Height Lock

Height locks are lesser magical items capable of "setting" the user's current altitude as the ground. Thanks to the transmutation magic used in their creation, the properties of the "ground" also change, giving the user the ability to walk on any surface or the lack of thereof.

Origin

A tool for construction

Both during the Great Fae War and after it ended, the industry related to magical and technology boomed. More and more factories were created. Because of that, construction-related accidents were at an all-time high. That is when the first height locks were created. No longer would a worker have to fear that they will drop to their death when working on high altitudes as long as they remembered about putting the lock on themselves.

Too costly

As it turns out, equipping the entire construction team with the height locks back in the day was very expensive. Additionally, as magic items, height locks slowly lose their properties when heavily used. As such, while some companies decided to invest in the purchase of them, others started to look for cheaper alternatives. Once they found out that making a contract with earth or air elementals so they either soften the ground should someone fall or create winds that capture them was way more affordable, the height locks lost almost all of the demand and became simple curiosities.

Modern use

While the locks aren't used in the construction anymore, it turns out that they found fans within some of the mountain-climbing communities. As long as one owns at least two locks, they can alternate in locking and opening one of them to set the new "ground" below their feet. Some mountain-climbing gear brands even create their equipment with special loops on it that make it easier to attach the lock to it.
The "purists" of said communities decry the use of the height locks as according to them, using them defeats the whole purpose and excitement of mountain climbing.

Alternate version: Slope locks

There exists another, similar magical item. Its inventor, a mage paralyzed from the waist down during one of the battles of the Great Fae War, noticed a hidden potential in the magic used in the creation of the height locks.
Slope locks, when activated, create an even floor at an angle, making a lot of places normally inaccessible to those in wheelchairs.
Appearance-wise, the only real difference between the height locks and slope locks is the presence of a small gauge in the middle of the "face" of the slope locks. Said gauge controls the angle of the slope created by the lock.

Rarity

As most of their production stopped, with only two factories creating them, the newly created height locks are made to order.
Crates full of the old, unsold height locks can be found once in a while in old warehouses.
Their alternate version, the slope locks is way more popular and sells easily to this day.

Price:
200£ (their price dropped drastically over the years)

Activation

To activate the height lock, one simply needs to lock it on some piece of their clothing or equipment. From that point, the altitude at which their feet were will be considered as the solid "floor". To turn off the lock, one simply needs to open it, which can be done simply even with one hand. Locks are created in such a way that they won't open by themselves and a spell which prevents anyone else from opening them can be placed on them.