Dererium (deh-REAR-ee-um)
Deres' Metal...
First discovered by the legendary explorer of old, this wondrous metal ushered in an explosive new wave of technological advancements. With uses ranging from medical, military, and household, dererium allows the Thangien people to maintain a highly-advanced society with the facade of being an agrarian culture. Found exclusively at the Northern Ring Glacier and the Basek de Rhakka volcanic hotspot, crafters of all ages spend several hours of the day laboring away at the foundries of Peirolyth to work this miraculous alloy under the watchful eye of Eyurodin, Goddess of the Forge.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Dererium is rarely ever found in large chunks and only a keen eye can distinguish the proper color among the ground. Its distinctive sheen appears in a range of gold, purple, and green with slight hints of blue. Not all lava found at the Basek de Rhakka becomes dererium. It is theorized only sufficiently powerful lava plumes coinciding with heightened solar wind activity will yield dererium alloy.
Physical & Chemical Properties
In its raw state dererium feels heavy and cool to the touch. Once refined and tempered in a foundry, the metal seems to shimmer like water. Due to its high melting point, dererium is very heat-tolerant but even a tempered blade is susceptible to heat stress if subjected to prolonged exposure to concentrated energy blasts.
Compounds
Dererium is suspected to consist of transition metals, but in the precise amounts and makeup remains unclear due to the chaotic nature of the Basek de Rhakka. What additional effect solar particles have has yet to be observed or replicated in a controlled environment.
Geology & Geography
The largest concentration occurs naturally at the Basek de Rhakka volcanic complex at the north pole. Cooled magma can yield fist-sized chunks of naturally-occurring alloy and lava bombs can sometimes yield pure dererium cores. Smaller fragments can be panned from the source of the Winding White at the foot of the Northern Ring Glacier. Dererium occurs naturally only on Thanged. Attempts have been made to synthesize it with mixed results.
Thunthen have tried using special skimmers to harvest solar particles above Planet Thanged's north pole and infusing them into their foundries, and while the resulting product shares similar properties, this "pseudo-dererium" or "false-dererium" is of inferior quality and due to the high melting point required, the energy needed to produce a small amount makes mass-production impractical. Pseudo-dererium has been observed to tarnish over a prolonged period of time, losing its heat tolerance and making it useless for construction of ship hulls. It does, however, have a secondary use as conductor teeth in sealed conduits.
Origin & Source
Volcanic ejections bombarded with coronal-mass currents from the Twin Suns.
Life & Expiration
True dererium is not subject to rust, tarnish, or wear. While Thangiens believed the Thunthen long since discarded the artifact, the sword crafted by Deres and gifted to the first Thunthen explorers remains in the keeping of the current Highlord as an heirloom of the Sons-in-Exile and the Anazhar Clan. Dererium is vulnerable to denting from a powerful-enough impact and can be scratched or cut by magically-attuned enemies, likely due to the competing energy infusions.
History & Usage
History
The early Freelanders had precious little metal to work with aside from what they could scrape from the banks of the Winding White. Roth's Edict forbade the people from drilling into the soil. Eyurodin had to cannibalize scrap from Peirolyth to create the very first forges and anvils for the burgeoning people, but she longed for more metal with which to work. It would take over five-thousand years before a young impulsive Deres would embark on his spectacular journey which took him all the way to the very roof of the world.
Discovery
Endlessly curious about the planet, Deres followed the Winding White to its source and-at great hazard-scaled the walls of the Northern Ring Glacier and ambled his way down into the foggy valley behind the wall. He nearly stumbled headfirst into a molten river, one of many emanating from the Basek de Rhakka volcanoes. By chance he picked up a number of small handfuls of curious metal flakes and carried them with him on his return trip.
While Deres is credited with discovering the alloy-and infact it still bears his name-it was Eyurodin, Lady of Flames and Goddess of the Forge, who plumbed its limits and potential uses.
Everyday use
Dererium is to Thangiens what iron, bronze, and steel were to Humans. Incredibly abundant and versatile, its strength, light weight, and lack of toxicity make it suitable for everything from silverware to scaffolding. The most frequent uses are conventional bladed and blunt weapons and as of recently the metallic hides of Pegasi.
Industrial Use
Due to the high melting point, dererium can only be worked in the forges of Peirolyth or in mobile stone forges fired with phergon. Once Thangiens learned of phergon used by Thunthen, they took to pilfering small amounts in secret, as there are deposits of the combustible substance on Planet Thunthen even the Peasants do not frequent. With the recent discovery of phergon on Planet Khilio, Thangiens diverted their efforts to the desert world.
Dererium is first melted and cast into ingots and inspected by forgemasters for the right balance of hues. Too much of any one color is considered a sign of impurity and must be scrapped and recast. A high temperature must be maintained to properly work the metal into an implement. This can also be achieved via magical means.
