Tech | Shinseina World

Mana-Technolgy

Mana-Tech

Mana-Tech, also called Magi-Tech, refers to the fusion of magic and technology that powers the modern world of Shinseina. Unlike traditional machinery or electronics, Mana-Tech does not rely on wires, electricity, or other sources of fuels. Instead, it runs on mana, mana crystals, runes, enchantments, and inscriptions.

Everything from communication devices to household tools is designed around channelling mana.

At its core, Mana-Tech functions by tapping into the ambient mana of the world or by drawing power directly from specially refined mana sources; these sources can be natural or artificial. Designs often incorporate a blend of magical aesthetics and practical engineering due to this.

While Mana-Tech has brought modern comforts to cities, such as lighting, indoor plumbing, communication tools, transportation, and much more, its reach is limited by location, wealth, and even political control. The knowledge and materials needed to produce and maintain Mana-Tech are considered somewhat expensive, and as such, access remains somewhat restricted.

Mana Grids

In more populated cities, a Mana Grid acts as the backbone of the entire infrastructure. Acting like a power grid, these systems distribute mana through underground conduits or rune networks. Nodes embedded throughout the city gather and convert mana from the ambience or powered cores, supplying it to public utilities, lighting, and all other technology.

Grids are often regulated and maintained by powerful Magitech guilds or local governments. Tampering with one is a high crime; both because of the potential for magical disasters and the political control that grids represent. In rural regions or underdeveloped towns, however, mana grids may be non-existent, forcing residents to rely on individual mana crystals or other methods.

Mana-Tech may appear seamless to outsiders, but beneath every floating lantern or humming crystal is a complex layout of magical design and years of craftsmanship.

Utilities

The development of Mana-Tech has drastically transformed the infrastructure of major cities in Shinseina, but this transformation is far from evenly spread, Mana-Tech is known to thrive in large populated places; while in smaller locations it is often more limited.

Cities equipped with Mana-Tech boast magical plumbing, lighting, heating, transportation, and even communication. These utilities are powered by mana crystals, sustained through enchantments, or controlled via rune-script interfaces; most are connected to the Mana Grids of the city.

These magical utilities are not easy to manufacture, their construction requires a blend of engineering precision and magical expertise, meaning only a group of skilled individuals, known as Manacrafters, can create or repair them.

In contrast, most villages and frontier settlements lack access to such luxuries. Without mana grids or wealthy patrons, their utilities are rudimentary or non-existent. Some may rely on communal crystals or simple mana-tech that is widely spread, but overall, life in the wilds is much more traditional.

Transportation

Traditional carriages remain the most common form of transport across Shinseina. However, these carriages may be enhanced with mana-powered levitation plates, speed runes, or comfort enchantments, at a cost. Only the rich or well-connected can afford them, with many commoners relying on basic models or walking.

Teleportation Circles and Public Portals, installed in key locations by noble houses or Magitech corporations, offer quick travel between and around large cities, though they often require payment and citizenship credentials to use. These public portals form a loose travel network throughout the known lands, with Clan-approved nodes guarded and maintained by trained personnel.

In the skies, Flying Ships represent the pinnacle of magical transit. Owned mostly by nobility, militaries, or guilds, these ships are rare and expensive, often reserved for long-distance travel or protected routes.

Meanwhile, seafaring remains incredibly dangerous. Despite the existence of mana-protected vessels, the oceans of Shinseina are full of unknown monsters and hostile phenomena. Most coastal cities avoid deep-water travel unless absolutely necessary.

Warfare Technology

Weapons like guns, tanks, and explosives do not exist in Shinseina. In their place, warfare has evolved through enchanted equipment and magical strategies. Swords, bows, and siege tools enhanced with magic are the norm. For example, a ballista may fire spears of lightning, or a battalion may carry enchanted shields that resist elemental attacks.

The development of traditional gunpowder weaponry was largely halted by the practicality and flexibility of magical alternatives. Why craft a cannon when a rune-staff can obliterate a fortress with a single charged spell?

However, the limits of magical warfare are tightly regulated. Enchantments powerful enough to level cities are rare, expensive, and often illegal without sanction.

Class Divides

While Mana-Tech has the potential to revolutionize life in Shinseina, its benefits are far from universally experienced. Access to this technology is sharply divided along lines of wealth, status, and region, leading to a widening gap between those who live in Magitech-powered cities and those who don't.

