Magitek (also known as
magitech, arcanotech or
technomantic artefacts) is the collective name given to any device or mechanism which makes use of the arcanic properties of
Thaumium or combines them with technological workings.
The exorbitant cost of magitek devices is attributed to the scarcity and astronomical price of thaumium. It is rarely employed in fields where economical alternatives exist but finds prominence in power generation and aerospace industries.
Use in industry
Magitek devices play a crucial role in fusion plants, moderating deuterium fusion with thaumic catalysts and protecting chambers from extreme temperatures. They also form the foundation of
Dive Drive assemblies, leveraging the piezothaumic properties of thaumium for cost-effective interplanetary travel.
A rapidly expanding application of magitek lies in cyberarcanic augmentations, encompassing biothaumic amplifiers and artificial limbs. Additionally, so-called 'magic items' are rare but exist, serving as expensive vanity tech or ancient relics from before the
Great Jump, designed to produce empirically verifiable spell effects.
Dive-Drives
The most well-known and most-used kind of magitek is probably the
Dive Drive. The thaumium assembly of these devices enables a ship to 'dive' through dimensions, thus allowing a cheap (if slow and esoteric) way to enable interplanetary travel. Like all magitek, dive-drives must be attuned prior to use, though given the complexity of such technology compared to that of a wand or foci, shipyards keep highly specialized arcane experts at hand to service ships in need of reattunement. A few vessels have their own ship's wizard to look after their dive-drive and other pieces of onboard magitek, who may or may not also be the ship's navigator or engineer, and most crews simply leave this position vacant.
Arcaneers
Beyond the economic limitations of magitek use, their very nature requires attunement by an expert
Spellweaver. Specialized weavers called
Arcaneers or
Alchemists attune power plants and dive-drives as necessary. Part magisters, part engineers, Arcaneers have gained a reputation for occult beliefs, as if magitek devices gained a life of their own, punishing those who would fail to take enough precautions around it. Arcaneers often perform rituals before any kind of machine work in order to appease the magitek spirits, coax them into safe operation, and avoid spiteful accidents.
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