Shimmerphase

Shimmerphase, originally called the Smith's Skin is an effect in a person where they get almost impervious to heat up to 200°C and their skin gains a metallic glittering look as well as increased hardness. This usually temporary Condition appears after ingesting a small amount of a powder, with the main ingredient being grounded Copperpetz Claws. The condition was often purposely brought about by Caramisian smiths to better endure the heat of the forge. Lately, many factory workers are using a heavily deluted version of the drug to be able to stand the harsh conditions in some factories. This currently leads to an increasing number of permanent side effects, one of them being called "Scale Shimmer"

Spread and Cultural Importance

"And the smith rose its hammer and turned to the forge, but the heat did not burn his skin this time. For Maned, in his benevolence, has granted him the skin of a master forgeman, impervious to flames until the work was done."

The Smith's Skin was a trade secret shared between proficient smiths within Caramiza. Often, the secrets of creating the powder as well as its effects were part of an initiation rite of the smith's guild.
After the rise of the Church of Maned in Caramiza, the recipe and its effects were a guarded secret of the Church of Maned. They proclaimed the effect as a blessing of Maned for the skilled craftsmen and also wanted to avoid people trying to risk their lives when hunting down the most dangerous Copperpetz for its claws.

"My dear, of course it is worth it! If people did not see my glorious Shimmerphase, how would they ever understand how much I am above them?"

This ultimately did not stop the secret recipe to spread after a few decades, however. Even though, the drug became a publicly-traded commodity, the price for the drug was astronomically high. It quickly became a trend among nobles to bring about the condition as a show of wealth. During this time, the mundane sounding "Smith's Skin" was renamed Shimmerphase.
Less wealthy people tried to imitate the effect by applying metal dust to their skin - the richer nobles typically looked down on what they called Dustshimmers.

"Here you go, take this and the coal ovens' heat won't bother you anymore. Just don't take too much - and if you get a metallic rash, don't scratch, don't take more and don't bother to come to me with it."

In current days, modern factory workers are ingesting a diluted variant of the drug to protect themselves from harsh conditions in the factory. The dilution however has unintended side effects, causing the skin to become covered in metal scales. While in many cases the effect wears off after a few days and the scales fall off, this can become permanent even at the very first occurrence.

Further Details

Recently an old cache of smithery supplies was found, within it a large amount of the Copperpetz Powder. This giant treasure is to be auctioned off and many rich entrepreneurs are immensely interested in the cache.

Some old stories of Maned's priests tell of miracles where they grabbed glowing coal or walked through fire. In recent times, these miracles are being reevaluated and led to a disillusionment towards the church.

A few generations ago, Lady Regent Fiona II. caused a scandal, when her application of metal dust to her skin uncovered the disastrous financial state of the regent's family at that time.

Some factories are making the ingestion of Copperpetz Claw Based drugs mandatory to enable their workers to continue working longer. The people are growing concerend about the rising number of Shimmerscales.

Type

Physiological

Cycle

Short-term

Rarity

Rare