Pallodium

It should be noted, however- that to even activate the third-degree burn ability (which only inflicts the pain of it and does not physically burn the target, it only burns the wielder physically), it needs to cut into the body of an aurum-weak creature normally. In other words, if someone was already wearing armor this would be extremely hard to trigger, especially given the very physically weak nature of it, being a copper-strength metal. It's more focused on actually being used strategically than something like xannic fervour, which can be placed upon stronger materials and doesn't need an activation gimmick to wield effectively. This metal is not a "Do everything" metal similarly to carbarum, boomsteel, argentum, etc- rather, it is focused around a certain system. Lightstones were avoided mainly due to the fact that this should not be something that can be node-farmed, and rather dispensed through events. The core reason about this is centric around it being gained via events and not just random nodes. And yes- I fully agree that I don't believe holy orders will form around this metal, rather it permits for people to explore more 'holy warrior'-adjacent archetypes of storytelling, from a lone ronin that wanders the world slaying those of the dark or a berserker-viking who cleaves into undead in violent rages; things which are more unique than the more streamlined paladinism and templarism MAs.

We gotta up the stakes here to give us a good fight!

For what that would do, it would require an entire reworking of how Paladinism functions alongside lightstones- in other words, their enchantments process, but furthermore how it works. It would require to be un-noded, something which may not settle well in the long-term. Rather, this is something that can be done whilst leaving Paladinism not vastly changed.

Great question; the main reason for that, is that the intent of this Lore Submission is to permit more pathways to go after this 'Holy Magic' archetype without being too reliant on the only other places of the niche in LotC right now (Templarism and Paladinism). Lightstone smithing would oncemore become too reliant on the Paladins to permit this, rather this can be dispersed in events to numerous groups- whilst furthermore, has benefits to Paladins/Templars as well if they wish to use this specifically.

