Birani (/bir aˈni/)

Properties

Material Characteristics

Birani has a crystalline structure and is often white, though transparent varieties exist. The most sought after variety is solid white.

Geology & Geography

Birani is a found in many places, notably on Keverynn, Tanviyer, Atharia, Darush 3, Darush 6, and Tuthea.

History & Usage

Discovery

On Tanviyer, it's discovery wasn't recorded, but has been present through most of the vaen people's long history.
On Keverynn, it was found in abundance in the Alastean Islands by Charith Grelann, one of its earliest settlers. It is also found in the Snow Demon Mountains and in Tchupak.
Surveys of Atharia and the Darush system found plentiful deposits of this mineral. This was one of the main factors behind the planet's eventual colonization.

Everyday use

The less advanced people of Keverynn call these cloudstones and are most often used in jewelry. 
For the space-faring vaen and the people of Atharia, it is the main component of their diledd drives. Most ships require larger, flawless crystals which aren't as easy to come by. Flawed crystals are cut down to remove the flaw and are used as power sources for everything from DARD pads to public transit.
Prior to the humans arriving on Atharia, the Swimmers used it as a light source in their underwater cities.

Cultural Significance and Usage

Cloudstones are important to the Tchupakians. They believe the stones can grant visions top those who swallow one. 
Aside from being a power source, birani has no significant meaning to the vaen or the Atharians. 
Learning that it could be used for other things, such as journeying to the stars, had a profound impact on the Swimmer culture and technology.

Industrial Use

Like many crystals, birani can be created artificially. Labs have yet to create a refined enough crystal for use in diledd drives, but the resulting crystals are stable enough for use in industrial machinery.

Environmental Impact

Environmentalists on Atharia are concerned that this resource may become depleted in the next hundred years or so. This spurred efforts to find other deposits in the Darush system and brought forth a greater effort to mine the mineral on Tuthea, an uninhabited planet in a neighboring system. 
The oldest colony records mention deposits elsewhere in the system, but weren't clear on where. In 1488, small deposits were found on Darush 3. Two years later, Darush 6 was identified as having significant quantities.

Reusability & Recycling

Spent crystals are sent to a factory outside of Xyn’kaliir to be ground up and processed. This powder is used in many ways depending on its level of refinement. The coarsest grind is used as an abrasive in construction. It is the cheapest to acquire and easiest to make. It is widely available to the public.
A medium grind is used to make glass & labware, silica brick, cement, and mortar.
A fine grind is used in crated goods and grooming supplies.
The finest possible grind is used for research and is highly regulated. There has been some success in taking this crystalline powder and using it to create artificial power cells. It is time-consuming to refine the crystal to this degree and it is likewise expensive. Only certified labs can get their hands on it. Labs with a high enough certification can apply to their local government for purchase grants. These grants cut the price significantly. There are currently two labs with this level of certification: Yadehann Enterprises in Aren'march and Whitshield Labs in the Akasa lunar colony.

Distribution

Storage

Raw crystals should be sored away from light and active heat sources. Exposing raw crystals to too much heat can cause explosions. Once they've been cut and refined, they are considered safe, though accidents have happened.

Law & Regulation

The Atharian government has regulations in place that dictate what stores can sell what types of crystals. Smaller pieces are readily available everywhere from corner shops to larger retail stores. Larger crystals can only be sold by certified merchants. Those used in diledd drives are unavailable for sale except to the factories that produce those drives.

Ba

Type

Ore/Mineral

Rarity

Common

Odor

Odorless

Color

White

Common State

Solid