Another core principal of the Animator craft is the belief that "Function Follows Form". In the creation of an object the spirit of that object becomes predisposed toward a desire to accomplish it's function. A chair given animating force will strive to be a comfortable or at least stable place to sit, shears will try to cut, and rope will attempt to bind and tie.The actual way this animating force (Anima) manifests is a form of self-directed telekinesis. The power of this animating telekinesis is directly proportional to the weight and mass of the object,and usually just slightly higher - the object has enough strength to act upon itself. This means that an object could not will itself to levitate and fly through the air. Animating force usually manifests similarly to a push or tug to the object- of about the same strength of a creature of similar size and dimensions to the object. A chair could push itself along a flat surface, a statue could tip itself forward, and a sword could tug in it's wielder's grasp. Animating force does not allow an object to bend or change any of it's characteristics- an animated table could not for instance move its legs in an imitation of quadrupedal locomotion, nor could a metal sword flex and stretch.
It is easy to think of objects and by extension animated objects as soulless nonliving things, but Animators maintain that every object has a unique spirit- unique to it's specific moment of creation. It is certain that animated objects can seem to manifest certain peculiarities or even some would say personalities. Also it is interesting to note that complex hierarchies and relationships seem to form between animated objects and their owners, as well as amongst themselves. These personalities become more pronounced in the more complex forms of animated beings- mainly the various types of Golems. Some folk believe a bond can form between a person and their possessions which can slowly infuse some Anima into owned objects. This theory is used to explain how over time a person can own a "lucky" or "Trusty" item that they feel particularly attached to.
-More on this later...
I like this a lot more than the belligerent animated object often seen strangling or otherwise molesting anything that breathes. Without it being 'Beauty and the Beast' styled objects, which are only transfigurations anyway.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joshua. I like the idea of animated objects having a limited personality without them just being anthropomorphized. Under my rules for animating objects a wizard would have to be very powerful to command an object to do something it isn't inclined to do- so an animated chair might move slightly to catch someone sitting down but would be very unlikely to try to attack a person.
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