Enchanting

"Watch carefully," she said. "As I will only do this once."

With that said, she began to gather Astral Energy with solemn concentration plainly visible on her face. The Astral Energy slowly at first, condensing it as it manifested into a palm-sized orb that floated above her index finger. Eventually, the Astral Energy became dense enough to be slightly visible, appearing as though a sphere of fog hovered above the enchantresses fingertip.

She condensed it further and further, eventually reaching the size of a water droplet. Lightly pressing the sphere upon her fingertip against the black and gray robes that lay on the table before her, she slowly began to write intricate runes upon the surface of the robes. Her finger left a thin, barely visible trail of flickering Astral Energy in its wake, as it delicately and slowly glided along the soft silk robes. The symbols she drew quickly disappeared into the flowing silk, leaving behind only a faint trace of its existence in the form of discolored hieroglyphs as they melded completely.

— Arthur Erette's first encounter with enchantments.

General Information

Enchanting is publically recognized as one of the most lucrative professions of all magic-related professions in all of Adelan, as well as one of the most difficult. The only individuals capable at any measure of success in the field must have masterful control over manipulating Astral Energy, as well as an extensive knowledge of the ancient runes of Astrum. As a result, it is typically only practiced by individuals with a great deal of talent and status. In fact, in Adelan the knowledge of the Astrum runes is practically monopolized by the most powerful Magician families, as well as the Church of the Astral Gods.
Based on the rune engraved, the recipient material will gain particular effects. Moreover, the more runes of similar intent, the stronger the effect. One thing to keep in mind, however, is the fact that when one begins engraving, they must complete all of the runes they desire within that same sitting. Any runes added on after the initial enchanting session will override the previous existing effect, rendering the previous effort useless. As such, it is important for the enchanter to manifest and condense an appropriate amount of Astral Energy for the session.

Material Selection

Another important factor is the recipient material itself. Through experimentation, enchanters have come to believe that materials which serve as poor conductors of heat serve as better recipient materials. Silk is a fantastic material when it comes to retaining enchantments, and so silk is particularly appreciated by Magicians. On the other hand, metallic armor and weaponry are notoriously poor choices for enchantments. Moreover, the shape and surface area of the material should also be taken into consideration. Plate armor, while a poor recipient material based on enchantment retention, has one of the lowest difficulties with regards to complications in technique. The rigidity of the material coupled with the armor's flat and wide surfaces makes the enchanting process easier than other materials. Meanwhile, mail armor is all but impossible to enchant, thanks to the many chains that form it.
However, metallic armor and weaponry do have their own upside. Magic Smithery allows for the smith to improve the enchantment retention of the material, as well as add additional resilience and durability. Because of this, most enchanted metallic items are significantly higher in cost, because enchanters often will not bother enchanting them if they are smithed in the standard fashion.