Sundering

Introduction

In comparison to most other magics, Sundering is very new to the world. It has existed for thousands of years in reserved elven laboratories and smithies, but its creators did not share their knowledge with humans, other species of elf, or any other people outside of their own for the entirety of the time that they commanded it. It was their well-kept secret, an edge on the rest of the world that helped keep the Ald'Norai ahead of the competition, and it served them best as a tool of war. Outside of the Ald'Norai's uses, it was vastly used as a primitive means of aiding survival for the majority of history.

Sundering is the general term for tampering with Fragments, though it has carried many different names in the past. The practice is often viewed as controversial, even on an individual basis, for its ability to harness Arcanacrags, but also the creation of Sunderscraps. While some countries condone the execution of mages that the darker side of Sundering necessitates, others aggressively rebuke all aspects of the craft for that reason alone and seek retribution against all its practitioners. Regardless of the stance a country might take on Sundering it cannot be denied that the benefits the Sunderer provides are revolutionary.

A lot like Necromancy, Sundering has held back the world on the exploration of traditional sciences, as the convenience of Fragments has historically fulfilled the need to innovate new technologies. That was until the craft withdrew into obscurity as the populations of Mortal races grew, and eventually returned to the world when corrupted Adac began to appear after the Bleeding of Venadak.

Origin

It should come as no surprise to any that know them that the Ald'Norai were the first to unlock the hidden knowledge that was Sundering. Arlain, previously known as Indorin, the homeland of the Ald'Norai, is rich in copper and zinc, both metals used in the creation of Brass, a metallic alloy similar to gold in appearance. Though largely inexpensive and plentiful, the alloy made the perfect conductor for the magical effects that Arcanacrags could produce. Early tools were made entirely from brass and later evolved to transfer the effects through less conductive metals like iron and steel. It was during this time that Indorin began an inquest for the collection of the finite resource that was Arcanacrags.

Shortly after the manipulation of Arcanacrags became widely available to the Ald'Norai, the Sunderscrap was soon discovered, and from that, more types of Fragments and greater magical technologies soon followed. The Ald'Norai were the greatest users of Sundering in all of history, thousands of years ahead of the rest of the world's knowledge. They possessed relics, a means of purifying, refining, and even farming Sunderscraps; massive swaths of slaves were initiated with the intent of being harvested to fuel their Relics, and at their peak, they created powerful artifacts that have persisted through to the Age of Industry.

With their fall, their technologies and innovations were lost, utterly destroyed in the flames of war as no more than 'Elven Trinkets' in the eyes of their executioners. The passage of time destroyed most of their knowledge and research on Sundering, and when the knowledge that was to maintain and repair their great forges was lost, so too did their tools fade into obscurity, and eventually, extinction.

Modern Methods

Fragmenting was the original name of the art as it dealt solely in the application of Arcanacrags, which was the only Fragment available for the majority of history. It is well known that Fragmenting was made by no intention of the Gods, and instead came to be when the first Hyr'Norai discovered the crystalized remains of Noradac and all the wild and bizarre properties they had. They were plentiful at the beginning of mortal existence but became rare and obscure as the Mortals became more populace. The stones that provided so much in the form of benefits were very finite, and only so many had been discovered. As Such, Fragmenting gradually tapered from a common life skill that nearly every mortal knew and practiced, to a specialized art that very few understood or even knew about.

Then, everything changed after The Bleeding of Venedak. It was discovered that Noradac, the Spirits, became Arcanacrags when they were slain. A series of great hunts were launched over a period of only fifty years, and Arcanacrags were placed in the hands of ambitious scholars and scientists. With a much higher floor of education than early society, as well as better advances in metallurgy, scholars across the world discovered alternative uses for the Arcanacrags. The Fragments that were once considered to be indestructible, could be manipulated and altered to bend and shape other Arcanacrags to the will of the crafter through the use of Brass as a conductor.

These Scholars, or Fragmenters as they were named at the time, created specialized tools that could bend and shape Arcanacrags as they saw fit. Anvils and hammers capable of doing so became common in the castles of kings and the palaces of emperors. When Arch Hollows were discovered, and the supply of Arcanacrags only grew as rulers and usurpers sought to claim control of them where they appeared, Fragmenters only innovated more and more with the crystallized essences, and eventually discovered means of refining and purifying the corrupted fragments collected from the Hollows.

