Iasite

Iasite is a mineral that is common throughout Veiama. It is one of the most commonly used minerals due to its unique property of glowing in the presence of water, making it a useful source of light.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Iasite is pulled from the earth in fist-sized chunks of pale grey stone. The rock Its surface is rough and speckled with tiny pores. The pores throughout the stone make it lighter than it would appear, and very fragile. Dropping a stone is likely to cause it to break in half, and they are easy to break into smaller pieces with a hammer. Iasite mines quickly become dusty with whitish residue from chiselling the stone from the tunnels.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Iasite's most valued property is that it glows when touched by water. Any part of the stone touched by water will immediately begin to glow with a pure white light. Due to the pres, the entire stone glows from the inside and out when it is entirely submerged. One fist-sized stone fully submerged in water gives off enough light to fully illuminate an average-sized room.
Iasite slowly dissolves in water and, once fully dissolved, no longer glows. A 1-inch cube of iasite totally submerged in water will be fully absorbed in about 10 hours. When dust is mixed with water, it creates a liquid that glows for about 5 - 10 minutes.
The reaction gives off a small amount of heat, but not enough to be useful for keeping warm.

Origin & Source

Iasite is found underground in areas with a lot of limestone or lime-rich mud. It can be difficult to discern iasite from other ores in the walls of mine tunnels, so miners splash the walls with water to see what glows and mine accordingly.
Mines are scattered throughout Veiama. Many had to be abandoned during the exodus to the lakes, but mines that were near the lakes are still maintained with military protection from the Forest. Smaller mines are located on the islands themselves, though only a handful of islands are lucky enough to have enough iasite to support a mine.

Type

Ore/Mineral

Value

1 pound of iasite = 10 lots

Odor

Earthy

Color

Light grey

Melting / Freezing Point

825 C

Common State

Solid rock