07. Technology and Magic

Water is a precious commodity in Anselm because of its proximity to the ocean. As a result, steam-powered engines are in common use.

Coal and wood power are still relied on heavily, however—anything to keep the cogs of mechanical genius moving along steadily. All methods still require a heavy amount of manpower to keep going, so the industrial sector is never without demand for young, strong working men. Factories are set up near the harbour for such heavy work, and it's common work for peasants in Anselm.

As previously stated, most things use cogwheels and steam to work; electricity is something that just hasn't been used practically yet, difficult to harness to the point that most would rather use magic for lighting. For the most part, however, the town is lit up with gas and oil lamps, and there are low paying jobs for lamplighters as a result.

As for personal technology, these are rather limited to things like pocket watches and, if you have enough money saved, typewriters—considered quite valuable because of the current demand for books. Most homes are heated with wood stoves and furnaces, though some use primitive gas stoves for cooking. Because plumbing is generally advanced in Anselm, upper class citizens have the luxury of showers while those in lower class stick to baths, but even baths in the majority of houses don't have to be drawn out and manually heated—this has been mostly left behind and only shows up in some peasant homes or in houses that are on the outskirts of Anselm.

Transportation is limited to horses and horse-drawn carriages, though some are beginning to make use of crude bicycles. Ships are made of wood and can be quite elaborate and large; galleons are a common sight in Anselm Harbour. Unfortunately, the technology to fly hasn't been created, and though many scholars work at making flying contraptions, none have ever worked out yet.

A lot of technologies that were previously distinct from magic have mixed together, a common practice with skillful alchemists, who infuse the two successfully, the most prominent example being homunculi.

Magic falls under two distinct categories:
• Elemental
• Dark/Light (Eternal magic)

Elemental magic is usually practiced by witches to some extent, and uses the four elements (Water, Air, Fire, and Earth) either together or separately—most common—for a number of different reasons.

Elemental magic is commonly used, and easier for humans to learn than light or dark magic. Usually people are adept in only one subtype, like water elemental users or air, though most have a little knowledge in another field. It's rare to see someone adept in two or more fields, however. It's also uncommon for dark/light magic adepts to also have any skill in elemental magic.

Fire adepts are usually action-oriented, fiery, motivated people. They're also the ones with most practical employment, as fire is quite useful to generate or even just manipulate. Water adepts are more thoughtful and introverted, calm and emotional, usually artists. Air adepts are logical, cool-headed magic users, tending to find themselves in scholarly positions in life. Earth adepts are most in tune with the energies of the earth and nature, and tend to make the hardest working alchemists and witches.

Dark magic is practiced easily by demons, while light magic comes naturally to angels; it's therefore called Eternal magic, as they commonly use it. However, its use is nowhere near limited to Eternals, as humans and other species harness it. Dark magic is considered destructive and offensive while light magic is considered to be healing and defensive, but both have their own ways to be used for good or for bad. It's not uncommon to see dark magic used in glamour spells and barriers (light magic has its own barriers, mostly to protect from demonic presence, while dark is used for a lot of things). Light magic can be used to harm as well as summon spirits for offensive purposes.

Necromancy and divination use dark magic, so both practices are looked down on. Prayer tends to up the light energy in the atmosphere, so it is a sort of spell in itself. Praying to nature gods brings about the respective elemental energy called on. Alchemists use various types of magic, usually dark and light in combination, as well as some elemental, to breathe life into their homunculi.

Magic users come from all backgrounds; being adept is something in-born, though some spells can be learned if a person trains hard enough. The Church tends to look down on all forms of non-light magic as unholy, but even they recognize its practicality, and so being a magic adept isn't illegal or looked down on for the most part. The use of dark magic tends to be a bad thing no matter what.