Winter Brooch for Warm Cloaks

Originally used about 1500 or so years in the past, this functional accessory had magical enchantments infused into its gems that allowed it to heat any attached cloth in order for the wearer to be more comfortable during the cold winter months. It is thought that people back in those times must have braved the snows, possibly even travelled during winter, more than those who live today. These artifacts make it clear to scholars that magic must have been more common to folk back then, due to the number of available specimens. Use of these is theorized to have died off roughly 1300 years ago, along with the general decline of magic.
While many specimens uncovered today are damaged to the point of being unusable except as mere decoration, and some not even being in that good of a condition, enough whole brooches have been found to create a market for them among the elite.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Comprised of a decorated base and a pin, the brooches worked, on a basic level, just as any ordinary brooch would. The corners of a cloak would be gathered about the shoulders and the pin would be slipped between the threads of both sides and through the opening(s) of the brooch in such a fashion that it would be securely held in place until the pin is removed. Simpler designs, like the one pictured, had the pin attached to a roughly circular open base, while more ornate ones would have the pin as a separate piece to be slipped into two holes in the brooch with the gathered fabric held inside.
On the magical side of things, the heating enchantment is activated by the user. This is done by warming the enchanted gem, either by rubbing it with the hand or by breathing onto it. One can later deactivate this effect by briefly rubbing the gem with the cloth it has heated. As with all magically enchanted artifacts, only those with magical ability in them are capable of using it.

Manufacturing process

Although the techniques used in creating the brooches themselves are still alive today, and even considered to be more refined than they would have been when these artifacts were created, the method for enchanting the pieces has been lost to humanity for quite some time. Attempts have been made to recreate brooches such as these, but the process is rather difficult and expensive. Most have deemed the endeavour to not be worth it and instead focus on more practical uses for their magics.

Significance

Once common among the locals for making the winter months more bearable, these brooches fell out of favour some 1300 years ago when the means for use and production were lost to the general population of the Eastern Arm region. They are now considered rare luxury items for those with the financial means to acquire them and sufficient magical ability to properly utilize them.

Rogart Brooch by Johnbod

Item type

Jewelry / Valuable

Rarity

Rare

Weight

115 grams

Dimensions

7 cm diameter, 3 mm thickness,

Base Price

10 Crowns

Raw materials & Components

Most brooches found are made of bronze or pewter, but some rarer finds are made of gold and silver. Particularly decorated examples will have silver inlay.
All brooches have at least one jewel incorporated into the design to hold the enchantment; gems with a strong association with flames are most commonly used, such as fire opal or fire agate.
Strong materials are necessary for the pin, due to the weight of fabric they are often required to hold together, so finery on this part will be only used as plating or decoration.