D-wire

From Mizahar Lore

Current revision as of 17:16, 15 December 2009

"It was the first day of class, and we were all excited, especially the boy sitting next to me, a freckled redhead with a large round face. He raised his hand and asked Master Simmons, our General Magic teacher, why there were metallic wires connecting all desks to the instructor's. Master Simmons complimented the boy and said he had been awaiting that question, then he pushed a lever on his end of the desk. I jerked back as a big spark burst from under the boy's seat, running raw energy through him for several seconds. A tool of betterment, Master Simmons called it." - Vuld Shaik, "Magic and I"

Djed flowing through a D-wire strand.

D-wire (also known as Djed-wire, Djedsmitter or just the Wire) is a metallic wire, usually made from copper or gold, that can transmit all kinds of magical energies over its length. It was widely used before the Valterrian, especially in public facilities, though the metallurgy involved in its fabrication has made it rarer in the present time. It is still a favorite target of scavengers when found in ancient ruins, as it can easily sell for 10 Miza per meter. D-wire is normal metal treated with Glyphing to give it magical conductivity. It can transmit all forms of Djed, including Gnosis. D-wire has a multitude of uses, but above all it allows to distribute power from a single source to a number of smaller magical applications.

History

When Queen Asbelia Nymkarta of Alahea issued an edict in 2779 BV for the total renovation of the Royal Academy of Magic, she had grand plans of fully automatic buildings with hundreds of magical lights lined up in the corridors and halls, aura mirrors giving health check-ups and more extravagant displays of magical advancement. It was clear that going about it the old way would be an exorbitant burden upon the royal coffers. Even the state could not afford for every light to be an item of Magecraft, which is very expensive even at the lowest levels and really overkill for such simple applications.

Various solutions were proposed, like turning the lights into simpler Glyphing items that would be recharged every few days or so, but the Queen would not have such gimmicks used on her pride and joy. Knowing the Queen's axe-happy tendencies, her advisors doubled their efforts and eventually realized that if they could generate all the Djed from a few sources and then distribute it around the building, the total cost would drop to a tiny fraction. The wizards manifactured a wire that could do so effectively and, they hoped, safely. A single magecrafted stone would provide the energy for the lights, which would then be passed to hundreds of mundane lamps. The mirrors would require some more Glyphing switches, but were likewise doable.

D-wire triggered a minor magical revolution, allowing for more magic to enter people's lives. It also accelerated magical research and made it possible to carry out bolder experiments than ever before. It was not long before Suvan copied the device due to its simplicity. Wizards at the time wondered why nobody had ever thought of this before.

Structure

D-wire is just one or more strands of metal wire bundled together. The metal is generally copper, though gold is much safer when dealing with high energies, because of its stability and higher fusion point. If flexibility is not a concern, thin bars can replace the strands without a problem. D-wire is usually encased in lead tubing with insulating glyphs to prevent it from interacting with the environment. These pipes were quite a common sight in many public buildings and wealthy private houses from the third millennium BV onwards, which can help archaelogists date an unknown location.

Creation

Before the Valterrian, manifacturing D-wire was a skill and a trade with masters, journeymen and apprentices. Mediocre wizards who could not hope for a leading role in the community often fell back to forging D-wire since the job paid considerably well.

Wire is produced through normal metallurgy. Small amounts are not overly difficult for a smith to produce, though in antiquity there were forges in which metal was drawn through plates to produce long measures of wire. Such means of production have mostly disappeared, making D-wire much more prized.

The metal cools down for at least three days in special water basins whose walls are covered in intricate Glyphing patterns requiring an Expert or better. The lead casing is not necessary, though it will reduce risks of fires and other incidents taking place.

Notes

Any form of magic can pass through the wire if brought into an ethereal form. Travel is near-instantaneous when the wire is in top condition. There have been many creative uses for D-wire over the centuries. For example, it was discovered that a person's astral body can travel through D-wire. Some wizard fraternities used this as an initiation rite due to its danger: if some other energy crosses the wire at the same time, the result is often lethal.