Magitek

Among the most recent fields of study and one sure to rock the world to its core. The combination of magic and technology isn't necessarily a new concept, but what was only reserved for ancient relics is now the next step of the future.

Utility

The goal of Magitek is to create a tool that has as much of the raw power and versatility of full-on magic, coupled with the reliability and stability of machinery. One of the simplest forms of magitek is to take a techological device (for example, a lamp) and use a magical object as a fuel source (like liquid Mojo or a Soul Stone), since magic is far more potent that any mundane fuel source, the lamp will generate a more potent light for far longer than a lamp running on oil, for example.
A more ambitious form of Magitek is to create tools that have the capacity to cast a spell, often for the Emission school, in a way that is reliable and quick. A good example of this would be the weapons known as Spellslinger guns. These Magitek versions of the already cutting-edge technology of firearms have a spell script written in the lenght of the barrel, and upon pressing the trigger, a device will send a pulse of magical energy across the runes of the script, causing them to become active and cast the spell throughout the barrel, often in the form of a blast of destrucitve energy of some elemental perusasion. Spellslingers use tiny vials of Mojo or poor quality Soulstones as ammunition for the spells. 
The most cutting edge form of Magitek to date is the creation of what's known as Automata, mechanical shells powered by a intricate system of magical glyphs to simulate life and obey orders. At this stage Automata are only capable of following simple commands, and only in very controlled environments, but the eventual objective of Automata research is what is known in scholarly circles as the Artificial Soul, a thinking, feeling intelligence that can be imbued into a mechanical body and taught complex ideas and orders, but this goal is so far out of reach.

Social Impact

At the current stage, Magitek has the promise to affect the world in major ways, but has yet to deliver on this promise. Since Magitek is still very much in the experimental phase. Only those with close ties to those that developing the technology (or those with exorbitant wealth) can have access to Magitek devices. The Brotherhood of Hunters has had heated debates on the place of Magitek within their order, as the benefits it could provide to their members in combating beasts are grand indeed, but many traditionalists within the Brotherhood see this as a threat to their martial traditions.
As far as the general public is concerned, Magitek is just a rumor of crazy machines being made in the wild places of the world, some have made the comparison to the often feared Mechanized Plague, and some wrongfully believe that Magitek is the weaponization of the Plague and therefore is incredibly dangerous, a rumor that is being perpetuated by the Church of the World's Lords, as they consider Magitek a grave heresy and ban any form of research in territories where they have a substantial presence

Access & Availability

As a new concept developed in areas with heavy magical activity, the number of Magitek devices is extremely low. A lot of people alive today have never seen a example of modern Magitek and may carry on never seeing one for the rest of their lives

Complexity

The merging of mundane technologies with the power of the magical and esoteric is by no means a simple task. Modern Magitek already bases most of its inventions on cuting edge technology, that while infinitely more reliable when compared to magic, still requires a lot of maintenance and skill to operate. Giving these devices magical properties, and ensuring that these devices do not explode upon misuse is a task reserved to only the keenest minds

Discovery

The study of magic has existed since civilization, and the ability to use it has always been a treasured commodity across the world. But magic can be unstable, its practice costly in both time and resources and reliant on exceptional individuals and skill sets. Technology as commonly understood in the world of Verden is the developement of tools based on purely mundane forces, removed form the magic of the Spirit Plane. It is only natural that at some point the two schools of thought would be forced to collide.
 If one wishes to be technical, any implementation of magical forces to artifical objects (like enchanting a tool) can be considered Magitek, but the origin of the term lies explictly in the field of study that tries to create technologies that implement magical forces as a core part of their function. Only recently has the world been in a stable enough state (both ecologically and politically) to allow serious dives into this concept to proceed unmolested
Ruins left in the wake of the Landings show examples of the principles that can be considered Magitek, but these are so rare as to be basically unheard of. Since the Giants relied exclusively on magic and the Mechanized Plague reacts poorly to magical forces, the exact origin of these devices is unknown

Related Species

• Crafted Races
• Hellion