G I L D I T E "Thus scorns the earthern coast; and lo, wrought through geodes borne gilded." Gildite (Raw Form) Gildite- often found in immensely trace quantities within aurum deposits- bears the physical appearance of small crystalline granules of a metallic tint. Bearing a slight paled-yellow hue, Gildite gleaned from the processing of deposits is extremely minute, to a level where even a dozen excavations would yield no more than a doling of a sole gram. Extremely rarely, Gildite may be found in larger amounts from within crystalline geodes- bearing sizes ranging from one’s palm to even larger chunks almost the size of one's head. These geodes uniquely, have only first been discovered deep under Aevos’ coastlines, speckling the brief layer of bedrock that spans between the surface world and the underdark. Gildite is a T4 material, and is depicted by glowstone dust. Applications (Raw Form) Gildite granules and crystals alike bear little physical gain over that mundane; their physicality is similar to the brittleness of salt crystals and granules, whilst they bear the supernatural properties of Aurum. Gildite lacks much use in this raw state, too brittle for proper use as weaponry. The largest use one could gleam from it is to become rhinestones and sequins upon jewelry. Redlines: - Gildite has brittleness equivalent to a material made out of salt crystals, and bears Aurum’s unnatural properties. - Gildite cannot be shaped back into form if it crumbles or shatters, nor is it vulnerable to mundane methods of smithing or forging. - Gildite cannot burn, melt, or otherwise be affected by any source of heat lest it be Greater Dragonsflame. - Gildite cannot be used as an ingredient to create any alloy not listed. If one were to attempt to create a new alloy utilizing it, a lore addition must be posted. Harvesting Method Harvesting Gildite by sifting through vast quantities of raw aurum is far too inefficient, to the point where spending years processing aurum in attempts to yield sufficient quantities to even forge a mere coin is unfeasible. Rather, geodes of Gildite are commonly found in or near aquifers deep underground, which can be carefully cracked apart with a hammer to harvest the crystals aplenty within. To gain clusters of Gildite from within a geode of suspect, one must carefully chisel a groove upon the surface that stretches across the entire rock- engraving in where the breaking crack will be made. By carefully hammering in upon that crack and focusing in pressure upon it, the geode splits in two, where henceforth the crystals inside may be carefully broken off and stored. Redlines: - Gildite can only be harvested from geodes of it, it cannot be feasibly gathered from Aurum lodes. - Gildite crystals cannot be used to ‘sow’ other geodes to gather Gildite, they may only be gathered from rare searches underground. - Gildite is ST signed not due to its properties, yet due to its far from abundant rarity Gildaurum (Refined Form) Gildaurum, perhaps the most effective method of utilizing Gildite, by blending it in a 2:1 ratio of Gildite to Aurum, it gleams forth the inner nature of the rare materia’s value- the potential to house a searing blaze that rends away the dark. Extremely malleable, the addition of Gildite to the already weakened aurum further loosening the alloy’s strength, as it gains a raw malleability comparable to copper. Despite this, damage does not lead it to shatter, rather greatly bending it out of shape with a plastic deformity to it. Immensely flame-retardant, it can only be melted by true dragonsflame, thus forging it requires a method of having it rather stretched, folded, bent, and hammered whilst tempered to make it slightly more malleable. Upon being heated steadily for [3] emotes under flame or [2] emotes under lesser dragonsflame/blue fire, Gildaurum slowly bends back to its original composure, undoing blunt trauma done to it. Gildaurum’s supernatural properties can be viewed as a distorted amplification of that of mundane aurums; beings and entities weak to aurum would find the touch of Gildaurum upon their flesh to be far worse than aurum would. A deeply-inflicted slash paired with a searing pain with a radiant pain equivalent to the pain of a third-degree burn, yet doing no physical damage furthermore. Gildaurum is a refined [T4] material, and is depicted by gold and its respective items. Redlines: - Gildaurum is ST Signed, as well as anything created from Gildaurum. - Gildaurum has further effect on those weak to mundane aurum; it would feel as if it would be accompanied by a burning pain comparable to being inflicted by a third-degree burn. - Gildaurum’s physical composure is equivalent in durability and strength to copper, but bears the weight of Aurum. - Gildaurum cannot be enchanted by any means, be it deific, voidal, or through blood magic. - Gildaurum cannot shatter or crack; it has supernatural malleability and only stretches and bends out of shape. - Gildaurum is retardant to all flames and cannot melt or warp, lest it be greater dragonsflame. - Being steadily under blue flame or lesser dragonsflame for [2] emotes or other flame for [3] emotes will slowly temper the metal as it bends back to its forged form- undoing physical wear done to it. Activation: Upon cutting into a revealed dark creature or otherwise aurum-affected being, Gildaurum triggers, its form blazing a pale gold hue for [5] emotes, activating. Every strike with activated Gildaurum is treated as if the weapon’s effects bypassed whatever armor was in the way- the immense pain felt even if the attack landed on armor. Despite this- after those [5] emotes had run their course, the Gildaurum’s properties recede; becoming no more useful than an average copper weapon, no longer bearing any of the supernatural gilded properties it once did as it slumbers for [12] OOC hours. If a wielder of Gildaurum is a Paladin of Xan or a Templar of Malchaedael, activating Gildaurum funnels in divine arcana, strengthening it to bear the physical durability and strength of steel until activation ends. However, to wield activated Gildaurum is also to accept a self-infliction of severe pain- wielders would feel as if they were grasping into a burning rod at all times that their palms contacted the blazing metal, and would continuously inflict first degree burns that creeped up their limbs whilst they wielded it over those [5] emotes. Furthermore, if one who wielded activated Gildaurum was furthermore weak to mundane aurum, they would find the burns inflicted on themselves far more searing- to the point where it would be equivalent to third degree burns. Redlines: - Upon an item comprised of at least [1] ingot's worth of Gildaurum, harming a being weak