Mineralogy
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Felarya possesses a wide variety of metals, stones, or gems found only there. The instability of this world, along with the strange physical phenomenons that occur there, and the magic saturation of the soil, often grant these materials very strange and unique properties, found only in Felarya. They are an important part of everyday life for civilized races, found everywhere from construction, to weapons and artifacts.
Rarity table :
- Abundant
- Common
- Uncommon
- Semi-Precious
- Precious
- Rare
- Very Rare
- Legendary
Contents
Minerals
Because of the magic saturation of the world, minerals in Felarya have become infused by it over the millennia, granting them all sort of natural unique properties, such as levitation for the Eidoron rocks. Minerals are mostly used in construction and small stones and gems are often crafted in various artifacts, either enabling an effect, or amplifying it.
Stones
Takrit
Common
Takrit is a sedimentary rock similar to sandstone, with the same sandy color. It used to be considered rare until traces of one of the larger deposits in Felarya was discovered right underneath where the city of Negav is located, during the digging of ancient tunnels thousands of years ago. Takrit possesses micro-crystalline structures embedded into it from deep underground. When subjected to intense heat, they morph into a cement of sort, turning takrit into an even denser and very solid rock. Those crystals react strongly to magic as well, making the stone easy to be be enchanted or transmuted. The refined Takrit is very smooth and possesses a characteristic beautiful bronze or golden color, depending on its variety. As such Takrit is largely the choice material for most buildings in Negav. Even poor districts in Negav have sturdy buildings that almost never collapse and shine brightly in the sunset. Takrit is also often used as an aquifer for groundwater because of its high impermeability once refined.
Eidoron Rocks
Uncommon
Eidoron rocks are mostly found in the Mist ocean. They have the simple appearance of grey stones, sometimes carved with little electric blue shining veins of metal that dig inside to the very core of the stone. They're quite particular for one simple and very obvious reason: they float in mid-air. The more densely the stone is filled with this particular blue metal, the higher it floats. Eidoron rocks won't float away on their own though, and you need considerable force to move one from its spot. The cyclonic winds raging in the Mist ocean sometimes manage to make them move slowly, like schools of big, grey, lazy fish.
Actinite
Uncommon
Actinite has, over the centuries, gone from a mere oddity, to one of the most widely used minerals in "civilized" Felarya. Actinite belongs to a unique family of ores that react in very specific ways when magical energy is applied to them. In the case of Actinite, when magical energy is applied to it, the ore stores it and converts that energy into a slow, constant discharge of electricity. The ore itself is fairly easy to work with, and can be shaped and sized for all kinds of uses. There are also a few magical and physical processes that can be done to purify the ore and increase its potency. Actinite is widely requested by off-world visitors to Felarya. Once shaped properly, a chunk of it can be inserted into a battery-powered device, to provide it with power. They are most commonly used on smaller things, like tools, flashlights, short-range radios, and even electric light-bulbs for homes and businesses. The lifespan of a piece of Actinite is not too different from a similarly sized battery, and it will eventually expend all of the magical energy infused into it. Several enterprising mages have used this to create a very successful chain of shops around Negav where a mage will recharge someone's Actinite shard, for a small fee of course. In the same Ore family, the Aquanite generates moisture when magical energy is applied.
Gems and Crystals
Ascarlin
Rare
Ascarlin, also called dreamstone, is an extremely rare gem, greatly sought in the universe. A single ascarlin is easily worth a dozen times that a diamond of the same size, and empires have waged wars for just a handful of them. Ascarlin is a semi-translucent teal-blue stone with red veins running through it. It's incredibly beautiful and, when socketed in magical artifacts, can increase their power tenfold. It's not *so* rare in Felarya where there is several important deposits in the Ascarlin mountains, largely controlled by the nearby city of Negav.
Alcazath Crystal
Very Rare
Very little is known about these crystals. They are said to be found only within the lower lairs of the Tomb of Alcazath in the Jadong temple, and are named after the Tedrek Titans king himself. The crystal has the odd ability to absorb energy to a certain threshold and then release it when it has crossed the limit it can take. Some Tedrek weapon's blades are said to be coated by a fine layer of this crystal, so it could be used to effectively parry a blow, retain the energy of it, then release it in a devastating counter-attack. It can also serves to absorb a magic attack and then reflect it back. A sword imbued in this manner is a very high quality weapon- containing the properties of Tedrek Steel to slice through most stone and almost any metal with ease, as well as withstanding the most powerful strikes and to retaliate with even more power. A common tactic of the Tedrek titans was to pound the ground with their deadly war-hammers several times, in order to store the energy of the shocks before releasing it in a earth-splitting blow. A weakness of Alcazath crystal is that it can become unstable after being hit with alternating elements of opposite types- fire and ice for example- and could shatter if it has not been coated properly, according to secret and long forgotten techniques of the Royal Tedrek blacksmiths themselves.
Scintilla
Precious
Scintilla is a rare gem only found in the Pyrale mountains. Its forms and colors varies, according to the amount of heat subjected to it during its formation. Apart from being very beautiful, Scintillas have a natural fire magic within them, and when struck with a hard object a spark or a flame shoots out.
