The world of Siraden is filled with numerous unique devices both mundane and magical. One such device that appears throughout The Great Legend Chronicles is a renakan. In this week’s blog we’re going to talk a bit about these magical items and how they work. 

Renakans are magical communication devices developed in the late Second Age by the Arvelakan military. Renakans use natural magical networks in the environment to channel a ventriloquism charm across a distance.  The device isolates a magical channel to send the charm.  Without the isolated channel, the charm can’t travel the distance. 

Renakans function through a combination of magic and machinery. Inside each device is a complex clockwork mechanism and a magic crystal. The crystal powers the device and acts as its “antenna,” allowing it to connect to the magical networks in the environment.

The ventriloquism charm used in renakans is built into them, which means anyone can use the device, even non-magic-users. However, although anyone can use the devices, they are rarely seen outside the military or law enforcement as they are prohibitively expensive – and you do need to be a magic-user to change the channels.

The dynamic nature of the magical networks that renakans tap into means that the connections between units are often unstable, and the greater the distance, the more unstable the connection. This means that the devices are best used at short range. Additionally, the magic involved in renakans is sensitive to iron. This means that the devices can cease to function when too much of the metal is present. The Arvelakan military gets around some of the limitation of distance by building renakan relay towers, which essentially boost the signal of a renakan.

Despite these drawbacks, the ability to communicate directly over previously impossible distances has made renakans an invaluable tool for those with access to them.

— Duncan