Mana Core

A Mana Core is an object that has been imbued with magical energy (or mana), that forms as one possible result of a magic storm.  Technically, this can happen with any object - a rock, a tree, even a person - but it is generally only considered a Mana Core if it is portable and not a living creature; they are common enough that one can afford to be picky.  These cores can be used as a power source for magical mechanisms or serve as the centrepiece of an Anchor, as they remain permanently linked to the magical field at the point where they were created.  The amount of power they can channel is reduced with how far the Mana Core has been removed from its origin (the place it was formed), though it remains viable as a power source for most purposes even several hundred miles from its origin.

Identification

Mana Cores cannot be identified by cursory inspection alone.  As any object can become one, physical qualities are not useful, and the occlusion of mana within the object has no active effect, making it invisible to the most common spells to detect magic, which are designed to filter out the confusing chaos of the natural magical field.  There is a rarely used variant of this spell, typically found on enchanted spectacles used specifically for this purpose, that allows the user to see the magical field directly.  Mana Cores glow with a unique signature when examined this way, but it can be difficult to pick out against the background field obscuring one's vision, particularly in areas outside of the influence of an Anchor, which is where Mana Cores are most often found.  Divination magic can often be helpful in identifying an area to search for a particular core, but due to the inherently imprecise nature of divination magic, it is all but impossible to identify the exact location and nature of the core.

History & Usage

Everyday use

The most common use of Mana Cores is in Anchors, draining mana from a region to suppress the dangerous effects of natural levels of mana in a region.  They are also commonly used to create sustainable magical enchantments and effects.  For example, a teleportation circle can be constructed with a Mana Core, and it will be able to send or receive travellers indefinitely; one created without a Core will usually only last a few seconds - a skilled mage can bump that up to a few minutes, but these circles tend not to last long enough to be used to receive incoming travellers, merely send outgoing ones.

Type

Metaphysical