Wards involving matter are some of the most complicated warding schema in existence. While their creation and maintenance is not as profound as Intent wards (see Chapter 4), nor as problematic as certain other wards which must not be named, the necessity of their complexity means very few Wardmasters are competent enough to create such a construct. Despite this difficulty, it can be argued that matter wards are the best and foremost reason wizarding society has maintained its dominance. Every species utilizes methods of combat involving solid objects, whether a troll's club, centaur's arrows or goblin swords. Muggles utilize no alternative forms of combat, which allows a single ward to provide shelter against the widest variety of assaults. Protection allows time for rest and recuperation, which alone are priceless rewards.
Given these advantages, it is of little surprise that studies upon Matter Wards are among the greatest of all wards. Variants include the Protego charm family, the Impasse enchantments and a goodly number of protective sorceries. What makes the Ward so integral to defenses however is not its capacity for deterring physical attacks, but the inherent ability to affect material. Transfiguration, Conjuration, and even Alchemy are affected by this ward, albeit not to the same extent.
The issues facing Matter wards are legion. A simple shield, if the design is mismanaged, will inhibit air-flow and rainfall. Magic is drained in the effort of supporting such a structure, and creates a dead zone through which no one may enter or exit. These dead zones remain bereft of life until the ward is removed; incapable of supporting even the smallest creatures.
A good basic beginning ward paradigm will have a source including Eihwaz (strength) and Mannaz (support). The focus will utilize Ansuz (usual understanding is Prosperity or Vitality) and Pertho (Protection). These, of course, are only the beginning basic runes of the Futhark lexicon, and should not limit the beginning wardmaster's studies.
Matter Wards have been used since before the Greek city-states (History of Warding, by Zanzibar Topperston, 1972), which has left a great deal of time for specialization, or categories.
Clipeum wards form the bulk of shielding Matter wards, surrounding structures and gathering points with defenses (Old Words by Lancelot Overfont and Lt. Cmdr. Grimjaw). Fortifications, battle wizards and safety-minded folk of every race desire this form of protection, paying optimal prices on any market. The most ignorant wardmaster will be able to earn a comfortable living even if the only ward schematic he knows is the clipeum variant. For further interest, the best example of the clipeum ward can be found in the Grecian Security complex, in the city of Thebes. These wards held against attacking armies for over a century, strengthened through generations of wardmasters.
Note: Visitors would be advised to prepare themselves for non-human personnel. Greece is an ancient society with treaties going back millenia; locals take deep offense at perceived insults to their culture.
Mutatio wards are a smaller class of Matter Wards that detect or initiate changes involving Transfiguration (Flipsy Tricksy by Lady H. Aichsdotter). Triggering one of the conditional settings for the wardline (perimeter upon which the focus is set) initiates the effect of the ward itself, manifesting in any number of applications. The great Egyptian wizards were specialists in this field, turning unauthorized entry (aka the so-called 'tomb raiders') into hideous monsters (see: Secrets of the Tombs by Sfu-gen-tao, 1827).
Conditional wards operate under explicit restrictions. While all wards contain some semblance of conditional aspects, the Conditional branch wards are made up of single-purpose emplacements, encrypted to specific events or commands. These are the most common wards in urban situations; larger homes with open floor plans in the equatorial zones retain specialized wards designed to block the most harmful portions of sunlight (Manipulación de la luzby Lunatica de la Vega, Chpt. 4), and Indonesian rural fishing villages erect large wards whose sole purpose is to prevent mosquito from entering the village proper (Customs of the Sea-People by Vayne the Great, p. 31-122).
In this author's considered opinion however, the most beautiful utilization of the Conditional ward is the ancient thermoregulatory 'Jen'Wal' arrangement, named after the first two glyphs observed in the permanent grounding, situated below Yellowstone National Park. In most cases, experts would classify this warding arrangement under the Energy Ward system, and rightly so. Massive quantities of heat generated through volcanic activity can be used as a source for potent, if unstable, enchantments. The wards deep within the Yellowstone Park are more related to physical wards in how they redirect metamorphic rock as it solidifies, melts and re-solidifies. As the only purpose of these wards is to manipulate a precise form of near-molten stone, this renders its position in the Conditional grouping.
To date, the best example of the Jen'Wal warding system is a series of subterranean caverns in an undisclosed location (visited by this author after certain Oaths were made). What ward symbols remain visible have a haunting beauty, lines of liquid obsidian flowing through regular panels of granite. No current method is capable of successfully replicating this form of warding; constant observation shows recurring sequences without clarification. These symbols follow no known language, but correlate with volcanic activity in the Park itself.
Note: Tampering with the Jen'Wal Wards is a Federal offense in the Magic Confederacy of America, punishable up to and including execution. ICW regulation rates the potential hazard as a Title IX Unknown, punishable with lifetime imprisonment, Obliviation and removal of Family status.
Interested parties may wish to observe the Warding Competitions held every three years, rotating between capital cities. While all ward categories are present, the Matter Ward portion draws audiences internationally. If presented with the opportunity, the traveler should take advantage of the opportunity.