Lamenary

A lamenary is a thaumaturgical device, designed to perform a specific function, in response to a trigger action. Lamenaries are often created to perform simple or repetitive tasks, such as thaumaturgical lamps or shields for personal protection.

Bigger devices are called indjinns, particularly if they are large and static, such as siege indjinns developed during the Orphans War. Lamenaries tend to be smaller and more portable devices for personal use.

A lamenary is any kind of object with an elemental bound to it. The elemental is almost always a silf, seeing as these are the easiest to instruct and control, but there are accounts of past magisters using other elementals to create capricious lamenaries of enormous power.

The bound elemental is given instructions to perform a pre-prepared set of actions in response to a physical trigger, either a mechanical trigger like pressing a lever or turning a knob, or vocal, such as a keyword or phrase. The trigger is often concealed so as to prevent accidental or malicious use, limited only by the ingenuity of its creator. During the creation of a lamenary, the elemental becomes physically integrated with the object. Being integrated with a physical object allows the elemental to be more powerful, but most importantly, it anchors the elemental to one place. Therefore the object must contain a large proportion of ferrous metal, such as nickel, iron or steel.

Almost any kind of object can be made into a lamenary, but for the sake of convenience they are usually something that can be worn, such as belts, rings, circlets, bracelets, pendants or armour.

Lamenaries have been made in many cultures throughout history, most famously the ancient devices of the Godmen and the civilisations of Traithe and Miyarris. In modern times, many of the relics and badges of office of the great Mother Church of Ororr are in fact lamenaries, bestowing holy powers on their bearers.

In the Natorn Archipelago the most ingenious devices were created by the Indjinneers of the Rasian Academy. Traditionally the masters of Rasia only sanctioned the creation of lamenaries for short-term use, such as to perform repetitive manual tasks, or for personal defence. Magisters consider it cruel to trap an elemental inside a lamenary for an extended period. Elementals trapped for decades inside a device can fade and die, or can be driven twisted and mad by longterm confinement, corrupting their original design and making their use dangerous and unpredictable. In long-unused lamenaries, the elemental can even destroy itself and the object while struggling to get free.

Therefore the Academy ruled that devices must be properly cared for and maintained, and must be returned to Rasia either on the death of the bearer, or the magister who created it. Despite this rule, many lamenaries were lost or forgotten, and are unearthed found from time to time. Most of them are crushed and dead, their life essence long having leaked away, but devices left lying in the ground or cellar near an earth line can slowly gain strength over time, but they become so twisted and corrupted by frustration and confinement that they are incredibly dangerous to use except in the hands of a highly skilled magister.

The great advantage of lamenaries is that they can instantly perform their intended function.

The priesthood and government of Ororrplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigOrorr

Ororr [o-ROARR, ɒ̝rɔ'ɾ], also called the Holy Motherland of Ororr, is a theocratic nation in Anásthias, one of the world's great powers. It the largest nation in the world, perhaps the largest empire in history, occupying the entire northwest of the continent between the mountains and the sea. Ororrlanguagelanguagelanguage use a great many devices, manufactured by the priest-adepts at Foratuna, where they are alleged to be holy artefacts blessed by their Goddess.