Lythmason
Tuning a lithid crystal into a usable lyth is no easy task. The stone must be inspected for flaws, cut, polished, and carefully inscribed with the desired spell - often in writing so small that it is impossible to read with the naked eye. Mistakes must be discarded, and on larger crystals this can be quite costly.
A lythmason may specialize in one of several processes, or they may offer complete services, turning a raw crystal into a finished lyth. An accomplished lythmason with a full range of skills is more valuable and thus less employable, often forcing them to take on freelance work. Earning the title of lythmeister can help bring in high-end clients, but this recognition is difficult to obtain for a variety of reasons.
Career
Qualifications
To become a lythmason, a prospective worker must have a steady hand, good eyesight, and great patience. Each step of the process requires all three of these qualities in good measure, from scrupulously inspecting the raw crystal for dangerous flaws to unerringly inscribing the spell on its surface. While some companies hire untrained workers for the jobs of inspecting, cutting, and polishing, few will invest in the training required to scribe the stone. If one wishes to be a lythscribe, they must apprentice under an independent lythmason.
Career Progression
Lythmasons start as apprentices, often tasked with the first few stages of polishing while their master carries out the rest of the process, including the final polish. Slowly, they will be taught more, from the full range of polishing to the cutting and then inspecting of stones. Scribing the stone is always taught last - and not every apprentice will graduate from this stage, as it is the most demanding. The writing on the stone is so small it requires magnification to appear as anything more than rows of squiggly scratches.
Operations
Tools
Tools used in the process of lythmasonry are similar, or even exactly the same, as those used in other professions. Cutting and polishing tools are identical to their stoneworking counterparts.
The engraving tool is similarly versatile, and due to its wide range of applications there are many customization options - from nib width, grip size, and balance charms to different colored/sized feathers. Three small power lyths function as a battery, and must be replaced when they are spent. The nib is changed out even more frequently, as it must be exceedingly sharp to deliver a crisp font.
Provided Services
It is important to note that lythmasons are not spellscribes. A lythmason will commonly have access to cantrips and most first-level spells, and some may have a handful of second or even third-level spells. However, a lythmason cannot create a new spell for a client, nor can they craft a lyth for a spell whose formula they lack. Some lythmasons - especially lythmeisters - do dabble in spellscribing in the hopes of bringing in more clients (and keeping more of their profits), but this is the exception to the rule.
Dangers & Hazards
The unfortunate reality of lythmasonry is that the dangers of a poorly crafted lyth are passed on entirely to the user, and do not threaten the lythmason at all. Some might consider this a boon - that they are in no danger during their work - but for others, this knowledge weighs on their conscience, burdening them with the worry of injuring, maiming, or even killing their customers. For this reason, the inspection process is critical, and lithids are inspected not only at the start but again after each careful cut. Pockets of condensed arcane energy, when used by a spell, can cause anything from a strange quirk to massive explosions.
Alternative Names
Lythmaker
Type
Arcane
Famous in the Field
Other Associated professions
Ranks & Titles
