Enchanting

The newly-discovered art of infusing items with magic.

“I don't get it, how come these gloves don't warm you up instantly?"

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“Enchantments don't work on their own, you need to use them. The gloves are made from maisha-infused materials, so you're going to have to focus on your connection to it in order for the enchantment to start working. If your reserves are depleted you'll need to replenish yourself to get the best effect from the gloves."

— Apprentice learning about enchanting

Enchanting

Enchanting is the process of imbuing a material, substance, or item with the naturally ocurring magical essence maisha. An enchanted item is an aid to using magic whose effects can only be activated with the use of maisha.
This technological achievement has undergone extensive research and development since the discovery of magic just 50 years ago when the events of The Rupture opened rifts to unknown realms.
Magic is now a growing industry with new discoveries being developed alongside enchanted garments, tools, foci, and potions.

Uses & Limitations

Enchantments don't function on their own and are safe to be in storage, regardless of complexity or strength. Tools and equipment with an enchantment need to be activated by the use of magic, but there are some limitations to their usage.

Applications

With the appropriate enchantment and enough magical prowess, it may be possible for the user to manipulate the enchanted item to:

• change its colour or opacity
• change its texture or structure
• change its temperature
• change its shape (within the limits of its available materials)
• produce vibrations (or sounds, depending on the item)
• release stored liquids (such as water, medication, or poison)

Limitations

The limitations of using enchantments is an ongoing field of research with breakthrough discoveries emerging monthly. Currently known limitations of enchantments include inabilities to:

• function on its own without magical interaction
• emit unnaturally created light
• lock or unlock mechanisms
• change weight
• detect, alert, or alarm
• grant skill, knowledge, memories, or proficiency

Enchanted Potions

Sometimes known as "alchemy", enchantments can be applied to maisha-based concoctions with varying levels of potency. Simple enchanted potions use a base of water which is easier to digest and manipulate, but are often prone to expiring.
Alchemical enchantments can be preserved in alcohol, vinegar, and other spirits to prevent expiration but this makes them much harder, if not impossible to use for inexperienced or incapacitated magic users.

Rather than the enchantment affecting the item it's stored in, an ingested potion will imbue the consumer with the effect instead, allowing them to focus on an area of their body to manifest the enchantment.
The duration of an enchantment behaves in the same way as an item and requires activation through magical focus to work. If focus is lost or maisha reserves run low, the enchantment fades away.
Due to the dangerous nature of manipulating one's own body, many laws strictly prohibit the production and distribution of potions with high potencies.

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“And what about the maisha in the gloves, won't that run out?"

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“Eventually, yes, and the enchantment will get weaker over time until the maisha is used up (which is another reason why it's best to have your own reserves full to make the lifetime of the enchantment last longer)."

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“So they just go back to being normal gloves afterwards?"

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“Mostly. You can feel that the enchantment is still there and that it's meant to do something, but it'll be completely dormant."

— Apprentice learning about enchanting

Durability

Using magic requires reserves of maisha and focus. The simpler the components are, the easier it is to work with. Complex and mixed materials (or materials with impurities) make it much harder to focus on and control.

	Simple Enchantment	Complex Enchantment
Duration	fades quickly	longer lasting
Durability	often has multiple uses before depleting	usually limited or single use
Skill required	low to intermediate	advanced and masterful
Maisha usage	low to moderate	moderate to extensive

If an item is broken it may be difficult to use and runs the risk of producing unreliable or unexpected results, which may be dangerous to the user or the environment around them.

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“And how do you restore the enchantment? Or do you have to start over with a new one? How do you enchant something in the first place?"

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“That's where runes come in handy."

— Apprentice learning about enchanting

Creating an Enchantment

An enchantable item needs to be crafted from (or using) maisha-infused materials in order to function. Maisha woods are a popular choice as they are naturally grown containing the magical essence but, for other substances, extracted maisha can be mixed into materials such as clay for ceramics or oil for tempering and varnishing.
Experiments of using blood from maisha-using creatures have been outlawed in many countries due to its health hazards and threats to biodiversity.

Blacksmith by Eugène Delacroix 1833

The base materials (or constructed items) also need to be attuned in a way that corresponds to the desired outcome. This can be achieved by use of specific components (such as packing it under ice and snow for three winters) or by physical interaction (like repeatedly manipulating the material into different shapes).
For potions this may involve boiling or distilling using certain methods.
Each craftsperson has their own uniqeuly honed methods for attuning enchantments and perfecting their outcomes, many of which are a fiercely guarded secret.
Once the item is fully crafted, the enchantment is ready to be tested and then used.

Runes

When an enchanted item has lost its durability or has become exhausted of maisha, a rune can be added to replenish its potency.
The rune can be any shape or size, but is usually a form-fitting piece that attaches to the original item and must be of the same maisha-infused material in order to function - as it would be impossible to draw energy from a metal rune into a wooden tool for example.
It's the latest fashion for renowned craftsfolk and experienced mages to fashion these stores of maisha in the shape of their own signatures or monograms, which is why they are called runes (or in some regions, sigils).
Runes are much easier to create than enchanted items themselves as they don't need to be attuned and can be used as a form of power storage for the enchantment.
A rune can only succesfully be applied to an maisha-infused thing - slapping it on any random object will achieve nothing but a waste of materials.

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Primary field of study:
Magic
Related fields of study:
Maisha
Poppetry

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Popular Enchantments

Cosmetic:

• hair colour potions
• hair texture potions
• colour or form changing theatrical garments
• disguises
• hunting and military camouflage
• pitch shifting musical instruments

Functional:

• warming gloves
• cold scarves
• keep-cool glasses, mugs, and tankards
• self-heating pots, pans, and mugs
• self-sharpening knives, scissors, and weapons
• water-repelling footwear
• medication releasing wraps
• temperature controlled garments for industrial use (such as smithing)

Questionable & Illicit:

• value changing currency
• poison concealment
• weapon concealment
• voice modification potions
• shape-shifting potions
• potions advertised as having permanently lasting effects
• potions advertised as growing something from nothing (such as hair)