They range from simple mechanical devices to highly complex machines capable of performing tasks that would otherwise require intense physical labor or powerful magic. Some are built for a single purpose, while more advanced Ethra can respond to changing conditions and operate with little direct supervision.
The development of Ethra has transformed much of the modern Otherworld.
How Ethra Works
Traditional magic relies on a practitioner drawing Ether from the surrounding environment and manipulating it through spellwork. Ethra approach the same force mechanically.
Pure Ether is supplied to the machine and moved through a network of gears and mechanisms which allow the mechanical components to perform their intended functions.
The construction and study of these machines is known as Ethranomics.
Machine Cognition
Cognitive Ethra are designed to interpret information rather than simply follow a fixed mechanical process. The most advanced examples can learn from previous actions and make limited independent decisions.
Autonomous Ethra take this considerably further. Once given an objective, they may be capable of carrying out their work without direct control from a practitioner.
Exactly how much independence should be given to such machines remains a subject of considerable debate.
Ethra in the Otherworld
Ethra are now used throughout the Otherworld. They have taken over work that was once physically dangerous, extremely demanding, or dependent upon skilled magical practitioners. They have also made certain forms of magical power available in places where trained spellcasters may not be present.
Their spread has not been universally welcomed. Some practitioners believe that dependence on Ethra is weakening traditional magical knowledge. Others object to the amount of pure Ether required to power an increasingly mechanized world. There is fear that the environmental impact they have on the Otherworld may be irreversible. Questions surrounding autonomous machines and machine cognition have created additional concerns.
Supporters of Ethra see them as one of the most important developments in modern magical history.
Ethranomics at Bogmire
Bogmire University maintains a Department of Ethranomics devoted to the study and development of Ethra.
Students learn Etheric mechanisms, power systems, mechanical design, repair, machine cognition, and autonomous Ethra. Much of their education takes place in workshops where students construct and test machines of their own.
Ethranomics is one of Bogmire’s newest academic disciplines and one of its fastest changing.