As new technologies and applications of Arcanacrags began to explode in popularity, Sunderscraps slipped quietly into existence. The crystallized ether of a mage was discovered in Daravin, and though the existence of such a thing was tried for secrecy, the workings of the Candor found the truth, and word spread like wildfire. Fragmenters all over the world learned of its existence and began to hypothesize how something could come to be, and what its applications might entail. And with their reserves of knowledge and research, they found the answers they sought.

A new branch of Fragmenting was founded. Sundering, as it was called, was built with a focus on mage hunting, and the gathering of Sunderscraps by extension. Lorien's Fragmenters saw the most growth in this practice, and because they didn't care for the well-being of mages that were executed in the acquisition of the Sunderscraps, no innovations toward the longevity or sparing of the donor mage were looked for, but only greater tools purposed for the murder and cannibalization of a mage's ether.

The weapons and armor created through Sundering changed the tides of war and decimated opponents that relied on steel and bullet alone. Quickly, it was established that Lorien's innovations in the efficiency of extraction and destruction of mages were a superior means of obtaining Sunderscraps, and the wild arms race that was the Sundering Revolution hit its head.

Now, Sundering is the common name for the practice. Scholars are usually divided politically on the art, as some regard it as a World Magic, and others, a blasphemous misuse of the Mark of Control. It is both lucrative and dangerous to study, both as a Fragmenter and a Sunderer for various reasons.

Tools

Though all the tools used in Sundering are created by manipulating Arcanacrags and brass alloy, it is much easier to create these tools with ready-made and available Sundering tools. The process can be compared to creating a frigate with naught but hand tools and raw materials versus a lumber mill to accurately and quickly cut lumber into the required sizes, and a forge to shape the nails and fittings. It's for this reason that most Sunderers see it as a much more worthwhile investment to simply purchase their tools from another Sunderer, who can create tools with much greater ease.

All the descriptions below are in nature of the tool's appearance and its general purpose in the art of Sundering. For more detailed uses and the processes these tools are involved with, please refer to the Processes section beneath.

Fragment Catalogue: A staple in any Sunderer's kit is some form of documentation to record the applications and uses of all the Arcanacrags and Sunderscraps in the world. While this is not a magical item, it is strongly recommended to just about every aspiring novice that they start one of these as soon as possible.

Shaping Bench: A large anvil of black iron, almost akin to a table in its size, often carved and engraved with golden-brass lining on the faces where work is not performed. A peddle is usually built into the foot of the Bench to allow for ease of control. Generally, it is used to reshape Fragments, but cannot split or cut Fragments by itself. They must retain the same size, and more drastic changes require a lot more time to process.

Dividing Rod: The tool is a single metal pick-like object, akin to a heavy black iron chisel in appearance, but with a brass core that can be seen through engravements in the body of the metal, and the tooth of the chisel itself, which shines a shade of metallic gold. It can be used to cut Fragments into smaller, more manageable pieces when used in conjunction with the Shaping Bench.

The Etherforge: An enormous tower-like contraption that stands as a staple in any Sunderer's kit. Akin to a blast furnace in shape and design, but often built with a door that leads to access to a cavity within the tool. The etherforge has multiple uses including, but not limited to the creation of Relics, Purification, and Granulation.

Melding Hammer: Another tool that must be used in conjunction with the Shaping Bench is a large, engraved hammer. It's often used as a means of combining Arcanacrags to achieve a variety of creations. The hammer itself is normally designed for one-handed use, short with a larger flat head; the surface of which is usually brass in contrast to the wrought iron casting.

Sunderstrike: The tool that revolutionized modern Fragmenters and infamously dubbed them 'Sunderers'. The Sunderstrike most commonly appears as a stake of pure brass with a lens at the hilt. The brass is a coating for a sturdier material, capable of breaking through bone. Sunderstrike is used in the conversion of mages to Sunderscraps. It is named for the process in which a mage's Marks of Control are sundered from their soul.

Hacking Bellows: A large set of white bellows with a tube that leads from the device like a hose, that can be fitted to a jar or any sort of container. The top and bottom boards are that of a dark iron with a brass fitting at the connection of the hose, which usually leads out from the top board. The Hacking Bellows are used in the extraction of corruption.

