Focus
After the discovery of wizardry, Humans and Dwarves alike quickly learned how unpredictable and deadly magic could be. Only the bravest souls dared try their hand at molding the forces of magic to their will, and many of them perished. It wasn't until the first Conservatory of Mages banded together to better refine their study of magic, that the idea for the focus was introduced. While none are exactly sure who created the first focus or the ritual that binds one to their focus, but to this day the focus is the single most important tool to a mage. It was discovered that if a mage poured their will into an object of great importance to them, then they could channel the forces of magic through said object, making the practice of magic less unpredictable and less prone to result in the death of the caster.
Utility
A focus is used to allow a mage better control over the chaotic forces that govern the manipulation of magic. When a mage pours their will in to an object of great emotional significance to them then they can channel magic through said object to make spell casting safer for the mage. The ritual in which a mage creates their focus is known as the binding, for a focus is forever bound to its mage. However, along with the benefits, being bound to a focus has some drawbacks.
Once a mage and a focus are bound, a mage is incapable of any spell casting lest their focus is physically in their possession. If a focus is broken the mage must wait for their body to acclimate to being focus-less before being able to once again pour their will into another focus. Lastly, since the focus tempers the wild and deadly nature of magic, spells cast with a focus are slightly less powerful than spells cast without. These reasons are why a small handful of mages prefer to risk spell casting without a focus.
Manufacturing
To create a focus for oneself, a mage must first have an item with great emotional significance to them. This item can be nearly anything, from a book to a necklace, as long as it is important to the caster. Many mages will spend the months before their binding crafting by hand a staff or amulet which they can then use to become their focus. Should a mage attempt the binding with an item without the proper emotional significance than then the binding will not be successful.
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