Amber

Amber. Its butterscotch shade the same as her eyes. This was the key to everything. The hope, the fear, the possibility of finding something, anything new rest solely on this jewel. She held the pebble and the pebble held her fate.

~Second Wind Book 1 Wake At Dawn

Properties

Material Characteristics

The most common form of amber is the expanded amber cells used in the ancient Lendari stasis beds. In this form, it is a solid block of yellow mineral that feels like plastic resin when touched. The second most common, and more familiar for Awakened, is the compressed version which is a multisided crystal of the same color that feels like a large die with a random amount of sides. Shards also exist but are pieces of amber from freed cradles that have been cut and cannot expand like the amber cells. Melts to a gascious state in direct sunlight and glows blue in the moonlight. Most other forms use a mixture that is combined with building materials.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Amber is an artificially produced mineral whose primary use is slowing or stopping the effects of time on anything incased or combined with it. It behaves like an element having solid, liquid/foaming, and gaseous states but changes between these states are not tied to temperature but rather programmed to behave differently when hit by different spectrums of light. It is yellow in color and opaque but clear enough to identify people encased in a block of it. When struck by moonlight resting somewhere around the .4 and .55 micron spectrum, amber begins to glow in a turquoise color. The solid state is also immune to the effects of water erosion.
The primary weakness of amber lies in its spectral programming. In ancient times this was the knowledge that rarely fell out of the hands of the higher-ups but in the new world, sunlight strobes at just the right frequency to cause the amber to break down and change to a gaseous state. This process was initially created artificially and the amber gas was reclaimed to be reformed. But if the gas is allowed to linger, eventually it will blink out of existence. Without the re-enforcement, materials built with amber concrete crumble from the outside in. This can still take a long time thanks to its hydrophobia as most structures had amber in all layers of their construction and the exposed layer creates a sort of patina.

Geology & Geography

Only found in Lendari ruins.

Origin & Source

Unknown (Sometime shortly before or directly after the death of the first star.)

Life & Expiration

Deteriorates quickly in sunlight or when triggered to sublimate by an artificial source at the right wavelength. If left unexposed is effectively an immortal substance.

History & Usage

Everyday use

Amber's primary use is halting the effects of time upon anything enveloped within it. It accomplishes this function so completely that, upon being released from the envelopment, there is virtually no decay on the enclosed substance, even on an atomic level. Ancient scientists once claimed that Amber was not only the salvation of the species but also the hope for a universe beyond. For even after every other proton decays, amber, and its encased treasure will remain.

Cultural Significance and Usage

The most well-known or recognized form of Amber were the cells awarded to ancient Lendari citizens, used for general population stasis. The second most well-known but less visible form was on the quantum level, sewn into the replacement bodies for higherups (The Bejeweled) making them effectively immortal. In The Sunless Age, Amber was the entire culture. Everything around is either enhanced or fully governed by it. 
Since then, the technology to manufacture Amber has been lost over and over again. The re-emergence of bejeweled ones into modern society caused the immortality gene, as well as the ancient powers, to cross species lines. Amber Cells are rare but still occasionally found and collected en masse. However, the farther from pure Darkborn blood someone is, the less likely it is that an amber cell will work for stasis, becoming borderline toxic once Davran DNA becomes present.

Industrial Use

Combined with a form of concrete and other building materials to prevent decay as well as protect against temperature stressing.
Combined with quickly vanishing, high energy elements (like coppercinium) to make power conduits.
Also sewn into the genes of the "Genisis Bugs", creatures used to kickstart farms during population sleep cycles.

Refinement

Amber is exclusively manufactured/processed through the use of a machine called a Kiln.

Type

Metamaterial

Odor

Hot Plastic

Color

Yellow, Blue under certain light spectrum.

Common State

Solid