Adonium

Dr. Jaleah Liita of the Empyrean Corporation once said that she could study adonium for 20,000 years and never fully understand all its strange properties and secrets. The metal is only found either on Ymir or otherwise in its specific solar system. Some of the asteroids, comets, moons, and dwarf planets in the system contain it, but it’s most highly concentrated on Ymir.

Despite constant mining for thousands of years, the supply of the metal has not depleted, or even diminished, which led Liita to believe that the planet is somehow replenishing this resource.

In its raw form, adonium is chaotic and unpredictable. Its effects can cause strange transformations and maladies, and even warp the landscape in strange ways. However, once refined, adonium conforms to the will of the one wielding it and can be used to alter the material world. The mortals living on Ymir call this “magic,” and the use of adonium “spells.”

The automatons living on Ymir all run on adonium cores, to which their souls are bound. An automaton can suffer terrible damage, but as long as the adonium core remains they can still be repaired. Rakos has said that this ability of adonium to retain souls means that it can be used to cheat death.

In its most natural form, adonium has a pewter color, but is surrounded by a blue or violet glow. Once refined, it resembles the purest silver, and the glow is a lighter shade of blue.

Every living thing on Ymir has some amount of adonium in their blood and otherwise as part of their being. For this reason, they can use their own blood to cast spells, but this process is painful, dangerous, and forbidden in all societies loyal to the false gods. Some people have even figured out how to make “mana pendants” out of adonium, which store up to 24 spells in them. These, too, are forbidden in societies loyal to the false gods.

The false gods insist that anyone who wishes to use magic must do so through the use of seleni coins, which the archons and the clergy mint. Seleni coins are made from a combination of silver and adonium, and would each be worth around $100 in today’s money. When a caster uses a seleni coin for a spell, the coin dissipates into dust, and the adonium flies off to be gathered as payment to Liita for her role as the goddess of magic. Some casters who are loyal to the false gods believe that Liita is the one who grants the spells, but most casters know better.

Adonium can also be used to enchant items and give them magical properties. In “Apostate Prophecy,” Emblyn’s sword, The Plow, is able to heal her wounds in an instant because of the adonium runes on the blade.

While the false gods claim that adonium is the blood of Enlil, the first god, who was slain by the goddess of darkness, the truth is that no one truly knows where it came from. The false gods have long taught the people of Ymir that once they have enough adonium, they can resurrect Enlil, and he will bring an age of no more strife, suffering, or hardship.