Refinement
Raw volcanic ore must first be pulverized and sifted multiple times to remove useless rock and dirt. Dererium exists as small blade-like chips embedded in rock and can withstand moderate pressure. It will not sink in water but it is possible to use sluices to separate chips from slag. Additional chemicals are not required and not recommended due to Roth's Edict. It is theorized the metal-attracting chemical used by the Thunthen in their mines could draw out pure dererium, but Thangiens are loath to try it after the incident involving Paigasurin and Mazzan.
Manufacturing & Products
Melee weapons and munitions are the largest product. Every Thangien has a weapon or tool catering to their lifestyle be it sword, spear, or hammer. With the creation of the Pegasi, dererium-tipped missiles are a common loadout in their war saddles. Pegasi also are able to eat dererium or any other form of metal to supplement their weaponry, so formerly useless slag has been converted into pellets for them to consume to refresh their armaments.
Byproducts & Sideproducts
In earlier eras, dererium slag would either be recycled into building materials such as brick, beam supports, or scaffolding. When Eyurodin created the Pegasi, she instilled in them all their original instinctive needs such as socialization, grooming, play, and of course eating, but because Pegasi do not defecate, they digest metal in order to replenish their bodies as well as their payload. Slag produced by Peirolyth has since been diverted to the Mazzan complex where it is refined into feed pellets to sate hungry Pegasi.
Low-quality dererium can be used to create braids of high-tensile strength wire nicknamed "Eyurodin's Hair". Because true dererium is a poor conductor, wire is typically used to secure loads or captives.
Hazards
Protective equipment is a must for anyone working in Peirolyth period, and all artisans wear protective face shields when working close to the foundries. Only Thunthen are able to work close to high heat for any period of time, and as of recently, Thunthen prisoners-of-war are offered parolee status under the supervision of Eyurodin.
Environmental Impact
Roth's Edict provides only for the manual harvesting of resources. Use of heavy excavation equipment is forbidden for Thangiens. Panning is the safest way to obtain dererium but the slowest, while the Basek de Rhakka yields the highest concentration. In older days slag used to be dumped into volcanic pits in the hope that it would potentially yield future high-quality dererium, but this has been discontinued in order to cater to Pegasi needs. Because Pegasi require metal to digest, their sensors are able to pinpoint high-grade ore much quicker than with the naked eye. While Roth's Edict applies to Thangiens, it is not uncommon for smaller parties of Thunthen to raid the lava floes, and they are certainly less restrained in regards to use of excavators. These parties are far and few in between however, as riders are quick to harry them if they are discovered.
Reusability & Recycling
While it is possible to re-cast dererium, this is seldom done save for the purpose of repairing a blade or mending a Pegasi. Implements made of dererium are treated with reverence, often as family heirlooms. Even Pegasi slain in battle have their remains interred with honor alongside their riders, given equal status among Thangiens. On rare exceptions, Pegasi remains are unrecoverable, and their ultimate fate is best left a guess.
Distribution
Storage
Dererium is typically cast into small ingots for ease of transport. These can weigh anywhere between 5-15lbs. While the metal itself will not rust or tarnish, it is commonly kept packaged in crates and insulated with tarp to prevent exposure to particulates that might impact the forging process.
Hundreds of rockets left their dens in a roar of smoke and flame and shot up towards the metallic monstrosity. The first volley of missiles struck the creature in its arched neck. The next round impacted on its head, and the third on its side, close to its belly. The creature screamed and reeled from the force of the assault. When the smoke cleared, however, not so much as a smear marred its metallic skin. “They didn’t even scratch it! What the heck is this thing made of?” Tanya exclaimed. “Dererium, one of our most powerful alloys,” Danae stated. “That doesn’t sound good for us....” Cye muttered.
The next stage made Sage’s gut churn with anxiety as Australa took out a second ceramic pan and placed the broken halves of his blade within. While those heated up, Australa checked the contents of the first pan and removed the clamps from the outer wall. She poured molten dererium into each of the four smaller cavities without spilling a drop.
Type
Metal
Value
Moderate
Rarity
Very Abundant
Odor
Acrid (side-effect of volcanic activity)
Color
dark-grey w/ iridescent sheen
Melting / Freezing Point
2000+ F/1000+ C
Density
Moderate
Common State
Solid ore
Related Locations
Related Species
“Deres took samples of the lava and found that when cooled, it yielded the metal which bears his name to this day: Dererium. Wondrously light! Highly resilient! Only on Thanged does it occur naturally, and its discovery ushered in a new age for the people of Bainshaebo.”-Bau Daophyn to Edward Connolly
"Hmm…damage looks fairly superficial. All it needs is new canvas and a new frame…dererium will suffice,” Sul commented after appraising the vehicle. “What? Oh, gosh. I don’t need that. That’d be far too expensive!” Mia blinked in surprise. “Dererium isn’t expensive,” Sul shook his head and raised a gray-green eyebrow. “It literally rains from the sky at Thanged’s polar caps."
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