The science of solarpunk magic and ongoing challenges

Table of Contents

Magic is an energy that circulate through the world in invisible currents moving through—and sometimes interacting with—physical matter. Specifically, magic has a high affinity for metals of all types. This has allowed living organisms to accumulate a finite reservoir of magic inside their body that slowly replenish with time.
All of these organisms have evolved the ability to manipulate the magic in their body through the use of metalloproteins—proteins carrying metal atoms that can bind and unbind magic particles. Humans in particular have developed highly sophisticated way to use magic.

Active magic

Active magic is defined as magic that is directly channeled and by the users at the moment when they need it. In its purest form, it is "raw magic", i.e. a ball of magic sent at an enemy. However nowadays, most magic is bi and combine active and passive magic.

Duelling +/- weapons: using magic externally to attack and defend; e.g. sending a fireball, making a shield.

Crafting/physical works +/- channeling tools: using magic internally to reinforce your muscles and senses and assist in your work; e.g. woodworker, butcher.

Healing / cursing +/- potion: using magic to affect another human body, positively or negatively.

Rituals: combine runic diagram, magical materials, and symbolism to make use of ambient magic; e.g. land fertility rituals, weather control.

Passive magic

Passive magic uses devices to channeling and control magic. Pure passive magic is entirely independent of any human intervention once triggered, but reaching this stage is incredibly complex and so it is rarely done.

Enchanting +/- runic diagrams to anchor them: infusing an object with magic to give it new properties; e.g. fancy magical artefacts, weapons, every day tools.

Alchemy, smithing, bioengineering: to craft objects in particular for enchantment, with alchemy altering their inner properties, smithing the physical form of objects, and bioengineering that of plant and fungi; e.g. the domi moss used in houses.

Potion: Combining materials and their inner magic to obtain a new solution with interesting properties; e.g. medications, paints, potions used in alchemy.

Recent innovations

There have always been a few big challenges in the use of magic:
Reaching higher level of powers: People have always wanted to be stronger than they are and to use magic for longer than they are able to. This has been partially achieved through the use of magic reservoir. However, while the magic so accumulated can be injected into artefacts and plants, it cannot be absorbed in the human body. Yet.
Technologies: Flying carriages, mass production manufacture sites.
Reaching higher level of complexity: Enchantments are limited in complexity by the quality of the runic diagrams anchoring them. Mathematics have long managed to achieve incredibly complex diagrams, but their physical representations struggled to catch up. Until now. First, by going infinitely large with gigantic architectures, now by going infinitely small by anchoring magic inside plants and fungi.
Technologies: communication hub, house wards, adjustable houses.
Easier to practice (and so cheaper) magic: New techniques dividing the crafting of artefacts into small stackable parts has allowed for mass production. Research led by one of the emperor's soulmates, Gauthier.
Technologies: clipsed wards
Immortality: Extending one's lives has always been humanity's dream. The first serious attempt was done through mutating the cells of baby, however this magic has quickly become taboo—at least in the empire]. Focus is now turning to another method: the creation of a miracle magic-anchor plant medication. Research led by one of the emperor's soulmates, Ivain.
Technology: taboo magic, magic-anchor plant medication and herbonumenologists.

Nowadays, enchanting was simply the best magical field: it allowed for incredibly complex magic that would always best pure active magics in the end, while having a lot more versality that its boisterous cousin, runes. It could be as quick and easy to cast as its practitioner's skills were high, and would always be able to solve all problems. It was also very prestigious thanks to how exclusive mass production had made the field.
And so, Hélène had very naturally chosen to become an enchantress. Runing away from her wealthy and powerful family was one thing, losing all social status and accepting a place at the bottom of society was quite another!

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Related articles

The science of solarpunk magic and ongoing challenges

Fields of magic Mineral vs organic magitech · Taboo magic and the dangerous mutated animals it creates · Enchanting · Runic diagrams · Herbonumenology—healing with magic-anchoring plants and fungi Materials Domi moss—the carnivorous household moss · Lime wood in magical artefacts Magitechs Communication hub · Fixed wards, clothes wards, and portable wards · Adjustable house technology · Magic reservoirs · Flying carriages · Programmed magic · Languages of the empire and translation magic · Magicless techs