tyrellium

Of all the discoveries wrested from the Golding Library after the War for Enlightenment, it was Arthur Golding's notebooks on tyrellium that propelled technology forward into the spacefaring age of modern society. Tyrellium's Magic conductivity, coupled with Golding's ancient methods of crystallizing the metal into a compact, durable, and even editable housing for advanced and interdisciplinary Runework, launched new uses and opportunities for Technoarcana and the combination of magic disciplines.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Tyrellium is a chemical element common throughout the planets, asteroids, and other celestial bodies of Vazdimet. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and magical conductivity. A freshly revealed surface of pure tyrellium has a brilliant blue-green pearlescent coloration, although continued exposure to air results in an outer layer of dull silver tarnish.
Alloys utilizing tyrellium retain a slight pearlescent sheen in bright light but otherwise take on colorations more akin to the alloy metals, sometimes with a slight greenish tint.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Tyrellium is stable and easy to work with, with the unique feature of conducting magic in addition to heat. This has led to its use in the majority of magic and enchanted items, from clothing to electronics. While original uses of the metal revolved around the weaving of tyrellium strands into clothing and other structures, the discovery of tyrellium crystal has taken these capabilities even further, allowing the encoding of complicated Runework spells and information for recall and activation later.
While crystallization requires highly purified tyrellium, tyrellium-based alloys still retain their conductive properties to a lesser extent, entirely dependent upon the composition level. In its purest form, tyrellium oxidizes in humid air, developing a thin dull silver shell which does not have any noticeable effect on its properties, provided care was taken during manufacture to limit inclusions.

History & Usage

History

While records on the use of tyrellium to conduct magic predate recorded history, the space age of Vazdimet has seen the metal rise to more prominent heights. Modern day space travel would not be available without the use of tyrellium crystal and the subsequent development of advanced Technoarcana.
Tyrellium-based technology is often heralded as a prime example in favor of the War for Enlightenment. If the potential of tyrellium crystallization hadn't been kept secret, the argument goes, how much further would technology have advanced into the present day?

Refinement

In its natural, unrefined state, the full properties of tyrellium will depend upon the other metals included within the alloy. Purified tyrellium is obtained by grinding up the unrefined alloy and heating it. The other molten metals are then skimmed off the top, leaving liquid tyrellium at the bottom. This same method can also be used to construct more precise alloys if desired, where the percentages of each included metal are more carefully controlled.

Manufacturing & Products

Tyrellium has found its way into the majority of magical, technical, and Technoarcana products currently found across Vazdimet.
In its most purified form, tyrellium can be crystallized into specialized storage vessels for high-density Runework, forming the core programming instructions for many electronics and allowing a reliable method for long-term information storage. Thin strands of high quality tyrellium then relay the magical instructions throughout the device. Most electronics are powered either by tapping into the user's Imperium with an encoded Apotheturgy spell, or through the use of a runic capacitor. Higher end devices use a combination of both.
Tyrellium can also be spun into metallic threads and wires, with the thickness, quantity, quality, and weave pattern of the threads control the conductivity of the resultant product. Different gages and purifications of wire are used in a variety of products, from the tyrellium shielding forming the structural basis of most Antimagic protocols, to the intricate weaves found in high end magically-enhanced clothing. Home lighting, personal protective equipment, military uniforms, transportation and communication systems, information archives, medical devices, and even children's toys have all made use of tyrellium wiring, to list merely a few examples.

Reusability & Recycling

Tyrellium can easily be repurified through processes similar to those used when refining the metal. While the availability of space travel and related technologies has also made mining tyrellium easier, largely through the metal's prevalence in asteroid belts, recycling still remains the most cost effective method of obtaining the purified metal. For this reason, most mined tyrellium is still in use.

Distribution

Trade & Market

While tyrellium use and refinement is common knowledge across Vazdimet, some planets and factions have devoted substantial effort to perfecting its use. The Space Defense Legion is renowned for their superior-quality tyrellium crystals, although sales outside Legion territory demand exorbitant prices, even when dealing directly with the Vardan.
Mordena fashion has pushed the boundaries of tyrellium weave in their clothing, building on the more functional-minded foundation set by the Sparnell Confederation in their SAF Uniforms. Wealthier guests of Janikk Station are known to return home with new wardrobes filled with the latest extravagances, often including such touches as color changing fabrics, illuminated patterns, or free-floating cloth butterflies set to drift about the wearer.
The planet of Caralis boasts a thriving technology sector, sometimes rivaling even the publicly available technologies of the Legion. This extends even to their shipyards, known for the development and construction of the best portal hoppers - both military and civilian - in all The Freeholds.

Storage

Tyrellium is a stable elemental metal. It does not react to submersion with water, although it will develop a dull silver shell of when exposed to humid air for extended periods of time. This oxidization layer is extremely thin, and can be removed without complication or specialized tools. As a result, bulk tyrellium is most often stored in ingots which are then melted or worked directly without additional refinement. Wires are stored on appropriately-sized spools in low-humidity, and clothing which includes tyrellium weaves may safely be washed in water with no effect to the underlying enchantments or protections.

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Tyrellium Ore by György Károly Tóth

Type

Metal

Rarity

plentiful

Color

pearlescent blue-green, tarnishing to a dull silver

Common State

solid

Related Items

• runic capacitor
• tyrellium crystal
• tyrellium shielding

Related Technologies

• Technoarcana

Related Professions

• Runemage

Related Languages

Runework

Further Reading