to mundane aurum, Gildaurum activated for [5] emotes succeeding the strike. - Gildaurum does not activate if the being that would be weak to it is in a disguised or concealed form- that is to state, this cannot be used to randomly harm someone as means of metagaming. - Thanhium is affected by activated Gildaurum as if it were a Tier 5 enchantment, and Gildaurum instantly deactivates. - Upon no longer being activated either via Thanium or the emotes running their course, Gildaurum loses all supernatural properties and becomes akin to mundane copper for [12] OOC hours. - Whilst Gildaurum is activated, it lights up in a pale gold hue. Activated strikes have Gildaurum’s effects go through any and all types of armor, doing no physical damage but inflicting the burning pain nonetheless. - If a wielder of Gildaurum bears a Paladins of Xan or Templars of Malchaedael MA, activating Gildaurum strengthens it to bear the physical durability and strength of steel until activation ends. However, Gildaurum cannot be affected by any weapon enwreathing nor amplifying benefits from either magic. - Holding onto activated Gildaurum is akin to holding a burning rod- it slowly inflicts physical pain upon the wielder as its fierceness physically burns the arms of the wielder. Every emote of it being held will progressively cover the limbs in first degree burns, the order being: Palms - Hands- Forearms - Upper Arm - Shoulders. - Self-inflicted burns bypass all armor and protection- be it mundane, magical, or alchemic- through the arcane nature of Gildaurum. - These burns bypass magical treatment, needing to be healed through alchemic means- the antithesis of aengudaemonic arcana. - If wielded by a construct or through prosthetic limbs, the burning still affects the limbs by cracking and harming them- yet furthermore, renders said limbs fully useless once the [5] emotes run their course. - If one weak to mundane aurum were to wield activated Gildaurum, the self-inflicted burns would be of the severity of third degree burns. Refining Technique To forge Aurum and Gildite into Gildaurum requires patience and time- the metal's immense malleability and softness in comparison to more common ores. The refinement of Gildaurum begins with the careful pulverization of Gildite crystals, reducing them to a fine powder akin to a spiked consistency. Caution should be present to not inhale the fine particulates- which could scratch up the lungs and cause long-term damage to the windpipe, thus usage of fabric masks is recommended. Once the Gildite dust is prepared, A sheet of Aurum must be prepared and hammered out- heated to the point of nigh-melting at 1,064°C (1,947°F). By sprinkling forth [2] counts of Gildite dust for every [1] count of Aurum, the slow process begins of folding and hammering the alloy over and over, in attempts to have it evenly distributed within the metal. The process of folding and hammering it must be done within direct sunlight- the arduous task requiring the sun’s heat to permit it to sink in clearly. With each fold and strike, the alloy becomes slowly and slowly softer and more malleable- the heat making it begin to slowly run outwards and melt; it is imperative to augment the folding process through hammering it to retain its shape. As the amalgamated alloy begins to reach an immense softness comparable to copper, it is constantly demanding constant attention to shaping it, to prevent it from melting too far out of shape. Each strike of the hammer must be carefully doled, keeping it in shape whilst it slowly cools down- after which it may be sharpened or cut as needed. Redlines: - To create [1] ingot of Gildaurum requires [2] counts of Gildite and [1] ingot of Aurum. - Gildaurum must be smithed in direct sunlight, to permit the process to function. Lesser Alloys (Refined Forms) Truer alloys were never discovered that surpassed Gildaurum in terms of drawing forth the latent arcana of Gildite- yet through the many experiments ran time and time again, two lesser alloys were found, bearing peculiar properties each. Gildsteel, an alloy of iron and Gildite, bears bizarre properties- nowhere near as potent as Gildaurum in the darkspawn-retardant properties it holds, it is more akin to aurum in terms of its unnatural properties. Despite such, it retains a composure, weight, and durability that equivocates to an object wrought from iron. Bizarrely, it is loosely flame-retardant, taking slightly longer to melt than mundane steel. Gildsteel is a refined [T4] material, and is depicted by gold and its respective items. Redlines: - Gildsteel bears the effects of Aurum without the weakness of it, bearing a physicality equivalent to weapons made of mundane iron. - Gildsteel is weakly retardant to flame, things that would melt mundane steel take [1] emote longer on Gildsteel. - Gildsteel is ST Signed, as well as anything created from Gildsteel. - Gildsteel cannot be reforged to harvest back any traces of Gildite put into it, it can only be reforged as per the normal reforging rules. Solarite, an alloy of Lunarite and Gildite, uniquely lacks all physical properties that Gildite may impart- merely cosmetically shifting the nature of Lunarite to a gilded allure. Bearing all traits of Lunarite lest for a gilded sheen that idly gloams a soft gold light, it appeals to many of the rich, as a way to cosmetically flaunt their wealth with sheen. Known not by such a name, many call it pseudonyms such as “Sunsteel" or “Sol-Ferrum". Solarite is a refined [T3+T4] material, and is depicted by gold and its respective items. Redlines: - Solarite bears all physical abilities and properties of Lunarite, with exception to the physical appearance. - Solarite bears a pale-gold hue, with streaks of gilded gold that softly and constantly glow in rhythmic patterns. - Solarite is ST Signed, as well as anything created from Solarite. - Solarite’s name is not known and it must be called by its pseudonyms, calling it ‘Solarite’ is metagaming. Refining Technique Refining either Gildsteel or Solarite is in no means a task too different from refining Gildaurum- powdered Gildite must be hammered in through a similar means to the normal refining of Gildaurum, whilst the form must be kept constant and hammered clearly within. Redlines: - To create [2] ingots of Gildsteel requires [1] count of Gildite and [2] ingots of Ferrum. - To create [1] ingot of Solarite requires [1] count of Gildite and [1] ingot of Lunarite. Reasoning: Citations: Pallodium - Author ToddTheConqueror - Reviewer Aengulic - Reviewer PrimnyaQuorum - Reviewer _Helmet_ - Reviewer Lore Inspiration: Squakhawk. 2020. [World Lore] Aurum Luciloo. 2020. [World Lore] Lunarite, Steel of the Stars Wretched. 2016. Gold and Magegold

