Leathermancy

Leathermancy is the magical school of leather manipulation to improve efficiency in leather preparation and alter the strengths and material properties of that leather. It is often utilized by Leathersmiths, frequently by instinct alone for small adjustments made by those who are experienced or naturally attuned. The full mastery of leathermancy processes requires years of training and practice.

Utility

Leathermancy is primarily used to strengthen leathers and to assist in their preparation process through the use of the caster's Imperium. Leathermancy can be used with any types of leathers regardless of their properties. The use of leathermancy adds additional traits to the leathers due to the use of the magical fields. Leathermancy can also be used in combination with leathersmithing and tanning, resulting in a more efficient process with a more effective result.

Leather Preparation

Leather preparation by traditional methods is a time consuming process involving skinning, stripping hair, and multiple skin preparation steps and techniques. Using leathermancy at this stage can speed up this process considerably, and as a result these skills are the first most apprentices learn.

Leathershaping

Shaping leathers using leathermancy allows for more precise results than traditional leather shaping methods. As with all the Artisanal Magics leathermancy can be used in conjunction with traditional methods, resulting in magically enhanced results utilizing less effort or Imperium than required if using only one or the other. Leathershaping can also be used to alter the strength and suppleness of the leather being worked, allowing for unexpected strength and flexibility properties compared to leathersmithing alone. The Arcturians are particular experts at this due to their generations of exposure to war coupled with the ready availability of animal hides. Threadmancy combined with leathermancy allows for particularly strong joints, and even aesthetically mending holes in leathers so the seams truly appear invisible, if desired.

Chromatic Leathermancy

Leathermancy can also be used in combination with Chromamancy to alter colorations of metals. This requires the use of the desired dye to color the learher, but the use of leathermancy with chromamancy allows for brighter colors as well as more intricate dyeing patterns. Leatherwork crafted in part with a chromatic leathermancy-enhanced dyeing processes by a skilled mage will always hold true to its colorations. Leather dyeing chromatic leathermancy techniques can also be used effectively with other non-dye leather treatments. Waterproofing is another popular application of this skill, and does not require any knowledge of chromamancy skills.

Parent Technologies

Artisanal Magic

Children Technologies

Draconic Book Preservation

Access & Availability

While mastery of the more difficult leathermancy skills typically requires years of training and practice the simplest of leathermancy abilities are frequently intuitive to those gifted with a natural understanding of this class of magic. Individuals with a natural leathermancy gift will typically have an innate understanding of the strength limits of leather items, or a natural talent with shaping leathers, and will typically pick up most leathersmithing-related skills quickly after exposure to the skill and frequently also at a rather young age. Leathermancy is best utilized by the Arcturians and many of their particular skills are still held secret, passed down to apprentices during their training. Those without a natural talent can still be trained quite effectively, and may even achieve the highest levels of skill in leathermancy. They will simply require more training to learn each skill and more concentration and Imperium to cast them.

Complexity

Leathermancy in itself is fairly simple, relying more on the mind of the caster and their intentions than on any complicated processes or rituals. Those using leathermancy are free to determine their own hand motions for each casting, if they even wish to utilize their hands to help focus their concentration, and as a result the uninitiated frequently cannot see whether or not an individual is casting leathermancy spells when preparing or working leather. The act of skinning an animal or the rhythm of dehairing a skin may be all that is required to use leathermancy if the caster is well-versed in its usage.

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