A Metal of Great Mystery
Culon, AKA gnomish gold, is a dense, shiny metal with entirely unique properties. When properly refined, it produces a near-frictionless surface, even with the air. What's more, it is naturally resistant to high amounts of torsion, stress, and strain, seeming to only strengthen as a result; archaeologists have discovered culon crafts that have withstood millennia and still remain perfectly functional. Intense study of this material has concluded that its more fantastical properties are indeed slightly magical in nature. It's ability to be both near-frictionless and innately aerodynamic seems to be the work of an ever-present field around the metal that helps facilitate matter to slide past rather than collide directly.
In fact, it is these very traits along with a toxicity comparable to lead or mercury that makes culon so hard to work with, and consequently all the more valuable. While it is incredibly resistant to various forces, it is surprisingly brittle when suddenly struck with said force at high velocities. This has led to the popularization of coating various materials in thin sheets of culon, allowing for less friction between contact points while still offering some malleability to high-impact forces. In fact, many engineers who have worked in the maintenance of
Ilkatu's famous clockwork cities have stated several times how crucial culon is to the feasibility of the design. When working with gears and crankshafts of that size, it's absolutely mandatory to reduce any and all losses of energy, and culon is remarkably efficient at doing just that.
Beyond gears, culon has also seen increasing use as an outer coating for trade ships. The near-frictionless surface reduces drag considerably and has allowed for seafaring to be a much more expedient affair. However, a particularly harsh storm can easily put cracks in the culon coating, necessitating constant upkeep and thus limiting their practicality on the open seas. While some culon weapons have attempted to be forged, the difficult refinement process combined with the toxicity makes them largely impractical. Still, culon arrowheads have been known to be commissioned by particularly well-off hunters due to their blistering air speed, magical properties, and fragmentation upon impact. It's not considered "sporting", but not too many complain when one's quarry is a particularly dangerous monster.
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