Personal reagents

Reagents are the most hotly contested resource in all of Scarterra.   Common reagents can be turned into potions, scrolls, or other temporary magical items. Durable reagents can be turned into permanent magical items, swords, cloaks, armor, staves, etc. Reagents can normally be used by anyone capable of brewing potions or crafting magical items. The broad utility and versatility of reagents make them as valuable as silver and gold.   Personal reagents are a special exception. For most Scarterrans, they are ordinary things. But for very specific people, they have magical utility provided they have a personal connection to the item and they either have some magical training or the assistance of someone with magical training.  

Example 1: Tihalt's sword.

    Brigid made a mighty magical sword that would normally take about 3000 drams of reagents (3000 silver pieces worth), but she was able to only used about 500 drams of reagents because she used Tihalt's source as the base material. Only Brigid could have done this.  

Example 2: Chaskiel's Geu-Puppy

  Here is a less sad example.   A geu-puppy is like a teddy bear only it's a dog. They are popular children's toy in Scarterra.   Let's say Chaskiel the wizard wants to magical geu-puppy that will come alive and bark if his children are ever in danger to keep in his workshop.   Let's say a magic geu-puppy like this would normally require a lock of his children's hair and about 200 drams of reagents sewn into the stuffing.   Instead of making a new geu-puppy, if he used the geu-puppy that he kept as a child that his grandmother sewed for him (he still kept it as an adult of course). He could carefully open it, add the locks of his children's hair, and sew it back up and perform the enchantments. And now he just saved himself the expense of buying 200 drams of reagents.   A thief can't steal his geu-puppy and grab the reagents. Only Chaskiel can get personal reagents out of his old geu-puppy.