Fragmenting
Contents
Introduction
Fragmenting refers to the practice of tampering with Arcanacrags, which extends to the creation of arcane-based technologies, the creation of World Magic tools, and the research and cataloging of these mystical stones. The practice is often viewed as controversial for its historically devastating impact on the ecosystem, but also the introduction of Sunderscraps to the world. Most regions will allow a Fragmenter to process in peace with minor regulation, though some smaller communities rebuke its practitioners as destructive polluters and spirit-killers.
A lot like Necromancy, Fragmenting has held back the world on the exploration of traditional sciences, as the convenience of Arcanacrags 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 Nor-Adac began to appear after the Bleeding of Venedak.
Origin
Arcanacrags are the remains of fallen Spirits, the Noradac leave them behind as a unique crystalline alloy that's composed of hardened divinity and raw ether. They were used as a tool to aid in survival by the earliest Fragmenters, and later found piqued interest by one of the most advanced peoples in all of Atharen's history.
It should come as no surprise to any that know them that the Ald'Norai were the first to unlock the hidden potential in Fragmenting.
Arlain, previously known as Indorin, the homeland of the Ald'Norai, is rich in copper and zinc. Both metals were used in the creation of Brass, a metallic alloy similar to gold in appearance. Though it was largely inexpensive and plentiful, the alloy made the perfect conductor for the magical effects that Arcanacrags could produce. This was the spark that ignited the boom in the Aldnorai's advancement, and domination over their neighbors. Without Brass as a conductor, it's impossible to reshape an Arcanacrag. When they discovered the ability to shape, cut, and Meld Arcanacrags, their advancements only accelerated.
There were only a handful of Fragmenting Forges in the land of Indorin, but they saw immense traffic every day with every corner of the Arcanacrag exploited to suit the needs of the Ashen Elves. It was during this time that Indorin began an inquest for the collection of the finite resource that was Arcanacrags. The almost limitless potential found in those Fragments elevated the Ald'Norai centuries above the rest of Atharen and placed them atop an unreachable throne on the exploited power of fallen Noradac. Their innovations in the field have yet to be replicated to the current day.
When the Ald'Norai fell, their technologies were unrecognized by humanity. Their tools and contraptions were seized upon and dismantled for the valuable Arcanacrags they harnessed. Utterly destroyed in the flames of war, Fragmenting vanished from the world for a time.
Modern Methods
It wasn't until after the bleeding of Venedak that 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 plentiful 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, these scholars 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.
The process of Melding revolutionized the art and gave way to more and more advanced forms of Arcanacrag technology. Through Melding, there appears to be no limit on the potential that an Arcanacrag can achieve.
Tools
Though all the tools used in Fragmenting are created by manipulating Arcanacrags and brass alloy, it is much easier to create these tools with ready-made and available Fragmenting 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 Fragmenters see it as a much more worthwhile investment to simply purchase their tools from another Fragmenter, 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 Fragmenting. 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 Fragmenter's kit is some form of documentation to record the applications and uses of all the Arcanacrags known to 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 Arcanacrags. When used in conjunction with the Dividing Rod and the Welding Hammer, it has the potential to split and meld fragments. Without the addition of those tools, however, Fragments altered on the Shaping Bench must retain the same mass and take more time to alter without experience.
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. The Inlays, which shine a shade of metallic gold, end right before the sharpened tooth of the tool. A small dial is usually affixed to the head of the chisel, where a hammer would strike on a Mundane tool, which can be used to alter the time that the loop cut it produces remains active. 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 necessity in any Fragmenter's kit. Akin to a blast furnace in shape and design, but often built with a door that yields access to a cavity within the trunk and a single faucet with a fixture for a hose. The Etherforge is used in multiple processes including Purification, and Refinement.
Welding Hammer: Another tool that must be used in conjunction with the Shaping Bench is a large, brass-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 dark iron in contrast to the brass engravements that line the body.
Hacking Bellows: A large set of Bellows that are usually made with a white material that's easily stained to help inform the Fragmenter of potential problems. The interior of the bellows is where an Arcanacrag tool is hidden, which can be used in the process of Purification by extracting corruption.