Boralite
Uncommon
An uncommon but not too rare gem found on Frost peak and in caves around it. These gems absorb heat from their surroundings and typically serve as cooling mechanisms for various machinery. They are also popular with some ice nagas to help refresh them, and can be used to help enhance frost based magic. It is not advised for humans to hold Boralites without protective gloves however, as their heat-leeching properties can cause very serious frostbite.
Dryad Amber
Semi-Precious
As the name implies, Dryad Amber is fossilized dryad sap. It's appreciated both for its colors and healing properties. Indeed, when the sap petrifies in Felaryan soil, is takes some of its magic, granting the amber strong curative properties. Once the amber is depleted, just putting it in contact with the soil for long enough will replenish it.
Victulate Crystal
Semi-Precious
Victulate crystals are a type of rock that are distinguished by their organic properties. Resembling polished quartz, when they are exposed to total darkness they appear to become filled with sparkling stars. They are typically found in deep underground caverns, the crystals spread and grow over all available surfaces, including living ones should splinters of them penetrate their skin. Should the latter occur, they will steadily transform organic tissues into more victulate crystals. Thankfully, however, their growth is completely halted should the crystals come in contact with water, and in fact are weakened by it. They also crumble to dust when exposed to sunlight, which appears to "kill" it. This makes it hard to sell Victulate, though it's not unheard of. Harvesting these crystals is considered dangerous as they tend to grow very far away from their two weaknesses, and it's not uncommon to find strange statues near them... There are some rumors of small patches being seen in Evernight forest.
Mazhir
Semi-Precious
A gem that can be commonly found in Felarya, although deep in the soil, and mainly near mountainous areas. A Mazhir Crystal has the tendency to absorb excess or residual magic substance or spells. It comes in different colors, but the shinier the crystal, the more magic has been absorbed. Very appreciated by mages, those gems are used in a variety of ways. They primarily serve as magic batteries of sort, releasing their magic in a slow, steady flow under the right circumstances. After being used, the gem will simply start reloading itself with the magic in the environment. They don't drain it from a living creature, unless in contact with them for a long time. Mazhir are sometimes also used as "purificators", to remove harmful effects from dark magic in a person or in an area.
Psierin
Rare
Psierin, also known as the Mind Stone, is an elusive red crystal. It is often confused for a mere ruby, but geologists can differentiate them, as rubies are transparent, while Psierin is translucent. Looking like a typical, valuable gem stone at first, Psierin is highly sought after by Psychics. When held by a normal person, the stone enhances typical mental functions such as concentration, memory, and understanding. When pressed against a person's forehead, it helps fight back mind effects, such as confusion and mind control. Quite a few mages use them in headgear in order to improve their focus when casting spells. However, the effects become much more noticeable when used by a Psychic. As with the aforementioned effects, it also helps them recover their mind power faster, concentrate their Psionics on a target faster, reduce the impact of side effects such as migraines, and generally improve their psychic powers overall. A certain practice among some psychics, and a few mages, is to embed a Psierin crystal in one's forehead in order to permanently tap into its power.
Metals
Like Minerals, metals are a hard, solid matter, with the unique property of being highly conductive to electricity, heat and magic, and being able to be deformed under sufficient stress or heat. They are mostly used in the creation of weapon, armors and machinery. The ground of Felarya is rich, both with metals that can be found on others world as well such as silver, titanium, copper, gold or iron, or with metals found on this world only, such as adlevite or pyralite. Metals are either used in their natural state or are artificially mixed with other elements into alloys, often combining the effect and abilities of the different components for interesting results. In general, most pure metals are either too soft, brittle or chemically reactive for practical use, but on the other hand, it's usually in their purest form that their abilities are the strongest.
Pure Metals
Adlevite
Rare
A rather unremarkable-looking metal with very remarkable properties. At first glance, it appears as a soft and very malleable metal, that can be worked into any shape or form fairly easily. It's not durable however, and will deform or break with even relatively light stress put on it. It is more common for it to be drawn into thread and woven into fabric and clothing. It's a lustrous tan in color when polished. The remarkable thing about Adlevite is its strange property of lessening gravity around it. The amount that gravity is lessened and the size of the area affected is proportional to the amount of Adlevite. A volume of a cubic inch is enough to cause a man to weigh only two thirds his original weight when held in one’s palm. There is the tale of a man who once owned a cloak interwoven with Adlevite thread. When confronted with a predator, he would simply jump and sail up out of the predator’s reach. Unfortunately, he met his end when a passing fairy thought it would be funny to steal the cloak mid jump to drop him into a dridder’s web. It is unknown what became of the cloak. The myriad of applications for this material has made it extremely valuable. However, it's also very rare and very few deposits of it are known. Some mages and scientists are intensively researching a way to synthesize it. So far, they believe that there is a connection between Adlevite and the Floating field, given their similar effects. Some even think that the Floating field is capable of transforming a more mundane substance into Adlevite, and have experimented by leaving samples of various minerals and metals in the Floating field’s path. So far, their search has been fruitless.
