Magic and Artifacts

I’ve mentioned a couple times that amongst my favorite series is Tamora Pierce’s Circle of Magic series and I promised to talk in more depth about their ambient magic structure so here goes.  As a refresher, in the world of Emelan there are two kinds of magic: academic magic which operates on study and structure, not unlike magic in the world of Harry Potter.  Ambient magic draws on the magic in the things and environment around the mage to enact their spells and relies much more on the mage’s creativity.

In many cases, ambient magic is expressed not thought the elements (though that is probably the second most common magical conduit) but through crafts.  You must understand that ambient magic works through a single medium of expression rather than being any kind of magic the mage wants.  Some use plant magic, weather magic or stone magic, but more likely they are smiths, carpenters, glassblowers, cooks, thread and fabric and even dance.

What makes ambient magic so fascinating to me is the potential for a mage to create amazing artifacts through their magic.  A smith-mage can make a shield in the shape of a rune for protection and out of metal with defensive properties and even etching and engraving more runes into the very metal itself.  Once such an item has been created, anyone can use it unless the mage builds in a restriction of some sort.  That a class of mages is able to design and build nearly whatever they are creative enough to design is amazing to me.

But in a way, it makes sense: their effort is not in study and memorization but in the hard work and long hours they spend to plan and create the works they will produce.  Consider a mage in this setting who wants to make a bowl spelled for the health of the user.  For an academic mage, they might only need to draw a symbol on it in magic infused oil or say a word of power and the project is done.  It almost seems like more of an accomplishment when it comes to ambient magic and the mage must take the time to carve the wood, form the metal, weave wicker or pull the glass, starting from scratch.

So what advantage does ambient magic hold, what keeps it from being an inferior magic?  It’s generally more potent, more versatile, and longer lasting in its effects.  Moreover, to renew an academic spell’s effects the first spell must be wiped clean and a new spell imposed from scratch, whereas an ambient mage can just add some more magic to power the spell, like changing batteries.  What’s nice is that it means their magic can potentially last centuries or more.

I really like this crafting oriented take on magic.  It’s very unusual; not many magic sources make artifact creation so common or so diverse.  Know any other interesting magic systems that stand out from others?  Post them in the comments.

Crafting: Baker Street Holmes