Shimmertrough: 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 creates a substance known as Shimmershine, which is created by mixing water and Sunderdust into the tool and leaving it to process for twenty-four hours. Shimmershine can be used to retain the toxicity of an Arcanacrag for use in refinement, as well as protect the Fragmenter from excessive exposure to corruption.
Fixing glass: The tool comes in a variety of designs, but most often appears as a spyglass with a bright green 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 Fragmenter to Refine and Meld Arcanacrags by correcting and merging Fractals.
Processes
Just about anyone can take up the tools of the trade and begin tampering with the dangerous carcinogens known as Arcanacrags, but very few will survive without knowledge of the different processes and the risks associated with them. Arcanacrags are very volatile and sensitive, with the most corrupt variants exploding on contact with so much as a warm breath. To that end, the processes listed below should be read with a mind for safety and security.
More difficult processes, or those that involve greater risk for harm, shouldn't be performed by the Novice or the Apprentice as they require a thorough understanding of the Arcanacrags they're working with, as well as knowledge of the force they should be using and correct timings that are learned with experience. Any player that defies this warning will be expected to fail with spectacular consequences or be subject to Mod Intervention, as this may be a gross oversight of Fragmenting's lore or abuse of the open progression system.
Shaping & Cutting
Shaping & Cutting are the most simple processes in Fragmenting, but also two 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 naturally of the correct size and shape. The development of the Shaping Bench and the Dividing rod revolutionized Fragmenting, and have made way to a variety of other processes. In a sense, this is the root of all Fragmenting's potential.
Arcanacrags are infamously indestructible despite the chaotic bursts of power they release when struck, and cannot be reshaped or split by regular means. This property necessitated the creation of the Shaping bench and the Dividing Rod.
Objects placed on the Shaping Bench gradually accumulate heat when the peddle is pressed, which alters the hue of the object as time progresses. Lifting one's foot off the built-in peddle will deactivate the Shaping Bench and allow the object to bleed some of the contained energy back into the air if the object advances into an undesirable stage.
The stages of color an object can advance through while on the active Shaping Bench begin with warm amber, which then escalates to a vibrant gold before the outlines of the object appear to blur with light, and the body of the object turns a spectacular glowing white. The time spent in each stage can be juggled by pressing the peddle attached to the Shaping Bench and releasing the pressure to cool the Fragment, though this requires a lot of skill to perform and maintain as there is a significant delay between the action of the peddle and the transference of its effect to the Arcanacrag.
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 Fragment's Structure as if the crystal structure was struck by phantom blows. The Fragmenter will need to use a well-made mundane hammer to strike the protective skin of the Fragment as the protective cushion is hard enough to break materials of strength lower than tempered steel.
The protective layer of air is lost when the Fragment advances to the second stage, which is fairly brief on the Arcanacrag's journey to stage three, but it's at this stage that the Fragmenter 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 Arcanacrag and will always create a perfect loop.
The Fragmenter will have a window that depends on the attached dial to check the band, which acts as a sort of preview for the actual cut before they either allow the band to dissipate or gently tap the same spot a second time to safely cut the fragment all the way through. There is no limit to how many times an Arcanacrag can be cut, but its area of effect becomes more and more limited the smaller it's made.
A Fragmenter cannot Cut 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 Shape or Cut; attempting such will cause a catastrophic burst of power in the immediate area.
Mounting
Mounting existed before it became possible to cut and shape Arcanacrags. The process is simple, but requires a lot of finesse with mundane metallurgy and forge prowess to complete. Just by setting the uncut Arcanacrag in a brass cradle, affixed to a series of brass roots and veins throughout the body of a larger structure, the power of the Arcanacrag can be Routed to another surface without exposing the sensitive and volatile Fragment to the possibility of being struck.
