Advanced Materials and Their Applications - Mythrantium |
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| Posted on Fri, November 22, 2002 by Legate |
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Longetalos writes "Here is presented the third and final lesson on magical metals by Professor Bedan. In this lesson, the learned professor describes the uses of Mythrantium.
Author: Longetalos
Advanced Materials and their Applications - lesson 3
By Richard Di Ioia, aka Longetalos (ricdii@yahoo.com)
(Used with permission. Redistribution of this article without the express consent of the author is forbidden by Canonfire.com's Copyright Policy).
Follow these links to view the first and second lessons in this series.
"Hello class and welcome to your third and final class on advanced materials. The last two classes were on mythril and adamantium, which brings us to the greatest of all magical alloys - mythrantium. As the name suggests the alloy is formed of both mythril and adamantium. As such it is extremely expensive to make and very difficult to forge. But when properly done, the alloy can be used for permanent enchantments.
Unlike mythril and adamantium that repulse/absorb magical energies forced on them and convert them into heat/cold, mythrantium is magic stable and will accept to be infused with magical energies. These energies will then be permanently, well until the item is destroyed of course, stored and usable by the item. A typical example of a permanently enchanted item is the Flameblade of Kiontalin. This sword will surround itself with a magical flame each time it is drawn from its scabbard.
Now on to the creation of mythrantium. Much like adamantium, mythrantium is formed by heating up the base metal and then adding a quantity of the activating metal. Unlike adamantium where the base metal is iron, mythrantium requires melted mythril as a base metal. Once the mythril is molten, adamantium is added and mixed in. To ensure a proper bond between the two metals further ingredients are also required to be added to the mixture. These ingredients are known to but a few skilled artisans and scholars, but I can assume they are quite costly. The means of heating up and melting mythril have been discussed in a previous class so you can imagine the difficulty in creating mythrantium.
Once created, mythrantium must be forged into a proper shape. The forging must be done carefully as the enchantments to be added to the item have to be performed at the proper times during the forging. Once the item is finished being created, the enchantments will become active and a new artifact is created. It is interesting to note that the final color of the item seems to be almost random as it depends on the enchantments cast, the timing of the forging, the final shape of the material and many other factors. It is also common to have items that glow based on the color of the final product.
It must be noted that the item need not be made of pure mythrantium. The amount of mythrantium required is generally based on the power of the enchantments that are needed from the item. Mythrantium is usually used as a catalyst and mixed into another material, such as brass or iron, which is molten. Of course, it is difficult to perfectly define the exact amount of mythrantium required for each enchantment, but a rough order of magnitude is usually possible to estimate. The artisans will take their rough estimate and add an amount of extra material just in case. Woe betide the artisan who displeases a powerful mage.
It does occur on some occasions that an artifact must be destroyed. This is a very difficult undertaking for not only does mythrantium takes on the strength of mythril and the ductility of adamantium, but the enchantments placed on the item also strengthen the mythrantium even further. In addition, the mythrantium confers a portion these same strengthening characteristics onto the base metal they are merged with. Of course, the more mythrantium available in the final product, the stronger it is.
That pretty much summarizes the three known magical metals available in the Flanaess. As can be seen each material has advantages over the other two and a good artisan will be able to judge which material is needed for the application. If all that is needed is a weapon able to bypass the inherent magical defenses of certain creatures, such as ghosts and demons, then mythril is the material of choice. Whereas adamantium and mythrantium could also achieve this, adamantium's ductility is not the preferred characteristic for a weapon and mythrantiums prohibitive cost is its weakness. Adamantium would be preferable for armor and jewelry as its ductility would allow for rounder shapes and abrupt direction changes within the material. In addition, when used as armor, adamantium will reflect a portion of magical attacks aimed at the wearer. Mythrantium of course would be reserved for the creation of items of permanent magical enchantments such as rings of protection and bracers of speed.
Well, I hope you enjoyed these last few classes and look forward to seeing you again in a different course during your stay here at the Grey College."
Note: Metallurgy, Alchemy, Blacksmith, Weaponsmith, Armorer"
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