Artifice. The art of crafted spells

The art of crafting magic into physical objects is not one isolated to just humans. Any intelligent being that could use magic at one point had a thought that sounded similar to: "Wow, even though I have cosmic, world bending powers, it would be handy to have some of those powers set into a more permanent object so I use it without needing all that concentration and energy I usually have to use. That would be great."

... Whatever the motivation, crafting a magically enchanted item was a sound idea. Done properly, a magical item can do almost anything a mage could do. Some items were made to supplement a mage's abilities, some boosted them, some even provided completely bizarre and strange new powers to the user.

One of the appealing parts of magically enchanted items is the fact that almost anyone can use the item instead of a spell just being able to be cast by a mage. Should a mage be able to throw fire from his hand make a glove that does the same, anyone wearing the glove should be able to use it to throw fire, so long as they can fulfill the requirements to activate it.

Those requirements could be anything so long as it can be considered a trigger. Pressing a button, making a certain hand sign, saying a trigger word, or touching with a drop of blood are the most commonly accepted methods to activate items. Other conditions could exist.

Some items, however, are created by someone powerful enough to make them able to have a constant effect.  These are fueled by some other source, subtly subsume the surrounding energy in the environment, or are granted so much power that they run little risk of running out for centuries. However they're achieved, such powerful objects are sought after by any who know of their ability.

There is some importance to the material of the item crafted. Firstly the purity of the material. Magic works equally well in steel as it does wood, depending on the purity of both materials. Steel that is poorly made, or of a bad mixture of minerals, will resist the flows of power and reduce the efficiency of an item. Rarer metals are better, silver and gold being favorites for crafting as they are relatively easier to get ahold of. Platinum, and other extremely rare metals, provide even better results. No matter what material, the purity of the material being used is extremely important. The standard purity of a metal accepted by ironsoul mages is 85%, while mages such as the Archmagus only work with metals of 98% purity or higher. Metal Enchanted items are a signature of Ironsoul mage craftsmanship

Woods that have been artificially treated with strange chemicals or drawn from young trees would be similarly reduced in efficiency. Though speculated at why, it had been found that the heartwood of a tree is particularly effective, with better results the greater the age of the tree. Some groves in the Elven country of Salthimere have a variety of trees grown in geomantically optimal locations, tended to by some of the best woodshapers in the dual monarchy. They can use their ability to extract the needed type, age, and volume of heartwood without causing their trees much more than mild irritation. Wood Enchanted items are a signature of Salthimere mage craftsmanship.

Stones and other minerals like crystal structures are used by all races, but were once the specialty of Dwarven mages. Many of their secrets were lost with the disappearance of the race thousands of years ago, though some of their edifices are existant to this day, a testament to the durability of their crafting techniques. Only the Mercanians were close to the dwarves in terms of ability to work stones and crystals. As with metals and woods, the more pure the base material, the better that power could run through it.

Regardless of the material used, the act of Enchanting an object changes it. Not counting the actual effect it was enchanted for, the object enchanted resists decay far more effectively than a mundane counterpart. The power flowing through it keeps the material in peak condition. It also reinforces the structure of the object, making it harder to damage. The more powerful the enchanted object, the harder it is to scratch/cut/break. This is exceedingly helpful for magical objects made of very pure rare materials, like silver, gold, willow, or sandstone. Tales exist of crystal orbs made by mages surviving the collapse of a stone tower directly on top of it, or mages who had used their staves to block attacks that would have cut through a foot of stone. Enchanted buildings have remained undamaged amidst widespread destruction.

The practice of making such enchanted objects is extremely difficult, though by every right worth the effort. The crafter needs to know everything relating to the object they're making. This means they need to know everything about the materials being used (percentage of purity, weight, dimensions, etc.) the tools being used, and most importantly the effect being wrought. It's possible to 'estimate' the values of the base materials, but a mage cannot spitball the magical know-how behind the effects they're trying to evoke. If they want to make an object that does something, they better research the magic behind that thing. An example would be researching spells that create light in order to make a crystal that sheds light on command. Without a proper grasp of the principles, one could make an enchanted object that is either inefficient or one that outright fails. Even worse, being misinformed about the principles used can cause the object to work, but to disastrous ends.

As with any degree of mastery, the better a mage knows what he's doing, the more effective their craftsmanship would be. The aforementioned light crystal could require activation and only work for a few minutes before being inoperable for the rest of the day when made by a novice, but once mastered the same crafter could make a crystal that always sheds light without needing to shut down and was far clearer and brighter than the original.

Example Object:
Apprentice Grady is trying to build a staff that spews fire like a miniature dragon. He procures the wood, metals, and tools, and sets to work using a fire spell he learned a month ago to create the object. weeks of work later, he finishes. It works, spraying flame when a trigger word is spoken, but it's rather lacking. The weak flames only reached out about ten feet and Grady could only get it to work once before he had to refill the stave with power.

Grady's master, Magus Randal Grey, wants to show him how to do it. With finer materials procured and high quality tools, he uses the very same spell he taught his apprentice in the crafting... but he had learned it a century ago and had been practicing with it regularly. His staff worked spectacularly. The flames where white hot and reached three times as far, and required only a tiny trickle of power to not only fuel the spell, but to activate it. To anyone else, he could just point and shoot without any unnecessary actions. The power requirements were so low, that even a normal human could have the energy to activate the staff at least once.

While the difference in the power of the staves were vast, the principles were the same. Only experience, superior tools and materials, and more intimate understanding of the spells involved made Magus Grey's staff better. With practice and time, Apprentice Grady would be able to make an object of similar power.