Shimmer Trough: This dark iron barrel or vat is engraved with a series of brass veins that extend from a broad brass plate at the bottom of the structure. It can be used to retain the toxicity of a fragment for use in refinement, as well as protect the Sunderer from excessive exposure to corruption.

Fixing glass: The tool comes in a variety of designs, but most often appears as a spyglass with a fantastic and colorful-looking lense. While it can in theory appear as a monocle, a set of goggles, binoculars, and even a magnifying glass, the working lense will always appear bright fluorescent green with a brass rim wrapped around it. The tool allows the Sunderer to refine Arcanacrags with incredible ease by correcting and merging Fractals.

Founding Vessels: These crucibles come in a variety of sizes for the completion of different jobs. The inner lining is always a brass alloy, while the outer shell (or the casing) is a dark iron with a specific grind lined through the body of the outer metal for heat vectoring. They are a necessary tool in casting Relics as they hold the ability to make Sunderscraps Soluble in Molten metal.

Casting Molds: Casting molds usually take the form of cast iron crates of various sizes with brass inlays of various designs and complexities. They usually bare a single seam that runs the whole way around with hinges to hold the two halves in place. A single funnel extends from one end of the Casting mold. The appearance of the inside varies based on what is being cast but always appears as two halves of whatever Relic the Sunderer is in the process of creating. The tool serves to hold the shape of the Imbued Metal.

Processes

The Novice Sunderer is often taught from day one that they must pay close attention to their work. Knowledge and timing are key to a successful Sunder, and to the guaranteed destruction of the World Mage. As one progresses in their craft, they're likely to find just how close they should have heeded this warning.

A lot of Sundering revolves around perception, dexterity, and craft, which is reflected in the Sunderer's progression. The truth is that any Sunderer can pick up and use the tools above, but there are higher skill floors for working with specific Fragments of various purities and refinements.

Shaping & Cutting

Shaping & Cutting are the most simple process in Sundering, but also one of the most beneficial. Before the shaping and cutting of Arcanacrags were available, handheld tools that wielded their power were inconceivable unless one was lucky enough to obtain a fragment that was already small. The development of the Shaping Bench and the Dividing rod revolutionized Sundering, and have made way to a variety of other processes. In a sense, this is the root of all Sundering's potential.

To shape and cut an Arcanacrag is normally impossible, but with the aid of the Dividing Rod and the Shaping Bench, the Sunderer needs only to place the Fragment on the Shaping Bench and attempt to shape it with a sturdy hammer or to tap it with the Dividing Rod at the correct stage. The Arcanacrag will begin to accumulate heat and will glow Amber, a vibrant Gold, then White, akin to superheated metals. Every Arcanacrag requires a different amount of time to transfer between these three stages and stays in each stage for a specific length of time (or a Work Window). This also varies by the quality of the Shaping Bench, as more expensive models are designed to maintain an Arcanacrag's specified stage when set upon it.

The correct stage for shaping the Arcanacrag is when the Fragment is glowing Amber. At this stage, there will be a protective cushion of air around the Fragment that will prevent direct transference of kinetic energy to the Arcanacrag but will still allow the shaping of the crystal, as if struck by phantom blows. The Sunderer will need to use a well-made hammer to strike the protective skin of the Fragment, akin to shaping red-hot metal. This must be done quickly and efficiently lest the Sunderer misses their chance and strike the Fragment at the wrong stage.

The protective layer of air is lost when the Fragment advances to the second stage, which more often brief on the Fragment's journey to stage three, but it's at this stage that the Sunderer is able to gently tap the fragment with the tip of the dividing rod to form an etheric band all the way around the section of the Fragment. The band will always take the shortest path around the Fragment and will always create a perfect loop around the fragment. The Sunderer will have a brief window to check the band, which acts as a sort of preview for the actual cut before they either allow the band to dissipate, or tap the same spot a second time to safely cut the fragment all the way through. There is no limit to how many times a Fragment can be cut, but its area of effect becomes more and more limited the smaller it is made.

A Sunderer cannot cut through an Arcanacrag when the Fragment is glowing amber due to the protective shield that surrounds it, and the energies in an Arcanacrag when it's glowing White are much too volatile to work by any hands but that of a Master. A Sunderer must take great care when moving an Arcanacrag in its White stage as it becomes unstable and very reactive.

