Introduction

Before I begin to describe specific techniques and theory, I must acknowledge that some may be reading this book who, through either spectacular failure of education or having spent one's life beneath a rock of impressive magnitude, may not know the very purpose and method of the most basic of artifice, and thus I must describe in this introduction what any primary schooler should know. If you know even the most basics of artifice, I recommend passing this chapter by, but I cannot discount the possibility that some pitiable shepherd or urchin has found their way, by some freak stroke of luck, to this book, and I am bound to a virtue of education for even the most undeserving and least qualified, and this I must provide this introduction, so that the rest of my writing might become a bit more legible for those who have not been taught properly.

In our Acerbian Empire, artifice is the paramount art. You have certainly heard people discussing it if you speak our language. But what is artifice? What does it mean for something to be artificial? What does it mean to enchant an object?

To begin with, you’ve likely done it at some point in your life. Have you ever wished that the train would go faster, and then felt it pick up speed, almost inexplicably? The railways in most major Acerbian cities are designed, in fact, to run on artifice, on the consolidated desires of the passengers to get to their location. They are pre-enchanted as a conduit, but it is the desire of every single passenger that passes through that conduit, the sub-enchantments combining into the larger pool of artificial power, that moves the train.

Conduits and sub-enchantments are, of course, very complex matter. Most beginner enchantments are smaller. They say food is “made with love”, and indeed, a chef who truly loves their art may enchant their food even without meaning to, which would, in fact, make it more appealing. These enchantments may sometimes be unintentional. Many children discover their knack for artifice by accidentally flinging rocks at other children during more heated games. Artifice is, essentially, the infusing of an object with a strong intention. It is a desire made material.

Because of this, especially stubborn people tend to be more talented artificers, but this is not the only predictor of ability. In fact, to which degree one has the knack - the ability to translate their desires into reality - seems to be partially genetic and partially random. In Acerbis, Lucielle, and Al-Mushriq, it is rare to meet someone without some degree of a knack, even if that degree is relatively small. In Llygredyg, however, fifteen per cent of the population lack the knack entirely, and yet manage to live full and normal lives, just like anyone else. Shepherds entirely lack the knack, and most Reverenti ideologically refuse to practice artifice even if they have it. Their lives are harder for it, but they are by no means far different from you or me, and are far less so different from those who do not exercise their knack.

If you have the knack, you likely know it. Those with the strongest knack, whose family actively practiced artifice for generations, tend to manifest physical features. The "penumbra" is a common manifestation, common to specific types of artifice, which appears as a shadow spreading behind the holder. The appearance of a lack of pupils, too, can be a common manifestation. Contrary to a "penumbra", some have a “halo” - but there are countless manifestations. Those with weaker knacks likely have them as well, but they are so small as to not be detectable. It is posited that they physical differences of the Aogiya are, in fact, a manifestation themselves.

Now, if you have the knack, you have probably been taught the basics of how to repress it at school. If we all went enchanting things whenever we came into contact with them, this would be not only chaotic, but actively harmful. Though it has no negative side effects in the long term, and in fact increases, among other things, lifespan, bone density, and height, short term use of artifice will render the user with a deep exhaustion. The mental and physical exertion is great, and in extreme circumstances users may pass out or even die from the sheer strain which artifice puts on the user’s body. Different people have different tolerances, of course, and using a conduit will not cause the same sort of exhaustion, as the existing enchantment is essentially doing all the work for the user. For this reason, children are taught not to actively use their abilities to enchant anything, and are taught methods to keep themselves from accidentally doing something that would require an untimely trip to the hospital. It is when we reach higher education in artifice that we must unlearn these methods, and re-teach ourselves to use our natural talents without use of a conduit. However, even you, ordinary person that you presumably are, can begin to teach yourself to unlearn these very inabilities.

Try a short exercise. Pick up an object - a pen, for the sake of this exercise - and enchant it. Exert your will upon it, and with that exertion, force it to write a sentence of your choice without you touching it. It’s difficult, right? But you should, at the least, be able to make the pencil move on its own, however slightly. Congratulations! You have enchanted it.

At its core, this is artifice. Of course, there is more to learn - of conduits, as previously mentioned, of acquired manifestations, of the aether and its various properties, of the few unpredictable and heinous side effects of our glorious art and how best to prevent them, and of Them. There remains the curious question of the Shepherds and the Border Wilds, and, of course, the niche techniques certain artificers use, such as necromancy, chronomancy, and quantum aeromancy - none of which concern even those who have devoted most of their life to studying this art. Only time will tell which of these, if any, will ever be relevant to your life, but there will be at least a page in this tome about each, and you will be better off for understanding the bare basics of each intricacy of this art.

Now that you understand the very basics of what artifice is, you may continue to read this book, and get as much out of it as you wish. Whether you continue on to study artifice as a career path, or simply read this out of a passing interest, I bid you good luck.

Persephone Cross

Chancellor; Catacumba Institute of Artifice