Dilychwin Iron

Look, if you want to get up in the air, you can't use something too heavy. That's why we use this stuff!

— engineer

The region of Ennian is rich in resources, particularly minerals, and the talent needed to mine said resources has gradually built up in the local area over the course of milennia. With the surface quarries of iron largely being exhausted as mining operations reach industrial levels, the depths of Ennian's quarries are now being probed for their riches.
And indeed, riches are what was found. Dilychwin iron, found largely in Ennian and especially so in the quarries near Geueil, is similar enough to normal iron at a glance. However, like mythril, it is extremely light in comparison, and twice as strong. Whilst it is harder to work with dilychwin iron, it is not impossible, especially when the ore is alloyed with regular iron or other substances.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Dilychwin iron is similar enough to normal iron ore, and the refined forms are relatively similar in appearance. However, dilwychin iron is brighter, with a sheen that normal iron does not possess even when polished. Despite this, the two ores are quite hard to identify on their own, and usually must go through some kind of processing to be properly separated.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Dilychwin iron is best known for its exceedingly light weight and durability, but does possess other properties beside these. It holds enchantments well, but applying the enchantments in the first place is harder due to their odd magical draw - casters usually must be anywhere from 1 to 5 levels of proficiency above what they would normally use, or their enchantment lasts only briefly. The iron is also oddly musical, and can be struck with another piece of refined dilychwin or ore to create a musical chime.

History & Usage

History

What luck did we have to find this..? In fact - how did it form, actually...?

— curious researcher

As noted above, in the 5200s, dilychwin iron was discovered in Ennian after other nearby mines had begun to run dry. This was the first located deposit of dilychwin iron, but as time has progressed, the oddly-light iron has been found across Valathe - notably, Terenholt had begun to quarry a small deposit of the iron on their territory a few years before the Medimian Empire kicked off the 5623 War of Empires.
The past 400 years has seen developments in technology on an unprecedented scale, and not just because of dilychwin iron. That being said, the strange material has allowed for innovations and inventions previously thought infeasible due to their weight or size.
What isn't yet certain is what caused dilychwin iron to form in the first place. The material clearly has magical properties, yet does not detect as magical when spells are used to do so. No geological event seems to have occurred to cause its creation, nor is there any sign of a recent magical event causing the appearance of the deposits. Geological surveys are currently under way to obtain more details.

Industrial Use

The most common use of dilychwin iron is in the construction of flying apparati - airships, drones, and the like. It's a relatively new field of engineering, but dilywchin iron's lightweight properties and extreme strength under pressure make it nigh-perfect for ships that need to endure the high pressure of the upper atmosphere and maintain structure in storms whilst also remaining light enough to stay in the air.
Alloys of dilwychin iron ore with other substances allow its unique properties to be passed on to other metals -- an alloy of dilwychin iron and copper allows for a lighter and more easily protected dilwychin copper wire, for instance, without harming the conductivity of the material too much. Experts from Polyhedra, Geueil, Liangxin, and Fyrneistur - amongst other areas - are each actively experimenting and iterating on what dilwychin iron can truly lead them to doing; it has already been theorised that if correctly enchanted, dilwychin iron could be used to create a far less prohibitively-expensive submarine for large-scale transport through Istralar's oceans.

Odor

Metallic. Stop sniffing rocks, too.

Taste

Metallic. Why are you licking rocks?

Color

Metallic grey; more shiny than iron, less bright than silver or steel. Cool-toned.

Boiling / Condensation Point

3,200C

Melting / Freezing Point

1640C