Felaryan Silver
Precious
Silver is one of the most conductive metals for heat, electricity and magic known in the universe. This means it's easier for silver to be imbued by magic and retains its properties, than almost any other metal in existence. Felaryan silver is essentially regular silver that has been saturated by the magic of the soil over millennia. Thus, enchanting Felarya Silver is very easy, and even a non-enchanted piece of silver armor will often bear a slight healing effect as a result. It's not the strongest metal out there though, and must often be combined with others elements for better results. Silver is very sought after by elves, for whom it symbolizes wealth, divinity and royalty . Elven blacksmith during the time of the Empire were famous for their skills at working it, and combining it with others elements in order to create very powerful magical weapons.
Pyralite
Common
This dark grey Iron is typically found in the Pyrale mountains. it's a stronger than normal iron, able to withstand greater shocks and with an innate resistance to heat and fire, that makes it very interesting in the creation of armors. It's easily combinable with other elements to form alloys and isn't much harder to shape than regular iron.
Tazarin
Semi-Precious
Another metal found in the Pyrale mountains region. Tazarin is a type of iron rather similar to Pyralite, but with a slight orangish tint to it, and a remarkable capacity for repelling magic instead of conducting it. This makes it obviously very potent in armors, in order to ward off harmful spells, but also in weapons in order to nullify magical protections. Magical creatures such as elementals will find a strike with one of these to be especially painful. Tazarin is harder to extract than Pyralite though, as it is typically found deeper in the soil.
Psycheuranium
Semi-Precious
A curious, malleable metal of a shiny, grey-blue hue and flaky texture, found only in small, nearly pure deposits. It has a low melting point, and when attempted to be alloyed, loses both its beneficial properties and side-effects. Though useless as weaponry or armor, it has the curious property of amplifying the brain’s energy field when applied closely. Just how is unclear, but after several minutes, the wearer will begin to feel odd sensations, most commonly a feeling of perpetual uneasiness (like butterflies in the stomach) as well as insomnia, after prolonged use, accompanied by involuntary muscle twitching. However, the wearer will also slowly develop a heightened sense of awareness around them, which can be described as a full extra sense at its strongest. They will experience spikes in awareness from outside stimulus- the feeling of being watched for example - amplified to the point that they will reflexively act on it, like a sense of touch. In some cases, the effects of psycheuranium can even bring some people to know when they have been detected by Predator sense! The drawback is obviously that one will be very jumpy and nervous in a wild environment from false sensing of potential danger. It is ill-advised to equip the metal for any considerable length of time, as the side effects quickly begin to outweigh the benefits.
Psycheuranium is easily made into functional equipment by rolling it out into a sheet that resembles tin-foil, and molding it onto your head in a makeshift cap. Though it may look ridiculous, no one would call you a ‘chronic paranoid’ once they’ve tried it themselves. Because once you realize how often you’re being watched, you become one too. It is of note that psycheuranium does not prevent anything from reading your mind, or otherwise telepathically communicating with you.
Alloys
Tessium
Precious
This alloy uses gold, Pyralite and a complex magical process. The result is a very strong and shiny metal, used in Skevols coins. It's also used to create weapons, being naturally magic-friendly and easy to enchant. Weapons made out of Tessium are very sought-after, being about three times stronger than those made of Pyralite, not to mention regular iron ones. It's a difficult metal to work though, and needs not only a skilled blacksmith, but one that is a none too shabby mage as well. This makes the price of a Tessium-made item jump dramatically compared to a similar one made of iron.
Xythium
Rare
A very rare and very costly to create alloy. Xythium is very hard to shape in any way, and nearly impossible to enchant, but it's physically incredibly strong and emits a natural force field. If you put your hand on a lump of Xythium, your hand will tingle and feel funny. If you attempt to punch it, fear not; you won't hurt yourself much, because the field will dampen the shock and largely absorb the impact. This makes any sort of missile attack on a Xythium surface almost useless, and magic doesn't work too well on it either. Some races have attempted to craft armors out of Xythium, but the material is so heavy it requires considerable strength to simply lift it, let alone wear it.
Tedrek Steel
Legendary
The Tedrek steel is one of the most famous achievements of the Tedrek Titans and their legendary blacksmiths. How exactly it was created is a complete mystery and there is very few Tedrek steel objects that remain to this day. It is said weapons made out of it could cut through stone while remaining as light as regular steel and could even repair themselves! This is the stuff of legends. If you hear about a great Tedrek sword being mentioned during a discussion in a tavern, think about the kind of weapon a god could wield without feeling embarrassed before his peers.
- Credits to Asuroth for the Alcazath Crystal and Boralite idea, to Rcs619 for the Actinite, to Fish for the Psycheuranium, to Asaenvolk for the Dryad amber, to Vaderaz and Archmage-Bael for the Mazhir, to Jasconius for the Victulate Crystal, to Tuc135 for the Adlevite, to Irritus for the Scintilla, to Shady-Knight for the Psierin, to Archmage-Bael for the Takrit and to nksrocks for the Eidoron Rocks.
