Mage's Bane is a mineral substance imbued with natural magic that inhibits Epzinic magic in a radius around it. Though it is relatively expensive to produce, its use is widespread in Gera, in the the form of pendants, weapons, constructions, and more. Any human touching a Mage's Bane item that's larger than a thimble, or even is just in the vicinity of a large enough volume of Mage's Bane, is completely unable to utilize Epzinic magic. However, they are also completely protected from telekinesis, repel Epizinic barriers, and are even somewhat protected from heat and light-based Epzinic attacks.
Creation[ | ]
Mage's Bane is created by refining soil dug from a certain through a series of chemical processes. Though it is found throughout the entire continent of Gera, the concentration of Mage's Bane is strongest in the Laseet Island Chain and western Vos, and as such it is there that most Mage's Bane refineries are. Mage's Bane is present in very small concentrations; even in the richest areas, a cube of soil the height of a man yields about few grains of Mage's Bane, and making a pendant takes about a five hundred cubes worth of soil.
History[ | ]
For all of recorded history, it has been known that burying a human mage in the soil at a certain depth slightly weakened their magical ability. Migelayn legends, and later the Scrolls state that this represents Mighel's warning to humanity that they should not cower underground, as the ancestors of the Migelayn did. Waioloyan mythology, on the other hand, often attributed this effect to the earth itself asserting its power over humanity.
The Western Wai were the first to make use of Mage's Bane for offensive purpose, though not in the refined form used today. In the creation of their metal armor, they would add some soil to the molten metal that would be forged into armor. This gave it a slight resistance against Epzinic magic, which, when fighting Zeminarans, did increase the odds of victory slightly. Some Western Wai tribes would even coat themselves in the soil before battle for a small boost to their Epzinic resistance, though this practice would fall out of favor after it was noticed that it also slowed magical healing. This practice eventually spread to Efsisi and the empires around it by Geran Year 600, who refined the process and began to use it in weapons as well, and from their knowledge of this process spread throughout the world.
This technology remained relatively stagnant until the late 1100s. Wen Sleni, scientist and polymath from the kingdom of Chela, was the first person to isolate the specific mineral in the soil that blocked Epzinic magic.
Limitations[ | ]
In addition to other types of Epzinic magic, Mage's Bane blocks all magical healing, which can be detrimental on the battlefield.
The effects of Mage's Bane, like all substances that employ natural magic, will weaken and eventually cease to function with use. How fast it weakens is directly proportional to how much Epzinic magic it stops; the average person with a Mage's Bane pendant can expect it to last 100 or even 200 years even if they wear it daily, and as such Mage's Bane artifacts are often passed through families. Someone who frequently faces mages in combat, however, will likely have to change pendants every 2 to 5 years.