Conceptual magic is the use of enchantments and nature-specific spells to accomplish tasks or fill a role. Healing magic is, in nature, effectively a type of conceptual magic, but its relation to living organisms and complex array of sub-types gave it its independent status. Regular conceptual magic typically revolves around an object or multiple objects, and the spell's nature depends on the nature of the task at hand.
The primary example of conceptual magic is enchantment, which finds its origins in what has come to be called Programmable Magic, one of two major sub-types of conceptual magic. Programmable magic is the method by which illusion enchantments are made, where an object projects an image forward into the air or onto a wall. Other examples of programmable magic are swords enchanted to catch flame in use, locks that react to certain types of magic, or transitive enchantments, where X must happen in Y way or method for Z to occur. A bell must ring at a certain frequency to open a door, for example. Programmable magic is how spell scrolls are made.
The second sub-type of conceptual magic is Convenience Magic, very often seen in magic-practicing nations and lands for ease of life. This type of magic generally revolves around the completion of tasks, creating a wide variety of possible spells. The tasks for spells to complete can be writing a letter, washing clothes, making a bed, or cleaning dishes. Many wealthy families left the world of servants and simply hire convenience mages for menial labor.
The complex nature of certain tasks is what makes these spells very difficult to do, even for what we believe to be easy tasks. To write a letter, for example, one must sacrifice a full pencil and sheet of paper for the target paper to have the intended message written. The longer the message, the more of each is required. Refrigerators require ice sacrifices, which is why electrical refrigerators took off globally. Any convenience magic too difficult to maintain ultimately found a mechanical or electrical replacement.
Enchantments on objects are not self-powering; they require a power source of magic, known as a Magical Battery. These batteries are, themselves, enchanted objects, though their enchantments are very simple in nature. Hold energy and release it when conditions are met. These batteries need replacement, but as far as enchanted items go, they are cheap to replace.
Part of why making spell scrolls is so difficult is the sheer amount of resources required to create them. The spell itself requires sacrifices to perform, and those same sacrifices are necessary for the scroll's creation. Additionally, creating the enchantment requires another equal quantity of those materials, and the scroll to accept the spell requires its own set of sacrifices, typically permanent ink and parchment (or whatever material the scroll is made from). To make the scroll stable requires a stabilizing addition, which depends on the variety of spell; a fire spell will require a flame-retardant sacrifice to prevent the scroll from catching flames. An illusion spell will require glass as a refractory sacrifice. Every scroll is different, and the same scroll twice may require something different if alternative sacrifices were used in the creation of the spell.
Some examples of Conceptual Magic are:
-Locks that react to flames or light
-Objects projecting images
-Swords that retain an edge via self-sharpening
-Letter and book-writing
-Spell Scrolls
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