Mounting

Mounting existed before it became possible to cut and shape Arcanacrags. Simply put, it is the process of setting an Arcanacrag in a brass cradle. The device in which the Arcanacrag is set is often designed with a series of root-like brass inlays all over the surface of the device, and women throughout the depth of the material. It's for that reason that most devices utilizing Arcanacrags are made of metal, as it's much easier to cast a metal frame around brass roots than to bore several holes in the structure of a different material and cast brass through its structure.

To mount an Arcanacrag, two things are necessary, but the rest is up to the design of the mage. The first and most important factor is that the Brass Cradle that holds the Arcanacrag must encapsulate at least fifty percent of the Arcanacrag's surface area to efficiently channel the energy within. The second design necessity is that the mount must be placed at the epicentral nexus of all the set inlays. More often than not, the Fragment is encased within the tool or machine for safety.

The inlays serve three purposes; one is to conduct and route the power of the Arcanacrag to a working surface, at which it can be applied depending on the nature of the Arcanacrag, the second is to route the Arcanacrag's power from non-working surfaces, and the third is to dilute the power of the Arcanacrag. Fragments are exceptionally potent, and the Sunderer should take care when deciding how many Inlays they should route to the working surface. A single inlay carries one-thirtieth of the mounted Arcanacrag's full power. Thus, thirty inlays would be needed to extend an Arcanacrag's full power to the working surface.

Routing is sometimes difficult for the Sunderer to grasp, and can be both annoying or disastrous if applied incorrectly. Inlays are very useful for routing the power of Arcanacrags, but they are far from perfect. As they carry the flow of an Arcanacrag's energy through them, they project the Arcanacrag's powers onto nearby materials' surfaces. This is only in cases where another Inlay is not nearby, however. Inlays will not project the Arcanacrag's power onto a surface where another inlay is set nearby. It's for that reason that the working surfaces of Arcanacrag contractions are almost always devoid of brass. That is to say that the only safe surfaces to touch on machines created with Sundering are those covered with brass engravings.

Other surfaces should be engraved plentifully with these inlays. Vast designs of spiraling roots, etches and conjoined runes are drawn in the non-working surfaces of Arcanacrag machinery, and the purpose is to protect them from the power of the Fragment that powers it. However, while these surfaces should be covered in branching roots and complex coils and spirals, they should never intersect except at the Nexus. When Inlays intersect, the Fragment is made to feed its own energy back into itself through the Mount, and disastrous failure abounds.

Refinement

While the refinement of Arcanacrags is only necessary for those that come from Arch Hollows, Spirit Born Arcanacrags also benefit from refinement. Refinement is the process of improving the Fragment's Ether conversion efficiency, and for some Arcanacrags, this is vital to ensure the safety and survival of whoever is exposed to them. Some practices are safer than others, but most methods involve use of the Fixing Glass, Shimmer Trough, and the Hacking Bellows.

The Sunderer will need to peer through the Fixing Glass into the body of an Arcanacrag. In the crystalline structure they will see, in a luminescent green hue, a number of fractals that may be magnified depending on the quality of the tool. These fractals consist of a variety of shapes created with small spherical structures that are tightly bonded to one another with a variety of lines, bars, or tethers. In less refined Arcanacrags, the fractal is a mess that cannot form the same repeating pattern throughout its structure. By properly aligning the spheres and optimizing the flow of the pattern, the efficiency of the Arcanacrag can be improved. By improperly aligning the spheres, the efficiency is decreased.

The efficiency of an Arcanacrag is identified by how much Corruption the fragment is leaking, and how potent its effects are. As one value rises, the other decreases. This is because of the Fragment's own ether conversion process, where a portion of its intake is converted into the magical effect it produces, and the rest is the corrupted waste product which is bled into the surrounding environment.

The Fixing Glass is able to correct the warped positions of spheres by turning a brass dial that frames the lense. The Sunderer with see specific structures illuminate a golden light within the body of the crystal, which relays what is currently selected by the focus of the Fixing Glass, and it can be manipulated in and out of shape using the frame of the dial.

