Enchantment

Enchantment is the process of modifying the properties of an object by twisting its core essence. The process allows the creation of wondrous objects and materials: iron as light as a feather, blades which scorch the air around them, coins that amplify the slightest of sounds. Enchanted items have a wide variety of uses, but are difficult to produce and can pose some dangers to their creators and users, especially elves. The techniques for enchantment were created by the dwarves and disseminated through the Shinar Empire into the world at large. Enchanters are rare today, but at the peak of the Shinar Empire were the bedrock of its power.

### Overview

Every object has a core essence, much like a soul, which is inextricably linked to the nature of that object. This soul is not immutable, and as materials are reworked into new things, the core essence of the object changes to match. This is a wholly natural process. Enchantment, on the other hand, is a supernatural process whereby an object's essence is acted upon directly. This allows an object's materials and form to remain the same while other aspects are changed wildly. For instance, a hammer's head could be made soft like a pillow without changing its materials. Any object which has undergone enchantment is called a **relic**, and relics can vary from as trivial as a permanently cold pebble to as grand as a ship which floats on air (though such ships have long-since been destroyed).

Perverting the nature of an object has deep potential consequences. First, the process is highly intensive and precise, with failures often destroying the materials involved or modifying them in unintended ways. Second, those who attune to the essences of things around them, elves in particular, suffer greatly when exposed to relics. The twisted essence pulls and tears at their soul, potentially twisting the victim's own nature if exposed for too long. For this reason, elven communities ban relics and impose steep penalties for possession. According to some, the dwarves were hideous and hairy creatures because their constant tampering with enchantment corrupted them.

### Prevalence

Enchanted items can be highly versatile, but twisting the soul of an object is no simple task. Doing so is an intensive process requiring patience, precision, and an iron will. The techniques for doing so are also closely guarded by the few who know them, passed down only to carefully-selected apprentices. This ensures their services are always valuable and prevents the runaway development which led to the Fall of Shinar. Because the process of enchantment is slow and performed by precious few artisans, most enchanted items people find and use are relics of the dwarves or of the Shinar Empire (so much so that even freshly-enchanted objects are called relics). These relics are most commonly found on the Karialan Isthmus, commonly enough that most Karialans have experience identifying and using relics. In other parts of Velismeret, such as Alansia, relics are extraordinarily rare and their production is outlawed.

### Cultural Significance

Twisting the soul of anything, even an inanimate object, is a morally fraught prospect for many denizens of Velismeret. To these people, enchantment is a perversion of the natural order, myopic at best and an abomination at worst. Many others, however, look at the potential of enchantment and regard it as a tool for good. General opinion on relics varies greatly between cultures, and is often directly tied to views of the Shinar Empire of old.

Naturally elves, who bond with the souls of objects and are harmed by contact with relics, view enchantment as an abomination and a crime against the natural order. This distaste is worsened because the Shinar Empire carried out multiple bloody campaigns against the elves of the Linoka Islands. The Houses of Alansia ban possession of relics, impose capital punishment on enchanters, and frequently demand the same of other nations. In practice, these laws rarely need to be enforced since no sane elf would create or even keep relics. However, there have been a handful of diplomatic crises due to travelers being detained or executed under such laws.

In and around the Karialan Isthmus, opinions on enchanting are much more positive. There are still those who believe the Fall of Shinar was caused by hubristic abuse of enchantment, but most Karialans use relics in their daily lives and view newly enchanted objects as a desirable luxury. Even those with a disdain for the empire of old make use of relics. Relics are bought and sold in the streets of any town on the isthmus and most cities along the Sea of Pagida. The City of Shinar has a Department of Relics which purchases any and all relics priced by volume (initially priced by mass, but this was quickly changed when an enchanter wheeled in a feather weighing half a ton).

The Zaplanyne Empire is split in its attitude on relics. Some view enchantment as a sorcerous perversion of the Most High's divine order, while others see it as a gift to humanity and a means of shaping the world to a more ideal vision. Official state policy dictates that creation of relics is forbidden (subject to confiscation of materials and public flogging), but use of existing relics is tacitly encouraged. The Zaplanyne Empire holds most of the former dwarven lands, so the empire is constantly unearthing new relics. These ongoing excavations are the source of much conflict with the Houses of Alansia, which views excavation of dwarven relics as functionally equivalent to the enchantment of new relics.

Constant diplomatic pressure from Alansia has left Varhus with notably harsh penalties for enchantment. While most Varhusians do not view enchantment as an evil act, enchanting relics still carries a steep penalty: one limb per offense, starting with the left leg and ending with the head. Possession carries no penalty beyond confiscation, but sale of relics comes with a large fine. Regardless, most Varhusians view enchantment as a foreign trade, a sort of alien competitor to their traditional craftsmanship. Those Varhusians who do wish to dabble with enchantment either flee overseas or take refuge in Oosthaven, where enchantment is entirely legal.

The nature of enchantment is the source of many theories about Ollmore. The bizarre nature of Ollmore and its biological incompatibility with the rest of Velismeret are explained by some as having roots in enchantment. Most scholars reject this notion, but the idea is widespread enough that many Thuainian colleges were founded solely to investigate enchantment as a possible origin for their people. Furthermore, Alansia does not carry out diplomatic missions to any part of Ollmore because of the belief that the land itself has been corrupted.

Where enchantment is allowed or encouraged, enchanters remain rare and secretive. Their services come at a premium, and they either take jobs they find interesting or specialize in a particular type of enchanted item. Many supposed enchanters are con artists who traffic existing relics to fulfil contracts or demand payment up front and disappear before their clients can collect. As a result, enchanters are viewed with skepticism and often occupy the fringes of society despite their wealth.