Foundryside

The magic system, known as 'scriving,' works by writing magical sigils on objects to convince them that reality is different, such as making a heavy wooden crate believe it is made of lightweight feathers. This allows scrivers to alter the physical laws of objects for industrial and commercial purposes. The powerful merchant houses use this magic to control the city's massive manufacturing economy.

The protagonist is Sancia Grado, a highly skilled thief with a unique magical ability to sense the physical properties of any object she touches. She is hired to steal a seemingly insignificant artifact that turns out to be a highly advanced, intelligent scriving key. This key draws her into a massive conspiracy involving the city's ruthless merchant houses.

Tevanne is the sprawling, heavily industrialized merchant city where the story takes place, entirely controlled by rival corporate houses that hoard scriving technology. The city operates on brutal capitalism, where the powerful live in luxury and the poor are left in dangerous, unprotected slums. The system heavily relies on a rigid class structure enforced by magical contracts.

Clef is a sentient, talking scriving key that Sancia Grado steals during one of her high-stakes heists. He possesses a sarcastic personality and retains memories of the ancient, fallen empire of scrivers who originally created him. He becomes her constant companion and helps her navigate the complex, magical wards protecting the city's most valuable secrets.