The art of formationcraft is amongst the oldest branches of all human knowledge, having its origin in those misty years following the fall of the Draconic Dominions and the rise of the Spirit Blooded Kings. Though many scholars have attempted to trace the origin of the craft, their quests inevitably result in contradictory answers. The scholarly consensus on the matter is that Formationcraft has no single origin point, but rather arose independently in many locations, during that age, when man strove to rise up and become masters of the land.
All formationcraft does, however, arise from the tongue of Dragons. The five hundred characters of that language are too primitive for use in modern works, but it was from this soil that the ancient scholars grew the knowledge of our craft. The draconic language, and the characters which were developed from it are shapes which mirror certain qi reactions in the physical world, causing the natural energies of our world to behave in certain specific ways. The characters in formationcraft are not wholly physical, a mortal could in theory copy an array exactingly from a manual, but their work would be inert, as their lack of qi does not allow them to carve the characters spiritual dimensions.
There are three categories of formation craft, though the third is a relatively new innovation. The eldest branch of the art is that of arrays, which are the simplest of the arts in some ways, but whose sheer versatility and utility outstrips the other branches in most ways. An array is defined by its stasis. By fixing an array to a specific location in the world and attuning its characters to the specific flows of energy in that place, the crafter may create many and varied effects which are simply impossible for a Talisman of the same quality, without destroying the object in question upon use. Formations are made both vulnerable and flexible as well, due to the ability for them to be modified without collapsing the entire energy structure. This allows a degree of continuity between master and student, allowing works to be maintained and improved beyond their original makers lifetime if they have trained their apprentice well. However, there are limits to this, and even the most masterfully designed arrays will degrade across generations, even if one ignores the advancements in formations knowledge which will oft render them obsolete. One consequence of our advancement however is the need for ever greater power sources for our arrays. While the ancients could power their simple effects with the background qi of the environment, advanced and modern arrays beyond the beginner levels require a constant fuel source to remain active, typically spirit stones, though certain craftsmen use other sources, some of which are condemned. Be sure to consult your provincial Ministry of Law before attempting to use alternative sources.
Talismans then, are works which are meant to be mobile and active. Swords, jewelry, articles of clothing or armor, these are the typical sort of talismans. Under the second dynasty, Grandmaster Wu advanced the arts of talisman making greatly, by discerning the method by which more complex objects could be rendered a single talisman, although his focus was on land vehicles, the principles of his work have been a great boon for shipbuilding as well. However, the basic principles of talismancraft remained the same. The arrays which are carved, etched, stitched, or otherwise made during the creation of a talisman draw from a material or objects spiritual energies, essentially channeling and guiding the object's potential to one day develop a spirit and identity of its own, and expressing that power through the talismans effects. However, for obvious reasons a newly assembled object lacks the qi to express these effects on their own, they must instead draw power from the user, an unawakened talisman without an awakened user is no better than the base material of its construction. Talisman's are fixed and simple in their effects, and aside from simply breaking them, modification is very difficult, and must be done by the original crafter or a craftsmen whose skill exceeds theirs by several magnitudes. Of course, with continuous use and care, a talisman may still develop an object spirit in time, and thus begin to change and grow through the natural methods. In more recent days, this branch of the art has also developed a minor offshoot, although many masters still disdain it. The so called 'consumable talisman' is a naturally unstable work, typically with an effect more complex or powerful than its materials should allow, but whose natural instability causes them to break after a single activation. We will not be discussing these in this primer.
The final category then, is also one beyond the scope of this beginners text. The exact nature of constructs is still hotly debated among scholars to this day, while they have existed since the first dynasty, constructs were typically simply storage and binding arrays for minor elemental spirits which allowed the user to command them to perform certain actions according to their limited intelligence. Some masters were able to bind and control more powerful spirits this way, but the practice has always been frowned upon, due to the volatility of such things, and the long memory of spirits. They were considered to fall under the category of talismans by most. However, developments under our most august third dynasty called the matter into question. Jumping off from Grandmaster Wu's propositions, certain craftsmen have developed complex constructs which require only a power source and a series of highly complex arrays which act to govern the 'decisions' of the construct. Make no mistake, these creations have been tested thoroughly and have no will of their own, but the weavings of qi through their decision arrays may at times provide a startling facsimile of intelligence. Although such things are far more costly than any mortal laborer and far weaker than a cultivator of a similar stage, many younger craftsmen still show an interest in the field, despite its impractical nature. These too, will not be addressed in this tome.
With this overview in mind then, we must turn to the twelve thousand strokes, and the ways in which they interact with one another and the material of your construction…
-Excerpt from A Modern Primer to Formationcraft
AN: I should have shared this out a day or two ago, but here is the second commission piece completed last week. Still working on the main update!