It's imperative that Arcanacrags are completely covered in the process to keep them sheltered from external sources of energy and to inhibit their bleed of corruption in their process of ether conversion. More often than not, the Fragment is encased within the tool or machine for the utmost protection from uncontrolled exposure to energy. Though this can result in the tool soaking the corruptive isotope that the Arcanacrag bleeds, this is almost completely negated through Refinement.
The system of brass roots and veins which extend from the central mounted Arcanacrag Nexus can take any shape, but it's important to understand the purpose and the importance of the markings.
Brass acts as a conduit for the power of an Arcanacrag, but not like Electricity through gold. The Arcanacrag's power will be Routed through the brass channels, and fed through the next material it comes in contact with. That is to say that if an Arcanacrag-powered machine was made entirely of brass, it would feed its effect through the floor, through the operator, and anything else to come in contact with it. For that reason, there are often third-party materials involved in Arcanacrag technology.
The inlays will transfer the power of the Arcanacrag to the densest material they are in contact with, which is why a lot of Fragmenting's tools are made with black iron. It's safe to touch the Brass only when the metal is in contact with something with a higher density than the operator, as the Inlays will prioritize Routing power through the denser material first.
The brass Inlays bear another property unique to the craft; they will not extend their effect to any third-party material if its range of influence overlaps with the range of influence generated by another Inlay. That is to say that if two Inlays are adjacent to one another with a three-inch surface of black iron between them, the black iron will not bear the effect of the Arcanacrag as one Inlay inhibits the other. This inhibition is useful in that the power of the Arcanacrag can be routed to a single working surface, which will be the only working surface where the Arcanacrag's effects are present if the Fragmenter so desires.
Any Fragmenter should know that an Inlay's range of influence is exactly one-hundredth of the Arcanacrag's range of influence, which should be taken into account when they are designing their machines and tools.
Refinement
Arcanacrags are miniature crystal engines that emit an effect in the form of the desired product. The fuel for this engine is the raw ether in the world around them, and the waste product for this reaction is a dangerous Magithermal Isotope known as Corruption, the cause of Mageblight. Refinement can be used to enhance the crystalline engine's efficiency, thus creating a more potent magical product while eliminating the production of waste. It should be noted that the Magithermal Isotope the Arcanacrag emits is not synonymous with how much corruption the Fragment holds; the bleed of corruption into the surrounding environment doesn't necessarily indicate that the Fragment itself is corrupted, just that it's unrefined.
The tools needed in Refinement are the Shimmertrough and the Fixing Glass. A source of corruption or some sort of long-range weapon is also needed, lest the Fragmenter wishes to risk destroying themselves and their workshop in the process.
When the Fragmenter looks into the body of an Arcanacrag through the fixing glass, they will see a series of Fractals frozen in place. These Fractals are made up of small spherical shapes that are joined by webs of straight lines. The orderly structure of these fractals determines the efficiency of the Arcanacrag, with messier Fractals generating more Magithermal Isotope than the desired product.
The brass rim of the Fixing Glass has the potential to align the Fractals seen within Arcanacrags, but it's impossible to alter an Arcanacrag as they are indestructible. To begin editing the structure of the Fractal, the Arcanacrag 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 crystalline body, the Shimmertrough can be used to retain most of the accumulated corruption in the body of the fragment by painting an even coat over the surface of the Arcanacrag.
It's well known that Arcanacrags are especially volatile and dangerous when loaded with corruption, as so much as a forceful tap can trigger a second explosion. The Fragmenter should take great care when handling Arcanacrags in this state.
When the Arcanacrag is corrupted, the Fractals within will appear to drift and ripple, as though the iron stability of the Arcanacrag is offset by the dangerous levels of Magithermal Isotope held within. In this state, the Fixing Glass can be made to focus on the spherical parts of the Fractal's structure and can relocate them by the Fragmenter's will by twisting the brass rim around the lens.
While coated in Shimmershine, the Arcanacrag's waste product is retained and stockpiled in the Arcanacrag, which raises the concentration of Magithermal Isotope within the Fragment more and more significantly depending on the amount of time the Fragment retains that protective coating. When the Shimmershine is removed (which is very easily done with friction), all that corruption is released at once through the first opening, which can be devastatingly lethal and inflict upwards of fifteen mageblight on anyone present at the time of removal in some of the worst possibles cases.
