Enchanting is a craft.
Runes and magic circles are inscribed on objects, powered by the will of a soul.
Depending on the enchanting spell and the type of finished product required, the material of the enchanted object also requires considerable consideration.
Enchanting a weapon with a Destruction spell, the result is, of course, a magical weapon, with spells firing one after another like a table tennis match. However, it damages the weapon itself and consumes energy quickly. Once the stored energy is depleted, it needs to be replenished with a soul stone filled with souls.
For armor, it is suitable to enchant Alteration or Restoration spells. Normally, Destruction spells are not used. The product is magical armor, and the effect can last a very long time, usually for years or even thousands of years after the initial enchanting, depending on the size of the soul stone used.
Enchanting soft materials like paper and cloth can create scrolls, which are simple and convenient, but expensive.
After all, soul stones are rare, and each time a soul stone is filled, it requires killing. The larger the soul stone, the larger the soul of the deceased needed. Souls can be captured through Conjuration's Soul Trap. However, human souls can only be absorbed by black soul stones.
Each enchanting and recharging process completely destroys a soul stone.
It is said that the Daedric Prince Azura's artifact, Azura's Star, which she left in the mortal realm, can infinitely imprison and release white souls, with a single capacity equivalent to a grand soul stone. Its corrupted form, The Black Star, can store human souls, making it a very useful tool. The Dark Elf priestess Simon met at the altar that day was actually planning for him to find Azura's Star.
He should definitely go look for it when he has time.
soul stones are a high-consumption item, especially for magical weapons; a single battle might deplete the stored energy, requiring a replenishment of souls.
Aside from legendary divine weapons, ordinary materials are not suitable for crafting enchanted weapons, as they are likely to be torn apart by the violent magical energy.
Simon had a petty soul stone on hand, one of the relics of the person who fell to his death in the glacial crevice.
Just then, Jonas bought a spellbook for summoning Soul Trap, and Simon studied it for a while… he was somewhat captivated by Conjuration.
This is also very interesting!
Conjuration is also a large school that mixes many branches.
One type is summoning Daedra, such as Fire Elementals, Frost Elementals, Storm Elementals, and Daedric warriors. This is done by forming a pact. The general process is that a mage first uses a summoning circle to sense these beings in Oblivion, and then reaches an agreement with them to sign a contract. They can be summoned at will during battle. However, if the mage is powerful enough, they can forcibly pull the entity over and enslave it; those are truly powerful individuals.
Another type is summoning weapons, projecting weapons from Oblivion to be used by the mage. Generally, these are Daedric weapons, with good effects and practicality. This type of spell might be a branch of mysterious shadow magic, which can connect to destroyed possibilities, and the weapon's projection is also a destroyed possibility of the weapon's Main unit.
Necromancy is also categorized under Conjuration at the College of Winterhold, and these spells are indeed inseparable from communicating with Oblivion. Resurrecting a corpse requires shaping The Core of a necromancer. Mages use the power of Oblivion to summon the souls of the dead drifting within it, twisting them anew to become undead under their control, and then inserting them into the corpse to complete the resurrection.
Spells are myriad and bizarre; there are countless paths to achieve similar effects, which is also the charm of magic. If successful, it's a new spell, even a new school. If it fails… failure is normal.
Simon studied summoning Soul Trap, and because it required relatively little magicka, he succeeded on his first try, summoning a blob of purple, transparent matter.
This is a Soul Trap, a tool similar to a creature. One end is a proboscis that can bite a creature's soul, causing continuous stinging. The other end is connected to a soul stone—if one is present. The main body is a long tube. When the creature bitten by the proboscis is killed, a soul siphon occurs, and by some pressure difference, or simply the Soul Trap's own suction, the soul is forced into the soul stone.
Its shape is serpentine; upon closer inspection, its head is like a shuttle, its tail like a flower, its body surface smooth and free of mucus, with annular dark patterns, emitting flagellum-like magical aura. In reality, it is merely a projection, possessing both the characteristics of an Oblivion creature and a summoned weapon, making it very peculiar.
Summoned creatures have a limited duration. If the objective is not achieved before they dissipate, they need to be re-summoned.
Simon repeatedly summoned the Soul Trap dozens of times, discovering that it was the same one each time. He named this consciousness-lacking tool the Soul-sucking Tapeworm.
The summoning process involves the consciousness wandering in the endless void of Oblivion. The spell's construct shapes a beacon that attracts the designated summoned creature; otherwise, one can only rely on luck, like picking up a message in a bottle at sea, taking a long time to encounter something valuable.
Simon tried to dissect the Soul-sucking Tapeworm. Within its slender, tubular body, there were three other tubes: one pumped grayish-white Oblivion shadow energy, one pumped pale green blood, and one was hollow, seemingly an esophagus.
No nervous system was found; its actions were controlled by the shadow energy tube. This tube also had good storage capabilities for magical energy. Injecting magical energy after the Soul-sucking Tapeworm's internal Oblivion shadow energy was emptied would cause it to become excited.
After suffering severe damage, the Soul-sucking Tapeworm would return to Oblivion. When summoned back the next time, it was completely intact, indicating that each summoning was actually just a projection of its main body.
The Soul-sucking Tapeworm's blood also had good magical energy absorption properties, perhaps making it a good material for enchanting.
Simon's petty soul stone was filled after absorbing the soul of a goat, which was perfect for him to begin his first enchanting experiment.
[Spell Experiment]
Enchanting a steel longsword with fire damage.
Description: This is my first attempt at enchanting, and there are many points to note. The spell for this enchantment is 'Continuous Burn,' and the materials are one steel sword and the blood of a Soul-sucking Tapeworm.
Step One: Clean the longsword… Completed.
Step Two: Draw the draft… Completed.
Step Three: Draw the enchanting array… Completed.
Step Four: Enchant and charge… Success.
The soul stone shattered with a bang, and a deep stream of soul energy flowed into the steel sword. The finished product glowed with fiery red runes and was named 'Practice Piece No. 1.'
One aspect that Simon valued greatly about enchanting was that it didn't require him to expend his own magical energy, which meant infinite possibilities.
The most crucial part of enchanting is making the rune array work. Besides needing to perfectly engrave the runes, the key is the soul stone. However, a soul stone is not strictly necessary. In fact, the Destruction school has a spell that directly imprints a rune array onto a flat surface to act as a trap, which is also a form of enchantment.
If no soul stone is needed, then the energy consumption for maintaining the magical energy's operation must be addressed.
What if one enchanted the human body, activating the runes with human will?
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