Gozis Phylactery

Gozis Phylacteries are specially prepared bottles that contain raw magic inside. They appear as ordinary glass vessels, but with rust-colored mist that glows from within hovering inside. This trapped power is often of incredible strength, and is a potent tool for casters to enhance their abilities.
In the decades following The Shattering, when magic devastated the land and was itself broken and corrupted, the surviving casters attempted to cope with the sudden changes. One problem they had was the irregular distribution of magic across the land. A caster could not count on there being a significant amount of magical power in any given place.
A caster known as Zadicus Gozis worked tirelessly to create a method of capturing and keeping raw magic, bottling it for later use. Many apprentices died in the testing of various techniques, until finally, Gozis mastered the secret of bottled power. He shared his findings with as many of the surviving casters as he could locate. One, in particular, is infamously known for having published the ritual steps for the creation of such a phylactery in the self-titled "Latimer's Grimoire of Adustment," along with many other methods to ease the effects the casters were experiencing.
Today, the making of Gozis Phylacteries is strictly controlled, with most countries banning private ownership of Latimer's work. Creation of a new phylactery by rogue casters is often punished harshly by the law, as they are seen as quite dangerous and deadly explosives. A small phylactery was dropped in the town of Farham in the early days after the Shattering, and there is only a crater left where the town sat.
The most dangerous facet of the Gozis Phylactery, though, is that a caster need only exhaust a small fraction of the magic that they are able to harvest and store. This allows for casters to once again attempt Great Works of power, endangering us all. Even civic regulation is no comfort. For example, in the kingdom of Polira, it is rumored that the Sanguine Tower holds stockpiles of phylacteries within the Keep walls.

Manufacturing process

To create the Gozis Phylactery, one first must prepare the vessel. A heavy glass bottle is taken and the stopper removed. The vessel is thickly coated with quicksilver on the inside, so no part can be seen through. Then the aqua fortis and aqua vitae are carefully added in turn, and the stopper replaced. The caster draws some small amount of magic and channels it through the phylactery whilst reciting the "Spell of Enchantment." If done correctly, the reagents will combine and vanish, and the bottle will once more appear ordinary to the eye.
The caster then engraves the metal plate with the symbols described in the "Sigils of Entrapment," being careful to inscribe them exactly. The plate and the prepared bottle are set in the physical location correspoonding to a pool of magical energy on the mystic plane, and the final recitation, the "Spell of Calling," is read aloud. The caster then sets a small amount of magic in motion, causing a whirlpool on the mystic plane, centered around the bottle. If all has been correctly prepared, the phylactery will serve as a funnel at the bottom of the whirlpool, and all nearby magic, both active and latent, will be drawn inside. The stopper is returned to its place, and the magic lies trapped, awaiting use by the caster.

by Nightflyer0ne via Midjourney

Item type

Magical

Creator

Zadicus Gozis

Raw materials & Components

• One thumb thick glass bottle with sealing stopper
• Three drams of aqua fortis
• Two gills of aqua vitae
• Large vial of quicksilver - enough to coat the interior of the bottle
• Copies of 'Sigils for Entrapment,' 'Spell of Enhancement" and 'Spell of Calling' from Latimer's Grimoire of Adjustment
• One-fifth of a rod diameter bronze metal plate inscribed with the proper diagrams and sigils (see 'Sigils of Entrapment')
• Ensorcelled pool or other gathering of magic