Processing & Refinement

Processing & Refinement covers methods used to turn raw or less specialized materials into standardized crafting inputs.

Processing changes a material into a more useful physical form without fundamentally changing what the substance is. Refinement goes further by deliberately developing or directing qualities already possible within the material.

Not every procedure in this article requires a Formula. Routine processing can be performed with the required tool proficiency when the Recipe says so. More specialized procedures require knowledge of the named Formula in addition to their normal tools, materials, facilities, and proficiencies.

The output of each process is treated as a material in its own right. It possesses only the Material Type, Properties, Affinities, Value, and other qualities listed for the finished material.

Seawire Preparation

Transformation: Processing
Output: 1 spool Seawire
Required Material: 1 bundle mature Windlace
Windlace Ingredient Credit: 6 gp
Additional Materials: 1 gp Conventional washing, curing, and finishing materials
Required Tool: Weaver's Tools
Tool Proficiency: Required
Crafting Time: 1 workday
Finished Value: 8 gp per spool
Material Type: Fiber
Property: Conductive
Affinity: None
Direct Use: None
Formula Required: None

Seawire is produced by converting mature Windlace runners into a clean, flexible Conductive Fiber suitable for precision craft.

The runners are split and soaked to separate their inner fibers from the tougher outer plant tissue. The recovered fibers are rinsed, combed while damp, twisted under tension, and allowed to cure.

Proper preparation preserves the minute crystalline structures responsible for Windlace's Conductive Property while removing salts and organic material that would interfere with technical use.

One suitable bundle of mature Windlace produces one spool of Seawire.

Routine preparation requires no ability check when the crafter has Weaver's Tools proficiency, suitable material, appropriate working conditions, and sufficient time.

Uses

Seawire is commonly used in arcane equipment, magical signaling systems, nautical instruments, artificer assemblies, flexible magical connections, and other projects requiring Conductive Fiber.

When appropriate to a later Recipe or Formula, one spool provides up to 8 gp of Ingredient Credit.

The finished Seawire retains Windlace's Conductive Property. Processing does not add additional Properties or Affinities.

Quillflax Paper

Transformation: Processing
Output: 1 packet of 10 Quillflax Paper sheets
Required Material: 1 bundle mature Quillflax
Quillflax Ingredient Credit: 5 gp
Additional Materials: 1 gp Conventional papermaking, sizing, and finishing materials
Required Tool: Alchemist's Supplies
Tool Proficiency: Required
Crafting Time: 1 workday
Yield: 10 sheets
Finished Value: 8 gp per packet
Individual Sheet Value: 8 sp
Material Type: Fiber
Property: Retentive
Affinity: None
Direct Use: None
Formula Required: None

Quillflax Paper is prepared from the fine inner fibers of mature Quillflax.

The fibers are washed, reduced to pulp, suspended, formed into sheets, pressed, dried, sized, and trimmed. Proper preparation preserves the fine fiber structure responsible for Quillflax's Retentive Property.

One mature bundle produces a packet of 10 prepared sheets.

The packet is the normal tracked quantity, but individual sheets can be used separately.

Divisible Quantity

A packet of 10 sheets is worth 8 gp.

Each individual sheet is therefore worth 8 sp.

When a Recipe or Formula consumes fewer than 10 sheets, Ingredient Credit is calculated according to the number actually used.

For example, three sheets can provide up to 2 gp 4 sp of Ingredient Credit.

Uses

Quillflax Paper is appropriate for Spell Scrolls, spellbooks, archival documents, magical diagrams, warding strips, specialist bookbinding, Component labels and wrappings, and other work where a Retentive Fiber substrate is useful.

Its Retentive Property can satisfy an appropriate Recipe or Formula requiring a Retentive Fiber.

Using Quillflax Paper does not by itself make an inscription magical or alter the mechanics of a Spell Scroll, spellbook, diagram, or other finished object.

Bluewake Concentrate

Transformation: Processing
Output: 1 ounce Bluewake Concentrate
Required Material: 1 jar fresh Bluewake
Bluewake Ingredient Credit: 1 gp
Additional Materials: 1 gp Conventional filtering, stabilizing, carrier, and pigment-processing materials
Required Tool: Alchemist's Supplies
Tool Proficiency: Required
Crafting Time: 1 workday
Yield: 1 ounce
Finished Value: 3 gp per ounce
Material Type: Reagent
Properties: None
Affinity: None
Direct Use: None
Formula Required: None

Bluewake Concentrate is a shelf-stable pigment Reagent prepared from fresh Bluewake.

Fresh material is filtered, washed, concentrated, and suspended in a stable pigment medium. The process removes most of the lagoon water and unstable organic material while preserving the blue-green compounds that make Bluewake useful in pigments and related craft.

The finished concentrate no longer requires lagoon water and can be stored normally in a sealed container.

Uses

Bluewake Concentrate is used in specialist pigments, inks, glasswork, glazes, paints, decorative finishes, low-light markings, and Formulae where a stable Bluewake-derived pigment is appropriate.

The Concentrate can retain a faint blue-green shimmer when disturbed or spread thinly in darkness, but it does not provide useful illumination.

