[✓] [World Lore] Aurum

[squakhawk 7302]

 

 

 

Material Name and Description (Raw form)

Aurum, commonly known as gold, is a moderately rare mineral found in ore veins all across the world, with no particular favour toward any environment which may house it. The metal is rather heavy naturally - roughly twice the weight of steel - and is also incredibly soft. 

 

Material Name and Description (Refined Form)

Aurum when refined, is significantly more useful as it has gone through a state of processing, in which weight may be tamed- perhaps even in an alloyed form, such as Slayersteel. Aurum overall however, due to natural softness, would make it still incredibly ineffective for practical weapons and armor, save for decorative purposes. However, Aurum bears a unique and ill-understood effect of being incredibly effective against undead, and spectral beings- as if an anchor to the living world. It may depend on the type of entity, but often Aurum will strike a searing and terrifying pain into the being, depending upon the mass of the item used. In total, Aurum is an anchor to the physical plane, and has direct ties with magical energies which makes it effective as a conduit of enchantment, and an direct tie which may harm or trap things that are not material, or do not belong, on the physical or living plane. 

 

Applications (Refined Form)

Weapons and armour to use against other descendants or better prepared folk is incredibly ineffective, and Aurum would nearly solely be used to jewelry, religious purposes, or weaponry and armour against undead. They aswell may be lain to thick plates, which are put at city gates or entrances to sacred areas to prevent the dead from entering within. Demanifesting undead or spectral entities, Aswell, should opportunity allow such as a cage, one may even trap an undead or spectral entity within, disallowing a call of undead ability and only offering true death. If killed with one, a spectral being or undead’s soul may become attached to the blade, the soul’s personality and memories potentially melding with whoever may wield, condemning such to a “Cursed” nature. 

 

Red Lines (Refined Form)

-Aurum is an effective weakness against any creature which has had it's soul altered in some manner. Undead, spectrals, and soul-bound constructs, would all be affected by Aurum equally. Be sure to check with each lorepiece to be certain as to which hold Gold/Aurum weaknesses, and which do not. If it is specifically unspecified they are not weak to Aurum, that creature is weak to Aurum. 

-Aurum is only effective against undead given mass. Small applications such as flakes or pebbles would still hurt an undead, but would give little effect otherwise. A dagger or blade, or perhaps even hammer, would be significantly more effective, with the increased surface area. "Pin-prick" tests, or anything similar, would be indistinguishable between a normal reaction to so, and any affected by Aurum's.

-Gold has no additional effect when enchanted, merely being as capable as anything else to.

-When trapping or effecting souls, such is only done and effective (respectively) upon corrupted or exposed souls- those of direct undead. Depending on the lorepiece, some may have different effects. As example, Ghosts are directly debilitated by being attacked by aurum, and necromancer-creations are not. 

-Aurum causes a searing and debilitating pain to an undead or spectral being.

-Aurum is incredibly soft and easy to dent and break, causing it to not stand chance against more practical weaponry.

-Aurum may trap only undead or spirits (Ghosts, Gravens, Poltergeists, Phantoms, etc) within, giving it a “Cursed” tag. If a player kills or banishes an undead or spirit with an Aurum item, they may get it signed by the ghost or undead to give it proper effects based on the kill. This requires OOC consent. If the undead/spirit is fully entrapped (PKing the character), the item may be ST signed.

-Weaponry alloyed with gold would not bear the spirit-trapping effect, due to a low concentration of gold to total mass. 

-Should an Aurum item be broken, reforged, melted down or degrade into irreparable state, the soul would be free to enter wherever it may belong in the soulstream. 

-Holding a spirit within a blade would permanently give wear and deteriorate on it’s wielders psyche over time.

 

ON AURUM AND PHANTOMS

Clarification

 

Spoiler

Aurum bears unique and astonishing properties, unlike those of nigh any substance found within the realm of man. Able to tug upon lifeforce, this revered material may unravel those of spectral or undead nature, unravelling them in an excruciating fashion—their very essence torn from these fleeting forms. This may feel as white-hot iron to such ethereal entities, often employed by many religious as a means of warding off less favored spirits and demons, though also hexers and witch hunters who may seek to debilitate these intangible foes, for aurum is fully capable of making contact with such as if they were physically manifested.

 

 

More peculiar among its effects is the ability for this material to ‘trap’ a semblance of the phantom's spirit within, not unlike that of some occult or mystical ceremonies who may very well do such of their own volition. In the instance that a spectral entity is subdued by pure aurum, the phantom, along with demanifesting back into the Elysian, would have some portion of their lifeforce tethered to the object as it is made “haunted”, acting as a crib for the spectral being's personality. This would cause the object to bear a pale, dying glow akin to the fading hue phantom’s own ectoplasm, trailing off of it like some very thin mist. 

 

 

With a fraction of the phantom's being imbued within the aurum, the item is capable of relaying a passive aura which pertains to the general emotion of whatever apparition had been bound; whether it be a poltergeists rage or a specter's grief. Bound personalities of Gravens are also able to manifest a very soft, tugging towards whatever their obsession might be, making one feel the inclination to pick up a blade should the Graven have some unfinished crusade, despite perhaps not necessarily knowing what they might use said blade for. Should the item be destroyed or damaged beyond repair, the lingering spirit may be freed and its effects will fade, often in the form of some brief puff of ectoplasm. Mystics, Lataumancers, and holy ecclesiastics are all capable of purging the spirit from the cursed item as well, the respective phantom feeling a strange, lingering pain as if a portion of their being was being seared; despite not knowing precisely what it was that had transpired.

