The Art of the Useful Object

Applied Arts is the discipline of infusing utility with beauty. It is the rejection of the idea that a functional object must be plain. The practitioner of Applied Arts is both a craftsman and an artist, creating objects that serve a purpose while also telling a story.

• Pottery: One of the most foundational arts. A potter can create simple [Clay Mugs] for a tavern, but a master can craft [Porcelain Vases] whose glazes depict entire historical epics, turning a container into a valuable [Record] and a cultural touchstone.
• Glassblowing: A difficult and dangerous art. A novice might create crude [Glass Vials] for an alchemist. A master, however, can create impossibly delicate [Crystalline Sculptures] or the [Resonant Focusing Lenses] required for high-tier Psionic devices.
• Stained Glass: This art is a fusion of glassblowing and narrative. It is primarily used in Construction to create windows that are not just sources of light, but are active storytellers. A cathedral’s stained glass window depicting a founding myth can act as a low-level memetic broadcaster, subtly reinforcing the [Faith] of all who see it.