The actual cause of magical interference is the demonized, surviving souls of The Kar, who resent human accomplishments. As the Moonfisher fishes more and more out, the aether gets less influenced by their hatred, and technology works just a little bit better.
Magic and its Effect on Technology and Materials
Magic's Effect on Technology
Little is known about how The Rending came to happen, but it is often theorized that it was technological in origin, likely a nuclear apocalypse. This is suspected, because of the reaction of aether to technology. Aether, which carries some of humanities general sentiment inside it, seems naturally hostile to "technological" devices. Because of the impressionable, semi-conscious nature of aether, what counts as 'technology' is fairly arbitrary and even varies by region.
As a general trend, these hostilities are weakest within towns, cities, and well traveled roads. The more the aether is in regular contact with normal human souls, the more likely it is for some devices to function.
While what counts as "technology" varies by region, but it is consistently hostile toward firearms and other advanced weaponry. Firearms will often violently discharge, explode, or sometimes even just fall to pieces in use within a high magic energy. As such, firearms are only truly common around Shiv and other parts of Simeria, where there exists large magic deadzones. Firearms can be used to some extent outside those zones, but general investment in the technology isn't worthwhile anywhere else.
Technology also seems functional out at sea, in the air, and especially out in space, where magic doesn't seem to currently exist.
Electronics on the other hand don't seem specifically targeted, but due to their nature, seem exceptionally easy to attack. Devices using electricity in high magic areas must be built tough, simple, and resistant to a large range of conditions. Often things like light bulbs, space heaters, and some power tools can work well, assuming the region can support the infrastructure to generate electricity to begin with. Many Aistorian cities can support electric lights, heating, and even things like radios, though those devices fail out in the country side.
Vehicles must also be built simply, and must not rely on electronics for basic functions. Engines are prone to misfiring and stalling in high magic areas, though well used roads seem to take to cars quite readily. Trains, seem robust enough work well once a route is established. Diesel engines seem to run best under magic conditions, at least once they get started.
The general trend is that technology is slowly returning to the world. It is theorized that the bitter dead souls from the end of the world are finally finding peace. Shiv also keeps pushing its boundaries, while also launching things like satellites, which have allowed for cellphones to work int he regions that can support them.
F-Clips and Other Adaptions
F-Clips basically act as a magazine of redundant fuses. As aether most often attacks points of weaknesses, fuse clips in a sense act as replaceable 'bait'. Disposable F-Clips are the most reliable, as a device will simply turn off if all the fuses are broke. Many batteries have F-Clips built in so they can be replaced at the same time. These allow some simple devices to operate in otherwise hostile environments.
Repeater-Clips, featuring resettable fuses can be used in some parts of the world where the magic presence is weak. With a repeater clip, a device to occasionally 'click' as fuses cycle to maintain operation. The downside to this is bulk and lessened protection. Devices like this, by measuring the click-rate, can be used like a geiger counter to measure the rough magical. Some devices automatically shut down if the fuse is excessively triggered.
While trucks can work on major roads, zeppelins, boats, and trains are the most viable transportation methods in the New World... besides horses, obviously.
Magical Objects and Elements
Magical objects are objects that, like humans, contain "souls". Or less of a soul as we think of it, but still a similar type of astral imprint. Magical items like this cannot simply just be made (at least not easily), they come to exist. Cherished items, items with history, or items carried by someone powerful. A trusty sword, a wedding ring, even a beloved teacup can become a magical relic.
As time goes on, the item might slowly warp and change subtly, taking on the characteristics that have been ascribed to it. A sharp knife gets sharper, a giant sword gets bigger, and a diamond ring becomes more beautiful. Such imprinting can even permanently lock in flaws. An old, unused heirloom sword may lock itself forever in a state of disrepair.
The most immediate change though, is durability. Objects with a soul become near indestructible, a state which is called adamant. While indestructibility isn't particularly useful for most items, many are useful for spell engraving. A spell engraved onto an adamant object will be both small, reliable, and very magically conductive.
The act of changing an adamant item is called coaxing. A skilled engraver can brute force a small, thin engraving, forcing little scratches onto an object. More extreme acts, like reforging a broken sword (Adamant weapons are NEAR indestructible), require a rare type of magic empathy, to hold the item, appreciate it, and have a clear vision of what it was and what it could be. By "convincing" the object of its future, one, through likely through personalized rituals and processes, can change or rebuild an otherwise unchanging object.
The other side of things is magical elements. An adamant nodule of ore wouldn't be worth much to a blacksmith who would be incapable of working it. But there exists imbued ores, which are naturally magically conductive. Not all elements are easily findable (and even fewer, creatable), as they tend to exist in magically very active areas. Since mountains tend to be magically active, magical gold, copper, and silver are the most common, sometimes informally called orichalcum (at least around Aistoria).
These materials can be used for many purposes, but one of the most common uses is hammering it paper thin into mageleaf which is used for inlaying spell engravings.
Another use is that magical materials, when charged with magical or electric currents, shift parts of their existence to the astral plane. In wildly magic areas, imbued materials might even float. The most common use for this effect is airships, where charged nitrogen can be used to create a self sustaining 'astral vacuum', producing much greater lift by volume than even hydrogen and is fortunately one of the magical materials easiest to artificially make. Imbued ores are also used by Shiv for land ships, heavy levitating warships that patrol the deserts of the Weiss.
At a deeper level, magical elements are created with praetons and aetherons. Praetons are magical protons, while aetherons take the place of of neutrons. Magical materials tend to collect aetherons, leading to magical isotopes, also known as anotopes.
Adamant objects are objects where many of the object's protons have been replaced with praetons, where imbued elements are ones that contain aetherons, which attract aether.
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Categories: Magic