Fermium - the mysterious Metal

FERMIUM (Rare Metal)

A heavy, deep red metal that is extremely rare. First discovered and mined by the Threvs in the Silverback Mountains. Most of the major veins were mined to exhaustion years aog. Those few veins that still produce are closely guarded and mined almost exclusively for the production of Threvian Fire Blend (TFB). Occasionally, new small deposits are discovered. These are coveted, and the Threvs will use their military might to secure them, if feasible, or use their economic power and resources to control it.

The metal itself is difficult to handle. Untreated fermium, when exposed to air with a humidity level over 60% (or when wet) will spontaneously combust. The Threvs have developed special handling, coating, and storage techniques to deal with this.

Fermium is a major component in a number of extremely rare metals, including: Flame Steel (a metal composed of fermium, iron, nickel, cobalt, and chromium) which is prized for its insulation properties. Armor crafted from Flame Steel renders the protected area impervious to fire - even mystical fire. There is also Flame Metal - different from Flame Steel. Flame Metal is a volatile metal that ignites and burns continuously when exposed to a certain amount of force. It is extremely difficult to work, given its nature. The secrets of its creation and forging/shaping are closely held by the Mastersmiths of the Threv. Historically, it was used to craft rare flaming swords, axes, hammers, and arrows.

Fermium, when processed correctly, can also be used as a Focus "battery". This procedure has been lost to history, but it is written that a Fermium Focus Cube can act as a Focus capacitor - it can actually absorb and hold focus for later use. A mage with a small focus cube could be extremely powerful. (The amount of focus held increases as a square of the quantity of processed fermium in the cube).

As fermium is very rare - and nearly impossible to find (fermium is non-magnetic) working it has become a lost art.

In 3816 EoD a deposit of Fermium was discovered in the underwater mine of Minaa Talla. An uncontrolled fire shut down a large section of the mine (started by fermium exposed to water). A mysterious individual took control of the mine. I Small amounts of Fermium are being produced, but are sold exclusively (through a web of brokers and fronts) to the Threv of Silverback.