Clay of Perfection

When Lagra-bearing waters flow near clay-laden soil, deposits of the Clay of Perfection form. Dense as stone and as supple as fine leather, this substance an ideal material for the artificer with the skill to use it.

Clay of Perfection forms itself into pale spherical globules within a larger bank of mundane clay. Deposits range in size from tiny spheres the diameter of a gold coin up to massive blobs requiring block and tackle to move. Clay radiates alteration magic, with potency ranging from Great to Epic. The paler the Clay the more potent the potential enchantment. Harvested Clay must be wrapped in water soaked cloth to retain its potency. Clay that dries out crumbles to powerless dust.

The Clay's principle characteristic is its ability to be shaped into a desired form, then imbued with animating magical energies. It is the perfect substance for creating golems or animate statues. When properly enchanted it can be used to create replacement limbs for living creatures.

Using the Clay of Perfection requires a Great test of artistic skill to shape it to the proper form. Once shaped a Great test of artifice plus a Great test of the appropriate enchantment are required to properly animate the constructed object. For complex constructs (such as a golem), multiple tests are required to complete the entire construct. A few examples:

A mage wishes to replace their lost eye with a construct made from the Clay of Perfection. Creating the new eye is a Great test artistic skill. Enchanting the eye requires a Great test of divination magic to imbue it with vision, followed by a Great test of artifice to properly seat the eye.

A replacement limb requires a Great test of artistic skill to properly shape the object, then a Great test of necromancy to properly tie the limb to the wearer's nervous system. A Great test of artifice completes the physical connection and animates the limb.

A golem might require individual tests of artistic skill and artifice for each limb, a necromancy or spirit magic test to imbue some sort of intelligence into the construct, then a final artifice test to properly link the entire construct together.