Orichalcum

Power. A word that holds so much meaning and strength throughout the many countries of Aurore, and is the sole goal of many individuals within it. Power comes in many forms, including but not limited to physical, magical, political, and economical power. And all of these forms certainly exert a great deal of influence over the world. But only in the wastes of the Festering Basin can one find power in its purest, unaltered form: Orichalcum.
Orichalcum was long considered a misnomer, a simple alloy held up only by the legends of confused philosophers. The claims of its discovery throughout the years always ended in disappointment, as one returned rusted copper, or an alloy of gold, tin, and copper. That is, until a strange glowing rock was found deep within the Festering Basin by one who had no idea what they had just found. After it passed many hands, sold far under its value as an oddity, with a trail of bodies left in its wake, it finally reached one who immediately recognized its true potential, one who had searched for it all their life. Quickly mounting an expedition, this man, Athanasius Beauclair, found more than he had hoped, in more ways than one. The wastes were filled with orichalcum, yes, but harvesting it was dangerous work, from the unstable energy it gave off to the strange and mutated creatures which attacked his crew. Eventually, Beauclair formed a business, importing Orichalcum into Aspax using hired mercenaries from Asmyae and the Basin itself. This is really the only way the Basin-dwellers receive outside supplies and coin, and has led to a few permanent settlements forming in what used to be a nomadic culture.
Orichalcum has as many uses as a mind has ideas. Most commonly, it is used in enchanting items and empowering sorcerers due to its innate magical energy, but it can also be used in conjunction with mundane science to grant movement to inanimate objects. The pure metal itself makes fine armor that will often enchant itself with random properties, and when forged into a weapon it can damage even the toughest hides. This makes it perhaps the most valuable and versatile material in the world of Phryxt, proven by the interest ever major player on the world scale has in it.