And 'lo, appended upon one such missive, a fragment of paper bore forth words. Clean text, scrawled forth softly ebbed in ashen hues: Unshackled. »»-------¤-------«« To break free. To break to amends. To break from that which binds. »»-------¤-------«« Unshackled.

A Drakaarkin patiently waited upon a cliffside. Distant words came to their ears, visions to their eyes. »»-------¤-------«« "And 'lo. thus it begins. The end of a cycle. To what end? To what end, to precede? 'Lo. Thus it begins." »»-------¤-------«« The words flower forth from their maw. A patience; waiting for what was to come.

And 'lo, such a fragment of parchment was found appended to one such missive. Clean text, scrawled forth bore clear in ashen hues: A shame. »»-------¤-------«« Another one led astray; a belief in a twisted deity. A belief that redemption would be found in one which would not grant even a mote. »»-------¤-------«« A shame.

Correct; as written in the text description for the spell, it states an alternate method if they do not have permanent tattered wings:

New Enrapturement Spell: Ascent [2 Emotes: 1 connect + 1 cast] (Non-combative) Description By channeling their inner flame to amplify the strength of their wings, a Nephilim can- with immense focus- augment their wings with further blazing strength to launch themselves upwards through the air- and to crash down into another location, emerging from a cloud of embers and smoke. The exact aesthetics of their flight and landing vary greatly; be it from wings enraptured by sweeping flame to take off, or plumes of smoky haze that erupt when the Nephilim returns back to the ground. Reasoning: Changelog: - Specified cost for using within Events via ET permission, and replaced cost within the base spell if used aesthetically.

Ashes. O' sorrowful ashes. Such a fallacy, unchained. A scar. A being stood perched 'pon a sheer cliffside. Fogs rolled in and receded. The tide came and went. A ring gleamed upon a taloned digit. They smiled.

"A punishment long deserved" Such spoke a dragonkin, gazing upon the parchment.

Rancorous flames dripped from a drakaarkin's maw. It gazed upon the missive; knowingly.