Thermonics
Balancing Extremes
History
The first principles of Thermonics explored by a group of enchanters who wished to learn how to speed up the process of producing weapons and armor. They failed in this regard, lacking the care and proper patience of a blacksmith. The goods that they produced could be easily enchanted but ended up being brittle.
The experiments failed, but they came across some interesting discoveries. They determined that temperature was merely an exchange of energy between substances and wondered if Arcane energy could be used to achieve the same goal. They were correct in their findings.
Elementalists would take this a step further. Turning water into ice and stone to magma was impressive, but one had to ensure a steady supply of resources. Arcanists who went to war man massive cauldrons filled with water, or wagons filled with rocks. They were cumbersome and often became more of a liability. An arcanist would paint a target on their backs when they entered a battlefield. Moreover, this rendered the practitioners of the arcane to artillery units, which the elementalists believed to be a needless limit to their versatility.
The experiments failed, but they came across some interesting discoveries. They determined that temperature was merely an exchange of energy between substances and wondered if Arcane energy could be used to achieve the same goal. They were correct in their findings.
Elementalists would take this a step further. Turning water into ice and stone to magma was impressive, but one had to ensure a steady supply of resources. Arcanists who went to war man massive cauldrons filled with water, or wagons filled with rocks. They were cumbersome and often became more of a liability. An arcanist would paint a target on their backs when they entered a battlefield. Moreover, this rendered the practitioners of the arcane to artillery units, which the elementalists believed to be a needless limit to their versatility.
Endless Bounty
By applying the principles of elementalism to Thermonics, they were stunned to find that water was everywhere. Water exists in the body of your enemy, in the blood-stained grass beneath your feet, and in the very air of your enemies last breath.
They use the elements to negate the need for cauldrons and wagons. The world was there quarry. The world was their cauldron, and in this discovery elementalists revolutionized warfare when it came to the use of arcane power.
This was approximately 400 years before Expedition Demeter departed. During this time Thermonics was considered its own Arcane Genre. As time went on and the discoveries of Thermal Swing and elemental compression were explored and studied, mages across the world began to teach Thermonics alongside other principles of elementalism. This inevitably led to a merger, solidifying Thermonics in the genre of Arcana Primum.
This was approximately 400 years before Expedition Demeter departed. During this time Thermonics was considered its own Arcane Genre. As time went on and the discoveries of Thermal Swing and elemental compression were explored and studied, mages across the world began to teach Thermonics alongside other principles of elementalism. This inevitably led to a merger, solidifying Thermonics in the genre of Arcana Primum.
An Acquired Taste
Thermonics is one of the least used and least studied branches of elementalism. Most of the time elementalists specialize in one of the many sub genres of elementalism, and never look back. Thermonics is often considered the hardest Branch to learn due to its emphasis on precision and knowledge of natural law. While most mages prefer this, many believe Thermonics to be useless in more practical applications. The effort is not worth the reward. As powerful as the branch can make you, it is unlikely you will use it's more unique principles often.
Fun Fact: Mhirriah
- In The Provinces of Mhirriah, Thermonics is outlawed due to the fact that it is technically a branch of Arcana Ignis, a specialized branch of elementalism also known as Pyromancy. Pyromancy is heavily outlawed in the provinces due to a cultural superstition that connects fire to the demons of The Infernum .
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