Fabrials

Fabrials are the technological devices of Roshar that harness Spren and Stormlight to produce useful effects, forming the basis of an advancing science of magic in The Stormlight Archive. Where Surgebinding is the innate power of the Knights Radiant, fabrials are crafted tools that any sufficiently skilled artifabrian can build and operate, making magic into technology.

Description

A fabrial is built around a Spren trapped within a gemstone, powered by Stormlight. By manipulating the captured spren and the flow of Stormlight, fabrials produce a range of effects. They represent a growing field of study, and the artifabrians of nations such as Thaylenah and others continually refine and expand their capabilities.

Types of Fabrials

Fabrials are generally classed by function. Augmenters enhance a force or sensation, such as warmth, pain, or wind. Diminishers reduce one, such as the painrials used by surgeons to dull suffering. Pairing fabrials link two halves so that one mirrors or opposes the movement of the other -- the basis of conjoined fabrials used for communication and transport. Among the most important are the spanreeds, paired devices that allow written communication across great distances, and the Oathgates, titanic fabrials enabling instant travel.

Mechanics

The effect of a fabrial depends on the type of Spren trapped within it and the way the gemstone is cut and configured. Recharging a fabrial requires exposing its gemstone to a highstorm to renew its Stormlight. Half-shards, heliodor warning fabrials, and many specialized devices show the breadth of the technology.

Significance

Fabrials make the powers of Spren and Stormlight available to ordinary people and institutions, driving Roshar toward something resembling an industrial and scientific revolution. They demonstrate that the magic of the world is not solely the province of the Knights Radiant.