Ephamaria

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Ephamaria
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Materials
Official Name Ephamaria
Common Nicknames Marian Metal
Category Rich Family Metallurgy
Origin Unknown
Uses Various
Rarity Rare
Accessibility Upper Classes

Ephamaria is a rare and costly material in Aloria valued for its unique color scheme, there also exist ancient tales of it being capable of resisting electric-based magical attacks. Elven mythology assigned the substance this great power, but if it ever truly held it, the Cataclysm stripped such a thing away. With its distinctive mix of orange and golden yellow hues, it is best known to exist in areas of Northbelt, Ellador and Eastwynd, with the material in the ancient veins of Westwynd and Altaleï mined dry centuries ago or lost in the Cataclysm.

History

Ephamaria is a strange substance with a largely mythical and lost history. Ancient Allorn papers were known to refer to it and claimed it to have been a blessing from the Estelley gods, allowing Teledden to resist the elements of nature. But, in the wake of the Cataclysm, the old regions the material had been found in sunk into the sea. For more than four decades, the material remained lost, and while veins were found starting in 50 AC in areas of Westwynd, these soon ran dry. By 100 AC, the material was again exceptionally rare, but expansion by Ailor peoples in the north and contact with those in Eastwynd soon provided new sources for the material. In these early years, the Ailor were hesitant to sell off the material, for its unique coloration was highly appreciated by the war leaders, chieftains, nobles, and petty kings who populated these wild lands. But, with the rise of the Regalian Empire and the further centralization of these various states, Ephamaria was soon traded beyond the lands it was known to exist in. Despite this, the material has remained incredibly rare in recent years, with veins of the mineral sparsely mined despite their discovery in order to bank on future purchasers and the continued skyrocketing of the price as more people enter the world, seeking protection from magical spells which the material is still claimed by offer despite two centuries of research discarding this.

Characteristics

Appearance

Ephamaria appears in narrow, jagged formations often between pockets of other minerals. In its natural state, it has a dirty-orange color streaked with yellow, but upon being refined, it possesses a light orange hue on top of a golden base that causes it to shine.

General Uses

Despite Elven myth, Ephamaria does not protect against lightning, flames, and other natural elements, be they naturally caused or throw out by a magical being. However, while this myth persists among some, who use it to enhance their armor or craft ornate shields, most other members of society have used the substance to create jewelry and decorative items to great success. The material also has the added benefit of lacking the same cultural weight as Gold and Silver, both far more prominent in society, which allows for many Cultures and subraces to wear it free of cultural bias or issues that sometimes come with Gold and Silver.

Trivia

  • Exactly how much Ephamaria is supposedly required to defend an individual is surprisingly low. A report from the chaotic final centuries of the Allorn Empire described a surprise attack from an Archmage on another, only to find their unique lightning spell rendered moot when a single metallic bead strand in the enemy’s headdress made from Ephamaria absorbed the blast. The attacking Archmage quickly died.
  • Defending pockets of Ephamaria from prospective thieves often pays quite well today as, in the past, those paid too little for their work simply joined the thieves in taking a portion of the rare metal for themselves.

Accreditation
Writers HydraLana
Processors WaterDruppel, MantaRey, FireFan96
Last Editor HydraLana on 10/26/2023.

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