Alchemized Voidhive

Properties

Material Characteristics

The appearance of alchemized voidhive will be different depending on its purity and on idiosyncrasies of the process used by the alchemist who produced it. Perfectly produced and refined, it possesses a black color so dark that not even the most visually sensitive creatures can discern it three-dimensionally, it appears to be a hole in reality the shape of the cross-section facing the observer. Its color lightens as you observe lower purity samples, all the way to a bright white seen on the least skillfully made examples, though generally the lowest purity which can still be utilized will be a mid-dark grey color. The shape of solid alchemized voidhive will depend on the shape of the vessel it was cast in. Many favor small hexagonal coins or ingots as a nod to the source material.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Properly alchemized voidhive is one of only two known substances on Khthon that can be found in all three primary states of matter at any temperature and pressure. In fact even improperly alchemized samples retain the ability to assume any state in a wide range of temperatures. In its solid form it is hard and somewhat brittle, somewhere between glass and a less malleable metal. Its liquid form is notable for being of precisely the same density as water and completely insoluble in it. Finally, in the gaseous form which sees the most use, alchemized voidhive goes from being quite inert to one of the most flammable substances on Khthon.

Geology & Geography

Famously, all the ingredients of alchemized voidhive, and everything necessary to process it, are either already nearly ubiquitous, or have the ability to thrive in nearly any environment once they are introduced. The fact that there are specific regions famous for making it and that it is shipped from these regions all over the world is a testament to the danger and raw difficulty of its creation rather than material availability.

Origin & Source

The actual materials involved in creating alchemized voidhive are nearly trivial to find, though the most important is certainly not trivial to actually acquire: the primary ingredient is of course the honeycomb of the Tenebrous Bee. The insects are native to the very depths of the Underdark in places where the barrier between it and the Abyss are particularly thin, but can survive perfectly happily anywhere there are pollenating plants. Their behavior is no different from most other bee species, but their sting is among the most deadly in existence. Every person who has survived being stung by one did so by calling on and receiving direct divine intervention, but not everyone who has done so survived.

Life & Expiration

Alchemized Voidhive is remarkable in that while it loses potency while in gaseous form in a matter of minutes, it actually gains potency more slowly while a liquid. Transforming it to a solid results in a product so stable that even after thousands of years, no change is discernable.

History & Usage

Refinement

The alchemical process for synthesizing alchemized voidhive is the second most complex formula known to that field, behind only the legendary Philosopher's Stone itself.

Type

Composite

Odor

Floral

Taste

Slightly sweet

Color

Black

Boiling / Condensation Point

All Temperatures

Melting / Freezing Point

All Temperatures

Density

Varies

Common State

Solid, liquid, gas