Aurixom (OR-ix-ohm)

Aurixom is the metal that lies at the heart of the greatest magical and technological achievements in Fahr Rhasc. In it's refined form, aurixom is miraculous in it's capabilities. Feats can be achieved in working aurixom that are simply not possible with any other known substance. As an alloy, aurixom elevates the qualities of the metals it is alloyed with. Aurixom alloyed steel is stronger, aurixom alloyed silver absorbs magic channeled through it and can be used to bind summoned or conjured beings, aurixom alloyed into gold is exceptionally receptive to enchantments.

Aurixom demands mastery to mine, refine and work.  Craftsfolk spend entire lifetimes developing the skills to work with the metal, and command noble wealth for their work.  Among the irex, aurixom jewlrey, alloyed aurixom tools, weapons and talismen are status symbols among the aristocracy.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Aurixom ore is black, porous with shards of smooth polished obsidian trapped within. It is very dense and is deceptively heavy. It is incredibly hard and resilient and is very difficult to break.

Once smelted and refined, Aurixom takes on it's familiar copper-red color. Once refined, Aurixom can be polished to a mirror-shine and is an exceptionally hard metal.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Refined Aurixom has an extremely high forging temperature. It is very smooth and curiously cool to the touch. When handling Aurixom without protective gear, the cooling sensation spreads in the carrier's body. This phenomenon seldom reaches dangerous conditions. But it is very noticeable.

In cold conditions, Aurixom radiates heat in a limited radius. It retains a temperature capable of melting ice, but won't prevent hypothermia.

Aurixom gives of a detectible, but faint luminescence in dim light or darkness. The glow is only perceivable only out to five feet (152 cm) distance from the Aurixom. The phenomenon is proportional to the amount time it has spent in the presence of living beings.

Compounds

Adauric: Aurixom alloyed with steel, Adouric is harder than carboned steel, and resistant to heat. Etched and Polished Adauric reveals shimmering red-gold patterns within the grey of the steel, like a damascus pattern.

Arjexom: Aurixom alloyed with silver. Arjexom is as hard as most steel, but is lighter and more flexible. Arjexom's true value is in the practice of conjurations and bindings as it absorbs and retains magical energies. The alloy is bright white silver in color, but any reflections cast in it's surface are tinted scarlet red.

Aurburi: Aurixom alloyed with gold. Aurburi is more resilient than pure gold, heavier and stronger. It remains soft enough that a masterful jewler can work it in the same way as they would gold. Aurburi is very receptive to enchantments, enhancing the magic empowering the object.

There are many other alloys of Aurixom that have been developed by craftsfolk over history. Aurixom, though difficult to work with, rewards the skill of its artisan and can be alloyed with a bewildering variety of materials, almost always making the result stronger and harder.

Geology & Geography

Aurixom is found in veins lying within either active or dead volcanos in Fahr Ryasc. It's greatest known concentrations are found within the slops of Mount Ghaol which rise from the eastern plains along the coast of the Dawnmirror Sea.

Origin & Source

Aurixom did not develop naturally within the earth of Fahr Ryasc. It was seeded within the world's crust in ages past by the same advanced civilization which built the entire subcontinent and seeded life here. Very few beings know this truth buried deep within the fathoms of time. Only those gods who have a sagacious nature and lore researched by the now-extinct realm of Vakra retain awareness.

History & Usage

Environmental Impact

Mining and refining Aurixom is an inherantly destructive process for the environment. The irex Vörkohz, through it's control of Mount Ghaol and the Tyrkohz River has polluted, not only the mining fields on the northern slopes, but the fields along the banks of the river all the way to where it empties into the Marakhor Sea. Vörkohz has poisoned an entire broad swath of the northern plains surrounding it, and an expanding blight at the delta of the Tyrkohz and all along the coast.

This region of polluted, mutated land has come to be known as the Befoulment. It has not (yet) become sterile, but crops, fishing, livestock and even the people living in or near the Befoulment have been affected by the pollution. This growing blight is what has forced Vörkohz to colonize the as-yet unpolluted lands to the north where the proximity to the marshes of the Kharian Basin continue to enrich the soil.

Reusability & Recycling

Aurixom is resilient, as are the alloys it's made from. It is possible to recover almost all Aurixom by melting it down. Even when alloyed, a significant amount of Aurixom will sink to the bottom of a crucible when the alloy is melted. The issue is the temperature. Melting and working Aurixom requires intense heat, and only the largest and best built kilns can reach those temperatures.

Type

Ore/Mineral

Color

Aurixom, when refined, is copper-red. It imparts a red tint to any metal it's alloyed with.