How can saturated molecules slow down Mana condensation?

[Erebus]

Mana is the background energy by which witches use to create magical spells. The level of mana content within the environment rises and falls with the passage of the tides, and consolidates in certain places more than it does in others. It is in these locations where condensation is likely to occur, which is the transformation of mana particles in the air into a liquid state. This can be done through magical rituals or specialized machines built to specifically for this purpose. The result is a visible substance which can serve as base ingredients in potions, power machinery, as well as other uses. This has led to a big industry of potion making and the combination of technology and arcana to create magitech. As such, it has become the lifeblood of society, gaining a place similar to oil. However, the amount of mana in the air at one time is limited, which makes the process of condensation expensive and difficult, similar to squeezing a wet rag for droplets of water. This supply must be naturally replenished on its own, which limits the amount of liquid that can be made at one time and the kind of spells that can be performed.

This scenario changes during a special time of day referred to as the "witching hour". This is a period of time in the morning in which mana particles in the environment increase many fold. This is the time when magic is strongest, and allows for the use of powerful spells. Witches are at the height of power at this time, which lasts approximately 4 hours from 12pm - 4am. Given that mana is plentiful during these hours, it is intuitive to think that rapid condensation would be possible, allowing for an industry boom never dreamed of by society. Sadly, this isn't the case. Although mana has increased, it is much slower to manipulate, limiting the number of spells that witches can perform. It is also much more difficult to turn into liquid form, making it almost impossible for any but the highest grade machines.

How can the fact of it being more plentiful make it much more difficult to use?

 

[Queshire]

Too plentiful. Sure, you can dip a bucket into a river to draw some water, but if you try the same when that river's in the middle of flash flooding it'll just rip the bucket out of your hand.

 

[CupofJoe]

There may be more of it during those hours, but it is of lower quality and needs more refining before it becomes usable?

 

[Rosemary Tea]

Perhaps it's like snow and rain. An inch of rain has much more water in it than an inch of snow. Here's an article about the science behind it: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...would-this-be-is-a-fun-but-terrible-question/

Perhaps witching hour mana is the snow version of mana, while the rest of the time, it works more like rain.

 

[Eduardo Ficaria]

It could be that too much mana in the air can saturate a capturing device's filters due to some reaction or some other mana-related phenomena, effectively cluttering the intake. In this case, different filtering materials may react differently to this circumstance. For instance, a low-efficiency filter could be much less affected by the cluttering than a high-efficiency one. And this can also lead to the use of rare or exotic anoitments to help keeping the efficiency of filters as high as possible (and giving to different mana capturing devices their own particular scents).

A couple of questions popped in my mind about your setup, Erebus .

• What is the natural source of mana?
• What would be the natural explanation for those concrete high-tide hours for mana?

 

[Erebus]

It could be that too much mana in the air can saturate a capturing device's filters due to some reaction or some other mana-related phenomena, effectively cluttering the intake. In this case, different filtering materials may react differently to this circumstance. For instance, a low-efficiency filter could be much less affected by the cluttering than a high-efficiency one. And this can also lead to the use of rare or exotic anoitments to help keeping the efficiency of filters as high as possible (and giving to different mana capturing devices their own particular scents).

A couple of questions popped in my mind about your setup, Erebus .

• What is the natural source of mana?
• What would be the natural explanation for those concrete high-tide hours for mana?

I haven't thought that far ahead. I guess the natural source of mana would be from the moon, which is made from solidified Mana that radiates down to the planet. This would also control the movement of the tides like the moon controls the ocean tides.

 

[Rosemary Tea]

This scenario changes during a special time of day referred to as the "witching hour". This is a period of time in the morning in which mana particles in the environment increase many fold. This is the time when magic is strongest, and allows for the use of powerful spells. Witches are at the height of power at this time, which lasts approximately 4 hours from 12pm - 4am.

I I guess the natural source of mana would be from the moon, which is made from solidified Mana that radiates down to the planet. This would also control the movement of the tides like the moon controls the ocean tides.

So is the moon strongest at witching hour?

There could be a magic system in which that's so. Something along those lines is found in astrology. In Chinese astrology, each animal of the zodiac rules a two hour period each day (your witching hour would encompass the last half of the hour of the Rat, the entire hour of the Ox, and the first half of the hour of the Tiger). Traditional Western astrology has planetary hours, in which the seven visible planets (including the sun and the moon but not including anything beyond Saturn) take turns ruling hours of the day, starting at sunrise, although in that system, which planet rules at which times depends on the day of the week.

That said, you could spin off of that and have a system in which the moon always rules the hours from midnight to 4 am. That would account for mana being most plentiful at that time.