A snippet from the book "Enchantment at curses" at the MyleHatsu University of Arcana and Artificery (MHUAA)

Written by Pycena Do O Grant

Enchanting powder is one of the very basic components of most enchantment rituals. It is made by crushing redstone, lapis lazuli, phosphorus and foxglove in a mortal and pestle, until but a fine powder remains. This powder glows in bright yellows and oranges, and the finer the particles the better it tends to perform in a ritual.

As far as enchantment is concerned, enchanting powder is the "page" onto which the ideas of the components are written, and then transferred as a coating onto an object. To attempt to enchant without it would be akin to listening to a lecture once, and trying to remember everything on the exam without consulting the notes even once. As such, the powder serves as the intermediary between the components and mana, and the object which is being enchanted.

While it is common for apprentices to assume that enchanting powder provides mana on its own, this is not quite the case. The mana usually comes from the caster directly, tapped from the surrounding leylines or released from the anemolite when attempting a ritual.

An excess of enchanting powder may cause some of it to get wasted, the enchantment to dissipate or in the worst case - absorbed the the soil and the environment around it. While a shortage may cause the magic of the ritual to misfire, and the enchantment to not be applied at all. It is important to give the best assesment of the enchanting powder needed for the specific ritual, as to ensure it does not cause any side effects to the mages or the area of the ritual.

As it stands, the formula is quite basic and could be refined further to increase the strength and in some cases the longevity of the enchantment. The research into this is still underway.