Any defined luminous effect in a finished object must be established by that object's Recipe or Formula.

Processing Without a Property

Raw Bluewake has no Property, and processing it into Bluewake Concentrate does not create one.

The process instead improves its storage, portability, stability, consistency, and practical use in crafting.

When appropriate to a later Recipe or Formula, Bluewake Concentrate provides Ingredient Credit according to the quantity actually consumed.

Galarium Refinement

Transformation: Refinement
Required Material: Raw Galarium or another suitable Galarium input allowed by the process
Required Tool: Jeweler's Tools
Tool Proficiency: Required
Required Skill: Arcana
Required Facility: Specialist workshop
Normal Processing Rate: Approximately 1 lb. of Raw Galarium per workday
Typical Usable Yield: 70 to 80 percent
Standard Yield Estimate: 75 percent
Formula Required: Galarium Refinement

Galarium Refinement is the specialist process used to assess, prepare, and functionally refine ordinary Galarium.

Unlike routine Processing, Refinement deliberately develops particular magical functions already possible within Galarium.

A trained specialist can normally process approximately 1 lb. of ordinary Raw Galarium during one 8-hour workday.

Ordinary material produces approximately 70 to 80 percent usable refined Galarium. When the exact quality of an individual specimen does not require separate determination, use 75 percent as the standard Yield.

Functional Refinement

Galarium Refinement can produce Galarium with one or more of the following Properties:

Conductive: Carries magical energy efficiently through a construction or system.

Retentive: Holds magical charge or an imposed magical effect.

Regulating: Controls, stabilizes, or moderates magical flow.

Amplifying: Supports Formulae designed to increase the intensity of magical output.

These are different applications of the same Galarium Refinement Formula rather than separately learned Formulae.

The finished specimen receives only the Properties actually established during Refinement.

Routine Refinement

Routine Refinement requires no ability check when the crafter has:

• the Galarium Refinement Formula

• Jeweler's Tools proficiency

• Arcana proficiency

• suitable Galarium

• an appropriate specialist workshop

• sufficient time

An ability check is appropriate only when circumstances create genuine uncertainty, such as damaged crystal, contamination, magical instability, inadequate facilities, severe time pressure, experimental techniques, or unfamiliar altered Galarium.

Value

Raw Galarium has an ordinary baseline Value of approximately 100 gp per lb.

Refined solid Galarium has an ordinary baseline Value of approximately 200 gp per lb.

Individual specimens can vary according to purity, coherence, geometry, refinement, and suitability for a particular project.

Galarium Scribing Ink

Transformation: Processing
Tracked Quantity: 1 batch
Finished Quantity: Approximately 1 ounce
Required Material: 0.02 lb. Conductive Galarium Dust
Galarium Dust Ingredient Credit: 5 gp
Additional Materials: 5 gp Conventional materials
Material Cost: 10 gp
Finished Value: 20 gp per batch
Required Tool: Alchemist's Supplies
Tool Proficiency: Required
Required Facility: Suitable alchemical workspace
Crafting Time: 2 workdays
Material Type: Reagent
Property: Conductive
Affinity: None
Direct Use: None
Storage: Small sealed ink vial
Divisible: Yes
Formula Required: Galarium Scribing Ink

Galarium Scribing Ink is a stable suspension of Conductive Galarium Dust in specialist pigments, binders, solvents, preserving agents, and suspension media.

The preparation allows Galarium's Conductive behavior to be distributed through fine written or inscribed patterns rather than requiring a coherent Galarium crystal to remain mounted in the finished construction.

Required Galarium

One batch requires 0.02 lb. of Conductive Galarium Dust.

At the ordinary Galarium Dust value of 250 gp per lb., this quantity is worth 5 gp.

The Dust must possess the Conductive Property.

The Formula does not require Amplifying, Retentive, or Regulating Galarium.

If the input Dust possesses additional Properties, those Properties do not automatically transfer to the finished Ink.

The remaining 5 gp of Material Cost represents Conventional pigments, binders, solvents, preserving agents, suspension media, and other preparation materials.

Uses

Galarium Scribing Ink can be used in Recipes and Formulae involving magical inscriptions, runes, diagrams, technical pathways, specialist scroll work, warding patterns, and fine Component interfaces.

The Ink itself does not make writing magical.

Its Conductive Property makes it suitable where magical energy must move through or interact with an inscribed pathway. The later Recipe or Formula determines what that pathway actually does.

Ingredient Credit

A complete batch has a Value of 20 gp.

Because Galarium Scribing Ink is divisible, a Recipe or Formula using only part of a batch receives Ingredient Credit according to the quantity actually consumed.

Once the Ink has dried into an inscription or been incorporated into another material or Component, the Galarium contained within it is part of that current crafting input. Its upstream Galarium Dust is not counted again separately.

Galarium-Assisted Crafting

Galarium Scribing Ink does not qualify for the standard Galarium-Assisted Crafting time reduction.

That benefit requires appropriate refined solid Galarium. Galarium Dust and Galarium Scribing Ink do not satisfy the threshold.