However, it's impossible to correct the Fractals while the Arcanacrag is stable as they are indestructible. To begin editing the structure of the Fractal, the fragment itself must become corrupted. This is achieved in a variety of methods, but one of the most common is to strike the fragment from afar to intentionally flood the structure with corruption. Though this quickly bleeds from the structure, the Shimmer Trough can be used to retain most of the accumulated corruption in the body of the fragment.

The application of the oily fluid acts as a layer of insulation that shields the environment from the bleed of corruption. This is essential to protect the Sunderer from the isotope during refinement, but the Sunderer should beware that Shimmershine is easily rubbed off and should not be touched during the process of refinement. It’s only when refinement is complete that the Sunderer should touch the fragment, but even then, the removal of the Shimmershine will often shower those nearby in lethal levels of Corruption if it's not done in a safe and contained environment, as detailed below.

Purification

The process of Purifying an Arcanacrag usually follows after the Refining process, a means of extracting the accumulated corruption from an object. Some Artificers forgo Purification altogether and allow their refined Arcanacrags to bleed their corruption into designated hotspots in the wilderness. Because this often has disastrous consequences for the wildlife in the area, this is often forbidden depending on the region of practice.

The process requires access to The Etherforge, Hacking Bellows, the Shimmer Trough, and a container of thick tempered glass. The Etherforge should be dormant before Purification starts as the flames can evaporate the Shimmershine coating.

First and foremost, the object being Purified needs to be coated with an even layer of Shimmershine from the Shimmer Trough; an oily, clear substance with a violet-indigo shine. Next, the object should be placed in the front door of The Etherforge with great care not to disrupt the Shimmershine coating. Next, the door should be securely closed, and the Hacking Bellows should be fastened to a built-in faucet on the side of The Etherforge, but this varies from model to model. Once the Hacking Bellows are attached, the tempered glass container should be fastened to the hose leading from the Bellows, wherever it may appear on either structure.

Both hands should be used to operate the Bellows, as its structure can be heavy. Engaging the Sunderer’s body weight, they should pull down on the handle to empty the Hacking Bellows into the dormant forge. This pushes all the air inside into the body of the Furnace and creates a vacuum in the Hacking Bellows. When the Sunderer pushes up on the handle to open the Hacking Bellows, two reactions take place:

The corruption withheld by the object is transfused to the Shimmershine Coating, filling the oily fluid with various levels of corruption, and the corrupted Shimmershine is funneled into the Hacking Bellows, pulled through the tubing, and delivered to the tempered glass container. If the fastening is done correctly, all the clear fluid will be deposited in the container.

If there is any damage to any of the tools used in the process or the fastening isn't completely secure, the Sunderer risks bathing their workshop in condensed corruption. The substance extracted, depending on the volume, can inflict up to the late stages of mage blight if it's touched directly.

Melding

Very new in its innovation, Melding is the process of dangerously combining two Arcanacrags or more to achieve an array of effects. This can be achieved in a variety of methods ranging from physically combining the two Arcanacrags, or by routing the energies of multiple Arcanacrags to the same working surface during the process of Mounting. This is arguably the most critical step in the process of creating Arcanacrag technologies.

To physically combine Arcanacrags, the Sunderer will need access to the Fixing Glass, the Melding Hammer, and the Shaping Bench. It's also advisable to bring some personal protective equipment in the form of a heavy canvas apron, glove, and thick tinted goggles.

The benefits of physically combining the Arcanacrag is that the effect the combined Fragments produce can be controlled to some degree with the aid of the fixing Glass, whereas simply mounting two Arcanacrags with inlays directed to the same surface can be unreliable in the effect it produces with no discernable means of control or alteration.

First: The Arcanacrags will both need to be placed on the Shaping bench for work to begin. They will both begin to accumulate energy as siphoned from the working face of the anvil, turn red-hot, then glow a golden amber, then turn white when they have been left to gather energy for long enough. It's when they're both glowing white-hot that the molding process can begin. At this stage, it's dangerous to touch the fragments with any tool that isn't the melding hammer. Should the Sunderer fail to use the correct tool, the Arcanacrag will explode with a tremendous amount of kinetic, thermal, and etheric energy.

