Everfrost Ore
Everfrost Ore is an ultrarare metal found deep within the Iceshard Dominion and the Frozen Maw. It is renowned for its paradoxical nature: perpetually cold to the touch, yet capable of igniting in frostfire when struck with force.
Everfrost Ore is more than just a rare metal—it is a paradox of ice and fire, a substance capable of both great creation and destruction. To wield it is to walk a thin line between cold mastery and frostbound doom.
Properties
Material Characteristics
- Appearance: A silvery-blue metal with veins of pulsing cyan light, resembling frozen lightning trapped in ore.
- Temperature: Always colder than ice, unaffected by heat or magical flames. However, it does not melt—even when exposed to extreme temperatures.
- Hardness & Durability: Nearly as strong as adamantine, but with a unique flexibility, making it highly resistant to shattering.
- Reaction to Impact: When struck, Everfrost Ore bursts into ghostly blue frostfire, which burns not with heat, but with an intense, soul-numbing cold.
Origin & Source
Legends & Myths
- The Frostfire Curse: Ancient myths claim that warriors who wield Everfrost blades for too long may lose all warmth in their soul, becoming emotionless, frostbound revenants.
- The Dragon’s Bane: An old legend states that the first Everfrost blade was forged by an ice-bound dwarven king, crafted to slay an immortal fire dragon. The battle lasted for three days, and when it ended, only the frozen husk of the dragon remained.
History & Usage
Everyday use
Weaponry & Combat:
- Blades forged from Everfrost Ore freeze wounds upon impact, making healing difficult.
- Warhammers and maces release shockwaves of frostfire when striking hard surfaces, making them devastating against armored foes.
- Arrows and projectiles made from this metal leave behind lingering frostburn, causing nerve damage and fatigue.
Armor & Protection:
- Everfrost-forged armor remains immune to fire, making it prized by warriors who battle dragons and fire mages.
- It naturally absorbs and disperses kinetic energy, reducing the impact of blunt attacks.
Magical Implements:
- Used in staffs, wands, and runic focuses for ice magic, enhancing cryomantic spells.
- Some enchantments allow Everfrost weapons to convert heat into magical energy, making them deadly against flame-based creatures.
Industrial & Alchemical Uses:
- Slivers of refined Everfrost Ore are embedded into cold-forges, allowing for smithing at extreme subzero temperatures.
- Powdered Everfrost is a key component in cryonic potions, used for preservation or extreme cooling.
Refinement
- Found deep beneath glacial caves, often guarded by Glacial Wraiths or buried under layers of permafrost.
- Must be extracted with enchanted tools, as normal metal shatters upon striking the ore’s frozen veins.
- Smelting Everfrost Ore is impossible with fire; instead, void-energy furnaces or leyline forges are used to refine it.
Hazards
- Soul-Numbing Effect: Direct contact with raw Everfrost Ore for extended periods drains warmth from the body, potentially leading to frostbite—or even death by frozen exhaustion.
- Unstable Frostfire: If improperly forged, weapons and armor made from Everfrost may spontaneously ignite in frostfire, freezing their wielder instead of their enemies.
- Rare & Coveted: Because of its extreme rarity and power, Everfrost Ore is a target for thieves, warlords, and empires, leading to bloodshed over its possession.
Type
Ore
Related Locations
Related Species
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