The worlds of Jaern and Cahyali and the multiverse as a whole have many unique materials that require special definitions. Most of these materials can be found around the world and used by adventurers for many things. In addition, one can also find most mundane materials such as gold, iron, steel, diamond, etc.
Terisium is one of the most significant materials on Jaern and Cahyali. It can take a variety of different states, the most important defined by scholars as Terisium-1, 2, 10, and 1000. See the page on Terisium for a more detailed explanation of these states and the history of terisium use by mortals.
In its T-1 state, it appears as a dull metal, mostly a bright gray with moving, branching lines of prismatic color. Terisium-1 can be formed into a loop, creating an antimagic field within the loop that drains away spellcasters' units and cancels active magical effects.
In T-1000 state, it is a crystal with cubic morphology and a variety of different colors. Terisium-1000 focuses and amplifies energy, making it popular amongst adventurers (who are lucky enough to get ahold of it). When cut and faceted, Terisium-1000 is known simply as a Skill Gem.
A super strong, almost unbreakable metal that is a favorite of dwarven smiths. Adamantite's appearance is that of a lustrous and silvery metal, ranging in exact shade from a dark gunmetal to a bright silver sheen. Its most defining feature visually, however, is the shifting green sheen that flows over its surface when properly purified, alloyed, and forged.
Adamantite can be used in an alloy to create high-quality weapons and armor - its pure form is difficult to forge, exorbitantly expensive, and most generally prefer to alloy it with steel, titanium, or other more workable metals. Anything made of pure adamantite is likely decorative or ceremonial.
With vibrant hues of blue, orange, purple, and white shifting across its surface, chronosium is thought to have been created by the Empire of the Veil: one of the first civilizations to arise on Jaern after the destruction of Torandor. It anchors one in the timeline, warding off baleful chronomantic effects or quickening the wielder when made into a weapon.
Chronosium is incredibly malleable, even able to be stretched into a thread that can be woven into fabrics. Some legends say that it is the concept of time itself condensed into physical form.
There are many ways one can alter or enchant mundane metal to transform it into a magical material - depending on the process, the results can vary wildly.
The machines, armor, and weapons used by demons of the Beneath are often made of fallen bronze: a heavy, strong metal with a reddish-copper coloration. As it drains divine power from its wielder, red vein-like patterns reveal themselves that twist and throb.
It is thought by some that this metal was forged from the blood of archdemons - as such, it is capable of draining divine power from those who wield it, channeling this energy into stronger attacks.
The name of this metal derives from an ancient, forgotten deity with two faces, reflecting its dual nature. Depending on the details of its forging, ismudium can resist force originating from up close yet be incredibly weak to attacks from afar, or vice versa. Its appearance resembles brass, but is a little more silvery.
At a glance, it is hard to tell which weakness an ismudium piece has, but close inspection reveals that melee-weak ismudium is a little more lustrous than ranged-weak ismudium.
This metal is light, both in color and weight. It has long been used in elven communities of Jaern to forge lightweight weapons and armor, fit for speeding through thick forests with agility and dexterity. Its appearance is almost pearlescent - an extremely light-colored metal that ranges from silvery to something akin to rose gold.
Mythril veins are often found in large forested areas, pointing to why elves were the first to discover and use it. It is said to be equal in strength to a good steel, but half as heavy.
The “steel” in this metal's name is sort of a misnomer, as it is not steel at all. Instead, this metal was first discovered in asteroids that fell to earth. It is porous and soft, but strangely hardens after fast movement - somewhat non-euclidean. Rogues and poisoners enjoy using this material, as it is a splendid way to cut toxins into the body of a foe.
It is normally a dark gray color with little luster, but takes on a slight sheen of whichever poison it holds at the moment.
An alloy of lead and terisium, and one of the more effective anti-magic materials in common use. Due to the terisium component, this metal cancels out most magical effects attempting to affect it - whether this originates from the tool or armor's user or an outside source.
Silent steel's appearance resembles lead, but the terisium component is betrayed by a prismatic sheen when the right light strikes the metal. It is difficult to forge - as the process can't be assisted by magical means, so silent steel is one of the more expensive materials on the market.
This pitch-black stone is strangely sharp and light for its appearance, resembling a heftier version of obsidian. Red lines, which can resemble geometric patterns or organic veins, run through it and glow when demons are near. When made into a weapon, infernal runes are etched onto it which have the power to reveal and harm demons. A favorite of many monster hunters.
Never-melting icy crystals found only in the freezing depths of the Elemental Plane of Water and wintry regions of the Dreaming. Can be clear like an icicle, or blue like glacier ice. Extremely cold to the touch, but just not quite cold enough to harm its wielder.
Eternal ice is incredibly difficult to work with, as it cannot be forged like a metal. Therefore, artisans working with this material sometimes line metal weapons' blades with eternal ice to achieve a similar effect.