Using the Melding Hammer, the Sunderer should ensure the fragments are as close to one another as they can be before striking them both with the face. It's at this point that the Sunderer should close their eyes (if they do not have goggles) or risk blindness at the immense light of the reaction at the center of the two Arcanacrags. An Ambient humming will begin to resonate from both the fragments, not unlike the sound a wineglass can produce when it's trailed along the rim.

When both frequencies are in perfect harmony with one another, producing a sort of choir of ambient humming, the reaction is complete. it's at that stage that the melding hammer should immediately be removed.

Failure to remove the tool at the correct time will result in the brief flicker of the light, followed by darkness. Seconds later, the melded Arcanacrags will lose their color and come apart from one another, and the immediate area will be flooded with lethal levels of corruption that almost always results in a gain of eight mageblight. All sundering tools, including the shaping bench and melding hammer, caught in the flood are rendered inert and will be unable to function unless the internal Arcanacrags are purified.

Premature removal of the Melding hammer will result in a brief flicker of lightning-blue sparks from both Fragments, followed by a small-scale explosion of kinetic energy equivalent to a high-speed car crash. it's not uncommon for this to throw the Sunderer a considerable distance from the shaping bench, break just about every bone in their body, dismember them, and kill them. The lethal levels of energy released in the explosion quickly taper off the further the Sunderer moves from the shaping bench, which is to say if they notice the sparks and immediate turn to run and make it even six feet from the blast, they could survive with moderate trauma to the head, a few broken bones, and some internal bleeding. Almost all power in the explosion falls off after twelve feet unless it's transferred to another object and thrown like a projectile.

It should also be noted that the Fragments will fall apart from one another given time if the hammer is removed prematurely. Fragments that lose their color and become flooded with corruption must be Refined and Purified before they begin working again.

If the melding is correctly executed, the ending product will be a physically fused Arcanacrag of unique appearance. It cannot be melded a second time and the Melding process is thus far irreversible. Despite being physically joined, the Arcanacrag will continue to produce effects similar to its parts. For example, if an Arcanacrag that produces heat is combined with an Arcanacrag that emits light, it will simply perform both functions as if both Fragments were set next to one another. A lot of the time, this is enough to appease the Sunderer, but it can be taken a step further.

Normally, there is a bounty of corruption held within the body of the Melded Arcanacrag post-Melding, which sets the stage for the second half of the process.

Second: The Fractals within the combined Arcanacrags must be joined with the Fixing Glass. This step of the process is mostly safe but requires the diligent connection of the fractals from both Arcanacrags. All fractals must be joined at the exact same points or the product will be broken and chaotic in its consistency. Depending on how the Fractals are joined, a wide array of product effects can be achieved. The maximum efficiency of a melded Arcanacrag also depends heavily on a Sunderer's skill.

Entire volumes of research are written on the complexities of merging Fractals and the science of which points should be joined in order to produce specific effects, but it's still to this day largely undocumented because of the wide variety of Arcanacrags that can be melded and the different combinations they can produce.

For example, if an Arcanacrag that produces heat is melded with an Arcanacrag that emits light are both melded and later have their fractals combined, it can produce a focal laser that aims at a specific point and concentrates all the produced heat and light on a single spot, or it can emit a brighter cone-shaped light with the purpose of illuminating the dark. If it's tampered with enough, it can even provide a means of illuminating all sources of thermal energy within range of the Arcanacrag.

Sundering

The process of Sundering is what rebranded Fragmenters of old as Sunderers with its infamy. Sunderscraps are produced through Sundering and are later used in the process of Imbuement and Casting.

The only tool needed for the process is the Sunderstrike. However, the Sunderer also needs to locate, and usually (but not necessarily) restrain another being with a Mark of Control.

The point of the Sunderstrike must first be thrust into the heart of the mage, where the soul rests. This can be done through the back, through the ribs, or through the sternum if the Sunderer is strong enough to break through the bone. The gem at the pommel of the Sunderstrike will begin to glow at its core when a soul is found, which usually only takes a few seconds depending on the closeness of the point to the center of the heart.

The victim will find their strength waiting unnaturally quickly. Signals to from the brain to specific bodyparts that would otherwise command movement become interrupted and spotty with most attempts to move only partially succeeding. Speed and strength are very quickly sapped from the victim until they're rendered utterly paralyzed with muscles that tense and lock them in place. The victim is still conscious and aware at this point, usually only ten seconds after being impaled.

