Dustgold

Properties

Material Characteristics

Dustgold exists as a lightweight, iridescent powder, shifting in color between pale gold and molten amber when disturbed. It clings to surfaces unnaturally—resisting wind and friction—often seeming to “float” just above skin or stone. In darkness, it produces a faint, flickering shimmer like dying embers. To the touch, it is dry but strangely cold, and it leaves behind a barely perceptible metallic tingle on skin.

When inhaled or ingested (intentionally or otherwise), it causes brief visual distortion, synesthesia, or a sense of spatial dislocation. Even when dormant, it feels slightly charged, as if it remembers energy spent near it.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Dustgold is uniquely reactive to intent. It amplifies or alters effects based on the emotional, magical, or mental state of the one wielding it. In raw form:

• It can enhance or suppress magical ingredients in alchemical mixtures, depending on proportion and mixing order.
• It binds to certain magical compounds, acting as a stabilizer—or a catalyst, if disturbed improperly.
• It absorbs residual ley or elemental energy, storing brief magical charges which release under heat or sound.
• When burned, it produces a dense, illusion-rich smoke, capable of obscuring divination or magical scrying for several minutes.

In some rare instances, it has been known to awaken latent enchantments, cause spontaneous transmutation of inert metals, or even dissolve magical wards with unnerving silence.

Origin & Source

Dustgold’s true origin is hotly debated. The prevailing theory among Qirinan alchemists suggests it is a byproduct of ley-fracture reactions—moments when high-density minerals are transmuted during arcane surges or solar impact. In the deepest reaches of Azora, some claim Dustgold forms in crystallized breath pockets of elemental spirits, or is exhaled from subterranean vents where old magic decays.

It is sometimes found as residue in collapsed vaults, shattered ritual chambers, or around the remnants of failed soul-binding circles. Extracting pure Dustgold without triggering volatile magical backlash requires anti-arcane gloves, null-aether containers, and complete silence during collection.

History & Usage

Cultural Significance and Usage

In Zola, Dustgold is whispered of in alchemical riddles and used sparingly by outlawed Sun-Eclipsed Scribes, who believe it can store divine memory once forgotten. Its use is condemned by temples but secretly studied in broken dune-shrines.

In Durrozhonth, Dustgold is feared and coveted in equal measure. It is fed to pitfighters in microscopic doses to provoke wild magical responses, or used in death duels where opponents must fight blindfolded in its shimmering smoke. Warlords hoard it in clay tubes, believing it to be the ghost of shattered gods—useful, but cursed.

Refinement

Dustgold is rarely used raw. Refined Dustgold—called Verdant Ember or Soul Gilt—is produced by boiling it with specific lunar salts or ley-hardened oils. This stabilizes the powder into forms such as:

• Ink for invisible scrolls
• Powdered fuses for trap glyphs
• Residue for cloaking magic signatures

Refined Dustgold loses its memory-reactive nature but becomes hyper-conductive, often forming the heart of illegally modified mana cores, spell grenades, or blackout wands.

Hazards

Exposure to raw Dustgold can be addictive. Repeated exposure (especially inhalation) causes arcane sensitivity spikes, phantom spell effects (hearing voices of uncast spells or seeing false light), memory bleed from nearby magical objects and in rare cases of possession-like behavior, where the user repeats lines from old enchantments or reenacts recorded spells

Some theorists believe Dustgold is partially sentient, or that it holds a magical echo of everything it’s ever touched.

Distribution

Law & Regulation

Due to its volatile, unpredictable magical resonance, Dustgold is illegal to transport or sell openly in nearly every nation—especially in Qirina and Lothenar, where it is considered a disruptive substance capable of destabilizing major enchantment zones.

Despite this, it is highly sought after in black market circuits for its use in crafting undetectable enchantments, counterfeit magical seals, or temporary ley disrupters. Rogue mages, alchemists, smuggling guilds, and even some experimental engineers in Qirina refer to it as “memory powder”, suggesting it holds traces of places or spells it once touched.

It is often disguised as cosmetic shimmer, mixed into ceremonial incense, or pressed into alchemical wafers under false labeling.

Type

Mineral