TECHNOMAGIC,
an essay,
on the nature and purpose of techno-mechanical magic.
There are many forms of magic. On the world above, Spellfire and Moonfire, the Power and the Art are all well-known and studied aspects of the Weave. In the ancient enclave of New Imaskar, stranger and even more powerful forms of magic - Old Magic - are cultivated. The elves possess their High-Magic, and the dwarves their own brand of it. I left New Imaskar with the knowledge that a wider world awaited. In Sanctuary, narrowest of places, the widest window remains ajar - waiting to be opened.
Though I know so little of it, it is clear to me that the Machine of Sanctuary is an ancient and powerful thing, a creation to rival the mythals and spelljamming ships of old. But it lies entombed, rusted and lost, its secrets all but forgotten. The Order of the Spellguard, of which I am now part, is in prime, privileged position to bring about a revolution the likes of which the practice of magic has not seen in eons. The Machine is the key to Technomagic - a new and uncharted discipline of the many arcane arts.
Technomagic's power to change our world manifests itself in two manners - first, this discipline is the careful study of those evocations and enchantments necessary to power up magically what is essentially a mechanical construct - this expression of Technomagic is frequently seen in Sanctuary under the guise of animatrons, both friendly and hostile, all underlings, in some sense or another, of the Machine.
Second, and most important, must be the study of a new and different brand of conjuration - not the creation of amorphous clouds or the simple transport of beings from other planes to our own. Rather, in order to serve Technomagic fully, a conjurer would focus on a different goal: The conjuration of a Vessel of Sentience. Presently, our capability to interact with technomagical constructs is severely limited by the interfaces we utilize - most of Dunwarren's machinery was controlled by the Svirfnelbin through the use of rudimentary variable-input panels and other analog devices. I propose that, through the use of conjuration, a magical construct be devised, to house the complete consciousness of any living thing. In associating this Vessel of Sentience with a techno-magical device, we would, in effect, create a sentient machine, eliminating the need for interfacing. Direct interfacing of mind with machine would benefit any practitioner of techno-magic greatly. However, the elimination of the interface is but the first of many boons granted to the sentient in question. An ageless body, resistant to whatever we deign to armor ourselves against, capable of lifting a thousand stone with a single hand... Through the use of analog computing devices, the calculations necessary to run an entire city's worth of animatrons with virtually no waste could be made by a complex of machines housed in something no larger than a house. And, if linked to a human mind, these calculations would be interpreted to the full extent of human capacity - giving birth to a living machine capable of literally predicting the future.
And what of those who choose not to associate themselves so fully with machines? They, too, can benefit from the gift of Technomancy. Technomantic implants, capable of enhancing human skill to levels only temporarily achieved by magic, could be made to operate on the living energy of their subjects, and thus function for indeterminate periods of time. The loyalty of any servant can be ensured with an implant, attached either to the heart or the brain, that would instantly detonate upon remote activation by their masters. A person's mood and disposition can be altered, brutally or subtly, by a technomagical implant attached to their brain.
But great obstacles lie in the path of anyone inclined to try their hand at Technomancy. Certainly there are differences between the operation of machines and the thinking of humans - how do we eliminate these incompatibilities? How do we interface the living and the mechanical? The answers remain to be found. The possibilities are, however, endless. The search must continue.
- IK