 

Redlines

- Pure aurum feels like a white-hot iron to a phantom, interacting with the intangible being as if they were in fact tangible. This incredible pain may debilitate phantom, capable of demanifesting them after two to three successful blows. 

- By granting OOC consent, a portion of the phantom's personality may be bound to a solid aurum object, such as a dagger. In the event consent is granted, the item may be “cursed”, now bearing a haunted aura and requiring the username of the phantom player be placed in the description (Ex. “Cursed Dagger [SuperPhantom10]”). This item may capture the emotions of the phantom that is bound to it at the time of demanifestation; whether rage, or anger, or woe, etc. If the phantom player PKs, the item is story signed to reflect it's significance. 

- Ghosts/Gravens bound to aurum cannot relay any thoughts through the object, nor can they know where the object itself is. The object is only capable of inflicting a gradual aura of the phantom's emotion upon the person who most frequently uses it. In the case of a Graven, it may manifest a subtle tugging/inclination towards the obsession of the respective Graven should it be in nearby.

-  This cannot be used to metagame. For example, a Graven that desires to hunt mages might incite a passive distaste for being around magic, though this cannot be used to relay a mage’s identity whatsoever, nor point towards one even if they are in immediate proximity. 

- Phantoms are unable to pass over/through aurum. Were a Phantom to be placed within an aurum containment (i.e. a cage), they would be weakened to the state of a newly-made revenant. Without OOC consent, this cannot be used to bind them permanently, but should they go fifteen minutes without active RP (as per the current conflict rules), they may depart. This constitutes as a demanifestation, and they are unable to recall the encounter as if they’d died.

- Wights and phantoms bound to a Menhir/crib are unable to be bound by the effects of aurum, though still face pain.

- The use of aurum in combat against a phantom/undead requires an item present to represent it. A golden sword would suffice for a mere dagger or blade, though aurum dust would necessitate a mechanical item claiming it as such.

 

 

 

 

Refining Technique

Aurum has a rather simple smithing technique, renowned for being an incredibly easy metal to pick up and work with- it is typically the afterparts, such as engravings or the shaping, that may be different.

-With refined or unrefined raw gold, typically denser particles that seperate from stone or the riverbeds they may be found in, one would put such within a crucible above a forge. 

-Using coal, or charcoal, one would begin the flame of the forge. One would likely not require significant amounts, or maximum air conditions to ebb the gold to melt- flux aswell would not be needed.
-After some time, the gold would be liquedous and malleable enough to pour into a mould, cast, or to shape in general.

 

Refining Red Lines

-Gold added with other metals would do dilute the Aurum-effect and would weaken the overall blade significantly, to something between the two. 

-Typically, or practically, one could only combine Aurum with Ferrum, Daemonsteel, Blackferrum, Steel, Carbarum, and Qualashi Steel. All of these would give significantly weakened states, but would absorb some effects of a parent metal such as the breaking style of Qualashi Steel or Black Ferrum, or the heat-retaining effect of Daemonsteel.

 

 

Purpose (OOC)

Aurum is a rather common staple to LOTC’s canon and plays an integral part in multiple types of roleplay, ranging from The Church to Dark Magics, and there is an interaction there. This lore allows a bridge between the two, those who do not interact with magic much to stand ground and even strike fear into undead or spectral forms, as it always has been with a unique effect. This piece, effectively, shelves magegold as it bore no additional effect beside being “More receptive to enchantment”, which was vague and an incredibly difficult concept to work with, which is better off done with- I believe the write of Arcanium will do well to replace it. 

 

Part of an ongoing project of rewriting minerals on LOTC. A thanks to Riftblade and Ellennanore for aiding where needed on this piece and all further pieces. 

 

Citation Spoiler

 

[Salty 377]

something should be made for magegold, its used in atronach forging, and is an important part of unsound lore. 

[Luciloo 2649]

5 hours ago, SquakHawk said:

aswell as being incredibly brittle. 

 

Gold is soft, not brittle.

It has poor toughness, which means it has little resistance to abrasion i.e. it’s soft

That doesn’t mean it falls apart when struck, instead it dents and warps.

[E__V__O 1984]

27 minutes ago, Aethling said:

 

Gold is soft, not brittle.

It has poor toughness, which means it has little resistance to abrasion i.e. it’s soft

That doesn’t mean it falls apart when struck, instead it dents and warps.

 

Sq, might've been confused as mage gold,is brittle and got the two mixed up maybe?

 

Edit: NVM they combined the two for some reason.

[Jentos 6813]

A mace made of gold would most likely be very brittle. The same could be said for a sword, it’s edge would constantly blunt. This isn’t a critique on the lore, just something to keep in mind :-)

[Sykogenic 1284]

This Lore has been accepted. Moved to Implemented Lore, it will be sorted to it's appropriate category soon. Please note that if this is playable lore, such as a magic or CA, you will need to write a guide for this piece. You will be contacted regarding the guide (or implementation if it isn’t needed) shortly.