Bags of Holding

From The Wandering Inn Wiki

Bags of Holding refer to a type of magical artifact that can carry objects in, seemingly, extradimensional space.

Overview[edit | edit source]

Bags of holding are widespread throughout Innworld and are seen to be used by adventurers, mages, merchants, Runners, Dragons, and nobility. They differ in their capacity and durability, depending on the types and qualities of the enchantment(s) placed on the bag. The carrying capacity of bags of holding are measured by the pound, the most common unit of measurement for weight in Innworld.[1] It is inadvisable to place a bag of holding within another bag of holding.[2] Some bags can accommodate objects that normally would not fit through their openings, by somehow opening wider or by making the object grow smaller.[3][4] Living things also cannot be placed in bags of holding as it would kill them, save for living eggs for unknown reasons.[5]

Lower quality bags of holding may not allow for their owners to grab things at will[6], require people to reach down deeply to retrieve items[6], or be unable to stretch their openings to allow for larger objects[4]. According to the [Enchanter] Hedault, bags of holding rarely contain more than a few hundred pounds. Those bags sacrifice higher capacity for magical instability.[7]

Extranormative Use[edit | edit source]

Beyond carrying objects and Artifacts within a small space, bags of holding allow for other notable functions.

Mercantile[edit | edit source]

When dealing with wealthy clientelle who do not carry their coin on their person, bags of holding are used to later send payment to a seller, usually by Runner.[8] Though it is recommended that such payment be arranged through the Merchant's Guild.

Combat[edit | edit source]

Bags of holding allow for rapid-firing and switching of preloaded projectiles, such as in the case of Crossbow Stan.[9]

Preservation[edit | edit source]

Bags of holding can slow the rate of decay of perishables within, such as food. Depending on the efficiency, they can slow it by ten percent or halve it.[10]

Artifacts and Magical Dissonance[edit | edit source]

Bags of Holding can contain enchanted artifacts. If the artifacts are inactive, dissonance is a non-issue within the bag.[11]

In terms of magical dissonance, like all magical items, Bags of Holding can project their own magical energy and leakage.[8] This means that one should be wary of keeping multiple bags of holding close to one another, as they are known to not play well together. The stronger the enchantment on the Bags of Holding, the shorter the time span before something awry could happen.[8]

Failure[edit | edit source]

Bags of Holding can fail if they go over the magical interference threshold, have another Bag of Holding placed inside, or the enchantments fail due to mana drain. When a Bag of Holding fails and breaks, the fabric becomes mundane and its contents decompress at great speed, exploding the bag and potentially harming people nearby. The same holds true for larger variants like chests.[12]

Other Objects of Holding[edit | edit source]

There exists other objects that act similarly to bags of holding, such as boxes or vaults enchanted with the holding spell.

Vaults are regarded to be more expensive. Magical vaults of holding can come in many degrees of enchantment. Some nobles have vaults crammed with many ward enchantments. Vaults can be made to be easily-concealed or unobtrusive to help deter thieves. They can be attuned to keys and locked with spells that can be lethal, noisy, or incapacitating. [8]

Notable Objects of Holding and their Owners[edit | edit source]

  • A bag of holding of exceptional make and enchantments. It is capable of blocking wealth-finding spells and holding more than 20 pounds of weight. Ryoka has yet to find the upper limit of its carry capacity.[7]Its quality enchantments allow for swift retrieval of items with minimal effort.[6] Its opening stretches to accommodate larger objects, such as a bicycle.[4]
  • A superbly enchanted bag of holding with no magical leakage, alleviating the dangers of magical artifact dissonance and interference. Its carry limit is up to twenty pounds of weight.
  • A blue satchel with bright yellow ties Selys bought from Farri Sightly for six hundred and sixty gold pieces.[8]
  • A red bag of holding emblazoned with the [Cloth Merchant] Humric Mames's initials. It is one of the Humric's personal bags of holding. It has been used to impress clients.[8]
    • Humric Mames[8]
  • A magical metal vault that is painted to look like wood and weighs twenty pounds. It requires a spelled key to unlock. It magically categorizes coins and valuables, in miniature, according to denomination. It costed Selys eight hundred gold coins. Tekshia Shivertail regards it as cheap and not effectual enough to properly protect Selys' fortune. [8]
    • Selys Shivertail[8]
    • Farri Sightly[8] (Sold to Selys)
  • A black pouch with drawstrings and stitched with red and gold. It is delicate, hand-made, and superior to most mass-produced bags of holding. It was capable of holding the corpse of an Antinium Drone.[15]

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • The Antinium of Rhir used the word "lingbegh" to refer to bags of holding.[16]
  • Magical vaults of holding can range from eight hundred to four thousand gold coins, at least.[8]