Also known as Living Jade, this greenish stone with fiery flecks reminiscent of fire opal is considered a good luck charm in Ruefang, Cahyali. It is also rarely found in other parts of Cahyali. Initially a rather inert stone that can store minimal amounts of magic, jinghua can be “activated”, turning it into a powerful and dangerous fuel source.
Activating jinghua requires two things: exposure to radiation, and exposure to an organic fluid like blood. After this, it begins to glow and thrum, becoming brighter when close to a leyline. Activated jinghua is capable of initiating and exacerbating a deadly ailment known as Leyline Sickness, which can take many forms and can cause grotesque mutations.
Rumor has it that this crystal is made out of the souls of elves who perished in Torandor's Elvesbane plague or Cahyali's Day of Solar Wrath. It grows in spiky clusters, similar to quartz, and seems to have swirling bright spots somewhere deep inside. Milphite crystals come in just about any color, with the most common being green and orange.
Milphite is an essential component of airships, as it provides the ability for these vehicles to fly. Other levitating vehicles also use milphite in their construction. Although it is too brittle and volatile to be used as armor or weaponry, it is still an important material in the world.
A ruddy bronzish-blackish ore that can be used as-is, or smelted and formed into a fiery metal (which is sometimes referred to as tarkium). In either form, tark can be easily identified by the heat radiating off of it. This material is most common in the Beneath and the Elemental Plane of Fire, though it has rarely been found in volcanoes with significant magical ties.
Tark ore is incredibly dense and heavy, with its heft only being slightly improved when smelted. Demonic smiths have discovered that adding certain chemicals to tark during smelting can change its color, resulting in tarkium shades that range from pitch-black, to steel gray, to fiery reds and oranges and even blazing blues.
Scholars disagree as to the exact origin of this crystal; some think it's simply a rare stone from the Elemental Plane of Earth, while others believe it is the result of intentional cultivation by some sapient elementals of the plane. This crystal grows in dense clusters and can be easily sharpened into weaponry. It comes in colors from deep brown to golden yellow.
Strangely for the stalwart nature of earth and earth magic, a piece of terradite gear is no heavier than a piece made from mundane iron.
(pr. BALE-uh-noy-GAH-joe) This is the slick, blubbery hide of a massive species of Jaernian whale. No matter how old it is, this material always stays slippery and smooth. It is usually black, white, gray or a subtle shade of blue - favored amongst Semi-Aquatic communities who must brave the cold ocean in the winter months.
With scale shape and vibrant color resembling the beast it came off of, draconic hides are a rare and valuable material. Drake skin is comparably more common than dragon hide, but both of these unique leathers are prized by leatherworkers and sought after by adventurers. It isn't uncommon for a monster hunter to bring their quarry directly to a leatherworker, hoping to commission an armor piece from their very own kill.
There are a variety of ways to change mundane leathers and fabrics into magical ones, each with their own procedure and result.
Invented by the Onivero native to Jaern, use of prempek has spread to Cahyali, the Elemental Plane of Water, and beyond. It is composed of ground-up seashells bound together with a substance derived from kelp, resulting in a light and strong material that can be molded into shapes, spun into thread and woven, etc.
Most prempek is light-colored like its seashell component, but it can be easily dyed to any color one may desire just like regular fibers.
In the caverns of Cahyali's Null Labyrinth and the many caves on the islands and beneath the oceans of Jaern live odd, giant spiders with inexplicable psionic abilities. The silk of these spiders is highly prized to weave a material that is not only soft and beautiful, but can bolster psionic power. Psychic webbing resembles normal silk in most ways, but gives off a mystical glint when catching light in the right way.
Collected from the essence of night and shadow itself using experimental magic rituals, this pitch-black fabric is a favorite amongst rogues who favor stealth and subtlety. It is also a component in some blueprints for invisibility cloaks. It is incredibly light, but can be layered and compressed on itself to form a harder, leather-like material.
This unique material drips like sap from the branches of skybough trees, mystical, towering trees that grow only in the Dreaming. When collected properly and carefully cured, skybough amber becomes a strong yet light material favored by fey lords for their personal equipment.
It resembles mundane amber in color: a translucent yellow-orange. Armor sets made from skybough amber are often adorned with other materials such as cloth and preserved leaves.
On the Elemental Plane of Air are rare, lonesome floating islands - and on these islands are gnarled trees with purple or yellow leaves and wood that hums with electricity. Though it is too brittle to form armor, the canny adventurer can craft thunderblitz wood into a weapon that is sharper than it seems.
Thunderblitz weapons are unassuming when left alone, save for the occasional arc of electricity that winds down its length. Many have assumed them to be simple toy weapons or training implements, only to be shockingly corrected.