The significance of a Makon is that they are crafted specifically by a Flintworker, and can only be used by that same one. The process of making a Makon connects the Flintworker to the tool, enabling them to access its inner magic and use different colours as well as using the tool on different surfaces. If anyone else were to try and use a Makon, even if they have their own, they would be unable to do so.
A 'Makon' as the Goliaths call it is an ancient and traditional tool that is cherished within their society. It shows the tribes resourcefulness and adaptation to their environment despite the harsh lands they have settled in. I have never seen a tool like this, able to do so much and yet, so small. And any disrespect or sacrilege towards the Makon or any traditions surrounding it, is quickly and ruthlessly dealt with by the Goliaths. I believe that anyone that finds themselves against these tribes and their strange, yet efficient customs, will not be long for this world.
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