Purification
The process of Purifying an Arcanacrag usually follows after the Refining process, a means of safely extracting the accumulated corruption from an object. Some Fragmenters 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 usually 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 to not 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 front of the Etherforge.
Both hands should be used to operate the Bellows, as its structure can be heavy. Engaging the Fragmenter’s body weight, they should pull down on the handle to empty the Hacking Bellows into the dormant forge. This pushes all the air in the Bellows into the body of the Etherforge and creates a vacuum in the Hacking Bellows. When the Fragmenter pushes up on the handle to open the Hacking Bellows, two reactions take place:
The corruption withheld by the object is pulled into the Shimmershine Coating, filling the traces of Sunderdust in the oily fluid with dangerous levels of corruptive Isotope, and the corrupted Shimmershine is dripped into the hose at the front of the Etherforge, pushed through the tubing, and delivered to the tempered glass container. If the fastening is done correctly, all the oily 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 Fragmenter risks bathing their workshop in condensed corruption. The substance extracted, depending on the volume, can inflict up to the late stages of Mageblight if it's touched, inhaled, or consumed.
Melding
Melding is the process of combining multiple Arcanacrags to achieve an array of effects. This can arguably be done in two ways that both have their merits and drawbacks. Arcanacrags can be permanently Melded together or their effects can be Melded by Mounting and Routing multiple Arcanacrags on a single object.
This is arguably the most critical step in the process of innovating new Arcanacrag technologies, as a variety of fresh, undiscovered effects can be discovered in the process.
The benefits of Melding the Arcanacrags are that the effect the combined Fragments produce can be controlled to some degree with the aid of the fixing Glass, it saves time that would otherwise be spent painstakingly designing a product with multiple sets of Inlays, and that the final product is more compact and versatile. Whereas simply mounting multiple Arcanacrags with a complex web of inlays directed to the same surface can be unreliable, time-expensive, and inflexible in the effect it produces with no discernable means of control or alteration. Simply mounting multiple Arcanacrags, however, is much safer than Melding Arcanacrags.
To permanently Meld Arcanacrags, the Fragmenter will need access to the Fixing Glass, the Welding Hammer, and the Shaping Bench. It's also advisable to bring some personal protective equipment in the form of heavy armor, thick canvas gloves, and tinted goggles with complete facial covering. No skin should be seen in the process of Melding, and a wide-open space without clutter or hard surfaces is advisable.
There are two stages to physically Melding Arcanacrags, both of which can be quick depending on the skill of the Fragmenter.
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 made 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 Welding Hammer.
Using the Welding Hammer, the Fragmenter should ensure the fragments are as close to one another as they can be before striking them all with the face. It's at this point that the Fragmenter should close their eyes (if they do not have goggles) or risk temporary blindness at the immense light of the reaction at the center of the Melding 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 Welding 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 unnatural darkness in the immediate area. Seconds later, the melded Arcanacrags will lose their color and come apart from one another, and the surrounding space area will be flooded with dangerous levels of corruption that almost always result in a gain of more than six mageblight for all those exposed. All Fragmenting tools (including the Shaping Bench and Welding Hammer) that are caught in the flood are rendered inert and will be unable to function unless the internal Arcanacrags are Purified.
Premature removal of the Welding Hammer will result in a brief flicker of lightning-blue sparks from all involved Arcanacrags, 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 Fragmenter 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 Fragmenter moves from the shaping bench, which is to say if they notice the sparks and immediately 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. This is enough for the Fragmenter's needs a lot of the time but isn't the apex of what melding can achieve.
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 Fragmenter's skill.
Entire volumes of research are written on the complexities of merging Fractals and the science of which Spheres should be joined in order to produce specific effects, but it's still 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 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.
- Players that wish to combine Arcanacrags and achieve different effects should seek Moderator input beforehand to ensure the product is appropriate for the sum of the parts used.
