Nullrock miner
Background
Ripples from the past
Since the Blink, many of the larger cities in Pfemba have been defined by a strong class divide.
Of the three major peoples inhabiting west Pfemba, vena have thrived since the Blink, despite their vastly reduced numbers, and tilkens have made a big impact on the continent. Humans, the most populous, native people, have been shunted to the bottom of the ladder.
Why is this? Magic.
Dragons and Elves
Tilkens have an unparalleled natural affinity to the Spheres resulting in a large number of Conduits, and the vena's extended lifetimes give them the decades necessary to become accomplished Speakers.
Humans have neither.
But what they do have is nullrock.
Humans have been told for decades that they are simply unable to Channel magical energy from the Spheres.
Groups like the MEM have realised that this is a lie, and they are gathering support to change this narrative.
More than nothing
Yenagun technically sits on a rich nullrock deposit. That is to say,
Drake's Scar, owned by Azhjur University, is the site of by far the largest amount of nullrock. The magic-blocking effect of this crater is the reason it's uniquely safe to practise Channeling there while minimising risk to the learners and their surroundings, so the university refuses to sell any and strictly guards against theft.
Same silt, different day
With Drake's Scar so well protected, finding a single shard of nullrock every few years is extremely profitable. And a few years is nothing to a vena.
An individual working-class human, however, may spend their entire working life in the mines without finding a piece of the equalising material.
Shift in perspective
To the vena who run the mines, being a nullrock miner is a dirty, monotonous, gruelling job for simpletons, but they rely on those who do actually go into the mines and chop away at the earth.
But to the humans of Yenagun's wharfs, the job represents hope. Although removing nullrock from the mines without being caught is extremely difficult, it is possible.
If tensions ever rise to the point of a class war, whether insitigated by the MEM or another group, nullrock will be essential to the survival and chances of the humans of Pfemba.
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Nice take on the differences in power based on magic and how the humans are trying to overcome it. Pretty interesting that the other races just lied to the humans about magical abilities.
Thanks! The more I write about this, the more I suspect that the lies came predominantly from one group in particular.