Shardsnow
The last thing he had felt as he fell to the ground bleeding was the sorry eyes of Wirot, both their bodies emaciated and torn by the battle. He found comfort knowing that despite wasting so many Barenaenian lives in a stupid war caused by a minor disagreement, he could finally get the death he deserved for a better future.
It had been decided that wouldn't be possible, however, since he had woken up again. His eyes didn't see like before, his vision turnt into all the shades of blue. His arms were rigid, as if made of the hardest stones in the frozen wastes of Erio. But perhaps the thing he was the most concerned about was the absence of his perforated heart, replaced by a shiny blue stone, pulsating with energy, deep within his solid chest, enveloped by the most bitter coldness he had ever felt. It would take some getting used to. He raised his azure eyes to meet those of an engineer of sorts, their expression of accomplishment contagious. They stared him from head to toes and gladly declared:
-"Welcome back, Inud"
Properties
Material Characteristics
Before being processed, Shardsnow looks just like regular snow, in fact, it's practically indistinguishable from it. It's the contact to the Rohkal crystals that turns it into Shardsnow.
Once refined and frozen, Shardsnow usually comes in the form of a chunk of ice of a beautiful light blue color, in various shapes (from cubes to spheres and more complex polyhedron).
Physical & Chemical Properties
As one would think, Shardsnow is extremely cold to the touch, to the point where it has to be picked up with special shovels and recipients, since contact with the skin generates extremely severe burns. To further emphasize its danger, another way to differentiate from regular snow is that it tends to be very sticky, making it easier to localize and extract as a group.
As a chemical, the contact with the crystals makes this material highly arcane radioactive, which can attract some of the nearby currents or any element of Barenae that would be affected by the flow of magic.
Compounds
Shardsnow is used mainly for the Golem's Lifecores (where it's also known as Shardice), but it's also a key component in many compounds designed for hunting, given its abrasive and adhesive nature, and has been known to be utilized in several manufactured poisons and traps, like the infamous Ivory Blood used by the Hrogo tribes on Erio.
Geology & Geography
This material is only found there where the Rohkal crystals can be found, in cold climates. This means it can be found all around the Heryzue Splinter but more specifically in the Erio section, where regular mining has favored the appearance of more types of rocks and formations on the surface.
Origin & Source
Shardsnow is always found on top of Rohkal crystals. Rohkal crystals are purple, very radio receptive crystal clusters that do not have any other known property aside from turning regular snow into Shardsnow upon contact.
Life & Expiration
If Shardsnow melts into its liquid form without the proper conditions, the magic radiation and its properties will get released as heat and it will turn into normal water. Once solidified, however, a core made of Shardsnow can last for centuries (between 600 and 800 years) before needing to be remade.
Since its life period if unattended is very short, its radioactive half-life tends to be relatively fast as well, taking around 4 or 5 hours for half of the energy to be lost if the snow is left by itself.
History & Usage
History
Before the Chellyco Eran, Shardsnow was normally observed by some of the more primitive societies and kingdoms of Erio as a dangerous element that served mainly to inflict pain, be it upon their prey or those deserving of punishment. It wasn't until the construction of Etaria and the start of the Industrial Evolutions on the 1600s that its possible uses as a material were comprehended and exploited.
It's worth noting that during the Zephyr Empire's reign, where the Church lost a lot of its power, the occupating forces (namely the Chosen of Heryz) were very untrustworthy of the sacred creation of golems and constructs through the use of Shardsnow and therefore kept a close eye on any facility capable of keeping it cold enough. The Plume priests did, however, learn to use it to tear away organic matter, which made it excellent for the offerings of bones and turned it into a precious material between those looking to earn the favor of the Chosen.
Discovery
1602 D.R.
The artificial clouds created by Etaria often snowed in the Erio section as the whole ensemble was being perfected, which lead the people there to attempt to get rid of all the extra snow they didn't need. This "artificial" snow was highly sensitive to the ultraviolet lights used by the cleaning patrols, which forced it to melt it immediately. In one of such patrols, the workers stumbled across a patch in an unfamiliar zone that wouldn't melt. One of them attempted to take a bit with his bare hand before having it severely injured and leading the others to pull the snow away with shovels and observing the crystals, which were taken to be analyzed and utilized, before the people understood that the snow itself was the usable part.
The clerics and shamans of the predominantly orc communities of Erio helped to first use the material as a means to hunt and melt, leading their colleagues to further explore the uses of the material.
Cultural Significance and Usage
This material has somewhat been associated with orcs, since their refineries and industries in Erio are the main agents which use Shardsnow to manufacture the general solvent and, more importantly, golems, which are used all across Barenae. In terms of its ritualistic uses, the golem ritual (explained below) is the most well-regarded ritual, but Shardsnow has also been used as a way to punish offenders of the law and clerical code, being poured over certain parts of their bodies, to burn the skin.
Shardsnow is the essential physical element in the confection of a fully sentient and functional golem, more so than the exterior of the construct itself and, as such, has always been very important to the entirety of Barenae, leading to the preservation of some illustrious individuals and to the proper distribution and usage of Sanctuaries all across the plane. However, both the Church and the political authorities of Heryzue are highly thorough and conscious about its use as a method of revival and immortality.
Refinement
Depending on the desired outcome, Shardsnow is always refined using different methods. However, these methods normally imply changing its state into liquid water, to then be mixed with other liquids or reshaped into ice. The hard part of this process is keeping the workspace cold enough for the material to not lose its special properties, which paradoxically implies that the ambient has to be freezing, but the immediacy of the material needs to be hot enough for it to melt. This is normally achieved by applying an instant heatwave in a specific and calculated spot of the snow cluster, followed by several other, slightly smaller, cold waves to balance the compound.
Manufacturing & Products
- Shardice, used to keep the soul of a Golem. This is a hard process and allows to reanimate a being into a manufactured body, normally made of stone or metal, and containing a core made to keep the Shardice in incredibly low temperatures.
- Venoms applicable to weapons, hunting utensils, and traps.
- Potent solvents for organic matter.
Hazards
Any refined liquid or an unfrozen version of Shardsnow keeps its abrasive and adhesive properties, while also being highly radioactive, which means that it still presents the same issues to an individual than its basic form, being a highly dangerous material to manipulate if untrained, unless the person wants to be severely burned and in need to have their skin torn off.
Reusability & Recycling
Once Shardsnow loses its accumulated energy and becomes regular snow or water, it can theoretically be poured on top of the Rohkal clusters, but this is generally not done since the supply of fresh Shardsnow is relatively endless.
Distribution
Trade & Market
Since it has no intrinsic value, generally Shardsnow is recollected by those who refine it into its various compounds, who then sell the object. While poisons and solvent concoctions are a relatively common item to acquire, a core of ShardIce is invaluable, since it requires to go through an intensive ritual to become infused with a soul and used in a golem.
Storage
Once picked up, the material has to be stored in containers that keep it under melting temperature, while also being durable enough to not degrade due to the radiation. Once taken to the appropriate refinery, these containers are normally kept inside refrigerated chambers.
Law & Regulation
The collection of unprocessed Shardsnow requires a special permit, granted by the nearest Marhal Overseer (or mining official of superior rank) in the area. Each Shardice core made also needs to be approved by the Leading Council of Heryzue and the Indico and Ranrilo of Heryzue.
Type
Biomaterial
Value
Depends on the item
Rarity
Uncommon
Odor
Regular snow
Taste
It burns, please don't
Color
White with some light blue tints
Boiling / Condensation Point
100 ºC
Melting / Freezing Point
0 °C
Common State
Solid
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