The cost of Magitech is steep. Mana crystals alone are expensive to mine, refine, and enchant, the engineers capable of producing Mana-Tech are few and in high demand. As a result, most advanced devices, and technology are limited to nobles, rich merchants, or guild elites.

Even among clans, the distribution is uneven. The Human Clan leads in Magitech development and accessibility, while other clans often either limit their usage to tradition-bound contexts or focus on entirely different magical crafts.

Magitech Corporations

The booming potential of Mana-Tech has led to the rise of powerful Magitech Guilds, each specializing in different aspects of development: from rune-engraving and mana grid installation to cybernetic enhancements and war constructs.

These guilds are often backed by nobility or government factions, forming corporate monopolies that control access to high-tier technology. Some guilds function like corporations, employing hundreds, researching next-gen Magitech, and controlling trade routes.

While some of these guilds genuinely aim to improve society, many are deeply involved in politics, espionage, or warfare. Rival guilds may sabotage each other’s work or hoard breakthroughs to maintain leverage; some are even rumoured to control portions of the black-market tech trade.

Personal Mana Interfaces (PMIs)

As Magitech continues to evolve, its integration into the body, mind, and daily function of individuals has given rise to some of the most groundbreaking and controversial advancements in Shinseina. Nowhere is this more evident than in the development of Personal Mana Interfaces (PMIs), Magitech Prosthetics, and Constructs.

A Personal Mana Interface is a semi-sentient, rune-coded construct embedded or worn by a person, allowing them to interact with nearby Magitech device, or manage their own mana flow. Think of them as a magical operating system that can "speak" with enchanted tools. PMIs can:

Display personal information and magical diagnostics.
Remotely control runic vehicles or mechanisms with permission.
Translate various known languages and information.
Link with city-wide mana grids for secure travel, identity, or messaging.

Though revolutionary, PMIs are expensive, personalized, and difficult to craft, often requiring a lot of money to purchase; and proper installation into the brain. They are rarely sold outside of Yokoso.

Magitech Prosthetics

Injured soldiers, maimed adventurers, and the disabled have found new hope through Magitech Prosthetics. These devices combine reinforced alloys, enchanted parts, and spellwork to replace or enhance limbs, organs, or sensory organs. Each prosthetic is unique and calibrated to its user, offering varying enhancements such as:

Increased strength, agility, or grip.
Sensory amplification.
Built-in spellcasting foci or utility tools.

However, these benefits come at a cost. Every Magitech prosthetic drains mana from the user to function. Overuse can cause magical fatigue, fainting, or worse, permanent damage to one’s magic. On average, each prosthetic reduces magical capability by 5–20%, based on the complexity and power of the limb. Users with multiple enhancements suffer even greater penalties.

Cybernetics & Constructs

Beyond personal augmentation lies the world of Magical Constructs, magically powered artificial beings or robotic entities created to serve, fight, or protect.

These constructs require constant mana input, regular maintenance, and are incredibly expensive to make. Only the Human Clan and a handful of magitech guilds can consistently produce them, and even then, most are kept for internal use or sold to the highest bidder.

Some individuals have gone further, undergoing full-body cybernetic conversion, becoming more machine than mortal. These rare beings, often mercenaries or elite hunters, are powerful but severely cut off from traditional magic.

Regulation & Control

As Mana-Tech advanced, so too did the need to control, regulate, and restrict its use. Powerful enough to disrupt the balance of cities, clans, and even warfare, Magitech is no longer just a tool, it is a weapon, an identity, and an economic pillar. That’s why nearly every governing body in Shinseina enforces Tech Regulation Laws, with wildly different interpretations and methods.

Each major clan (and many cities) have Tech Courts or Regulatory Boards; official bodies that oversee:

Who can buy, sell, or own specific Magitech.
What types of enhancements or constructs are considered legal.
What level of augmentation a person can receive before needing approval.
Licensing of engineers.
Export restrictions to rival factions or enemy clans.

Some areas ban certain types of Magitech entirely, such as combat-grade PMIs, necro-tech, or autonomous constructs. Unauthorized possession or use of restricted Magitech is punishable by imprisonment, essence-binding, or fines that would bankrupt most.

The Black Market

Where there are laws, there are always those who break them. In hidden alleys, cloaked enclaves, or wandering underground traders, the Black Magitech Market thrives. It is the only place to find all that is illegal, including Magitech regulated by the laws.

Most black-market items are unstable, untested, or dangerously effective, but the allure of power is irresistible for criminals, mercenaries, or revolutionaries.