When complete paralysis is achieved, the Sunderer will have the opportunity to peer into the gem at the pommel of Sunderstrike, which is fully illuminated when complete paralysis is achieved. Within the gem, the soul is visible as a core of light that radiates with different intensities and subtle colors depending on the variety of marks and claims attached to the soul. Various strings and webs litter the outer reaches of the soul, and come of these webs lead to specific marks around the body of the mage. More potent marks have more vast webs, like a sprawling system of roots that course through the body.

The Sunderer is able to map their way through the victim's soul by touching the gem to follow the indicated roots toward specific Marks of Control. Weaker Marks are easier to find because their roots aren't nearly as expensive, winding, or as developed as Marks with a great deal of power or influence over the Mage. When a Mark is Located, it will glow as its own ball of light with root-like capillaries reaching in all directions, but a major artery of luminescent ether reaching toward the direction of the soul. The Sunderer needs only to hold a digit on the mark for two seconds to Secure it, where the light will become luminescent green, and the path toward the soul will also become enveloped with that same emerald green hue. When the Mark is secured, the Sunderer needs only to trail their way back to the soul and search for more paths to other Marks of Control.

Altogether, the mage has around sixty seconds to locate and Secure as many Marks of Control as the victim possesses. After which, the Sundering process ends.

All through the ordeal, the victim will feel their body hardening with impossible weight and stiffness. Their diaphragm will eventually fail to pull air into their lungs. Their vision will fill streaks of blurs and floaters, like the mess on the lense of glasses, and pressure will gradually build in their head. Before unbearable pain and anguish overcome them, their ability to feel altogether is removed, followed by their sense of taste, smell, hearing, and vision. Death follows shortly after, most victims utterly unaware of what has become of them.

Gradually, the body of the victim is converted into jagged crystalline structures known as Sunderscraps. The body begins to shrink as more and more of it is gradually converted to crystal. As they near a critical point of density, the warped formations of crystal are very vaguely reminiscent of body parts in their shape with little to no features to separate hands from shoulders. It's around this point that the Fragment will break apart and produce a Sunderscrap for every Mark that was secured. Other parts form Markless Sunderscraps, which can be ground to dust as fuel for the Etherforge.

Imbuement

Imbuement transfers the power of a Sunderscrap to the Sunderer's chosen metal. This is an important step in the creation of Relics; most Sunderers are well versed in Metallurgy and Smithing because Sunderscraps cannot imbue other materials. The Sunderscrap is lost in the Imbuement process, and cannot be recovered. High-quality steels and other strong, durable metals are used in the process as Sundered gear is often priced on the quality of the metalwork.

The Sunderer needs access to a Sunderscrap, a metal of their choice, Markless Sunderscraps, the Founding Vessels, and the Etherforge.

First, the Markless Sunderscrap must be crushed and ground to a fine grain, similar to salt's consistency. This is achievable with a Mortar and Pestle as Markless Sunderscraps are brittle in nature. This creates a substance known as Sunderdust, which is used as fuel for the granulation process in the Ether Forge.

With Sunderdust in the fuel port of the Etherforge, the Sunderscrap used for Imbuing should be placed in the Ether Forge. When the Etherforge is ignited, the Sunderscrap will be granulated and reduced to a similar consistency as the Sunderdust used as fuel. The Sunderer's chosen metal should be melted in a mundane forge, then poured into a Founding Vessel of appropriate proportions. It's ill-advised to try and melt the metal in the Founding Vessel as most desirable metals have a higher melting point than the brass exterior of the Founding Vessel.

Before the molten metal cools, the granulated Sunderscrap must be poured into the molten metal within the founding vessel. It's only in this precise circumstance that the Sunderscrap becomes soluble and dissolves in the molten metal. it's for this reason that the Sunderscrap must be ground to dust, as larger chunks might not be fully dissolved in time, which leads to severe impurities and weak points in the metal.

The granulated Sunderscrap will completely dissolve in the molten metal if it's added quickly enough and become permanently infused with the alloy without cause for salvage. From there, the metal needs to be processed through Casting and depending on a variety of factors, the product can come out dramatically different from the last.

Sunders

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Impact

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Novice

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Apprentice

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Journeyman

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Expert

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Master

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