Doomstone
Doomstone is a radioactive ore found deep underground. Due to its deadly properties, the dwarves who discovered it have a healthy fear of it and try to avoid it as much as possible.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Doomstone appears most commonly as a rusty brown ore interspersed with green veins. The green crystals are the radioactive element, with the full ore being a compound of it and a sturdy metal. When isolated, the green crystals glow with a dim lime green light. These crystals are rarely found separate from this compound ore, but these loose crystals are still referred to as doomstone by the dwarves.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Doomstone is a radioactive ore that is warm to the touch. It is very dense, with a high melting point and a sturdier ore than most stones. If the crystals are isolated from the ore they often compound with, the glowing green crystals are very hard but vulnerable to bludgeoning weapons.
Geology & Geography
Doomstone is scattered around the deepest reaches of Savinaru.
Life & Expiration
Doomstone has a half life of roughly a hundred thousand years, and deteriorates into a purplish grey ore with similar properties to lead. The dwarves have found a way to turn this special ore into an alloy they call Zirium, but are vexed that it always seems to appear near deadly Doomstone, unaware of the connection between the two.
History & Usage
Discovery
The dwarves first discovered Doomstone a while after they settled Deephollow. A miner discovered a strange glowing ore, and brought a chunk of it back to have it identified. The dwarves, unaware of the radioactivity, investigated the strange ore. They weighed it, exposed it to heat to see if it would melt, and several other tests before the symptoms of radiation poisoning became evident. When the researchers all dropped dead in mere days with no explanation, Doomstone got its name, as well as a whole building dedicated to the first chunk because no one wanted to be in the same building as this murderous rock. Various explanations for this were proposed, ranging from Doomstone being crystalized demon blood to some dark entity cursing it to Doomstone being important to Khazarag and him placing divine punishment on any who mined it. As science progressed and the concept of radiation was discovered, Doomstone's radioactive nature was revealed, but this did little to improve the ore's reputation in dwarven culture.
Cultural Significance and Usage
Doomstone has a reputation in dwarven culture for being evil and deadly. This reputation has even led to several phrases like "Mining doomstone"(doing something stupid and dangerous, likely to get you killed), "Deadly/Evil/Wicked as doomstone", "Looks like they'd use a doomstone lantern"(is very stupid) and "Following doomstone's glow"(used to refer to a siren call, usually one likely to end in disaster). When doomstone is discovered in a mine, the shaft is most often closed down and blessed, as the doomstone is seen as an ill omen. Sometimes they will be reopened once the doomstone is removed, which is a dangerous and tedious process usually left to constructs.
Given its tendency to kill anyone who gets near it, doomstone has very few uses in dwarven society. Specialized suits have been developed that allow mostly safe handling of doomstone, but most dwarves are still reluctant to have anything to do with such a hazardous ore. There have been a handful of cases where some dwarves have attempted to weaponize it, often to mixed results. These methods involve delivering doomstone to your enemies in such a way that they will not notice until they're already irradiated.
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