Worldbuilding Month Day 5: Permanent Enchantments

[aldersprig]

March is Worldbuilding Month! Leave me a question about any of my worlds, and I will do my best to answer it!
🌏
This Fourth one is from inventrix:
Faepoc: Are there any Workings or Words that can’t be used when creating a functionally permanent enchantment on an object?

i.e. the enchantment doesn’t have to be maintained consciously; having to be refreshed every decade or century would count as functionally permanent for this question.

Nope!

Okay, now I have to figure out how to get 200 words out of this answer.

Enchanting an object - or a person - requires that a) you have the Words required to cast the enchantment and b) you have access to the Word for the object. In a tongue-in-cheek example: Leo could easily enchant a strand of Cya’s hair to change color based on her mood, because he is very good with coloring hair (a Tlacatl Working) and very good at reading emotions (Hugr).

Likewise, if you were really good, you could enchant a stick to throw fireballs, or, say, enchant a collar to deliver a mild electric shock in a situation where the wearer said certain words or evidenced a certain emotional state.

The thing is, anything wherein you are putting your Workings in an object takes a lot of energy. A first-year student could manage to enchant something for maybe a couple minutes. later, for a year or two. And doing so takes considerably more energy than simply doing the Working.

That is why there aren’t more magic fireball-throwing swords around.

Comments

[inventrix]

Ah! So it's like a magical battery charge, and you have to imbue the object with enough magical energy to power the Working in your absence.

[aldersprig]

Yes~

[inventrix]

Follow up questions, then!

Can you recharge an enchantment just by concentrating on the Working without having to redo it? Corollary: can anyone, if they know the Workings involved?

Can you create a Working on, say, a ring, that is dormant when not being worn, and draws energy to power it from the wearer?

[aldersprig]

Yes, no, maybe, though that last one might take Frodelikr.

[inventrix]

Innnnteresting, thank you.

[kelkyag]

What's Frodelikr?

... is there a reference list of Words somewhere?

[aldersprig]

I think my wiki(s) dying ate the list of words, Sigh.

And Frodelikr is ~plot~ for Addergoole: the original series. *grins*

[kelkyag]

:-P

[aldersprig]

(But since you’re unlikely to read that… it’s “magic”)

[kelkyag]

Thank you. :)

(I think we'll probably both be happier if I don't.)

[aldersprig]

I think you might enjoy the worldbuilding and be very angry at everything else.

[clare_dragonfly]

I dunno, the worldbuilding (at least the Keeping aspect) can be very infuriating for people who aren't naturally inclined to like it... like me :-P

[aldersprig]

I was thinking like: magic, history of the world, the apocalypse.

[clare_dragonfly]

Ahh, yes, that worldbuilding is pretty cool.