The Gold

The Gold is not a metal, nor is it anyone of the elements in a periodic table. It is a force, it is power. It can be coccered into taking physical shape, which shares nothing with your 'gold' except its colour. But the only way to obtain physical Gold is from the power. And the only way to obtain more of this power is harvest it from others.

If you were to ever visit any of the Elemental cities, you would be hard pressed to not notice the Gold. From weapons, to clothes, the Gold is part of every Elementals daily life, and what keeps things moving.

Properties

Physical & Chemical Properties

The Gold appears like the true element Au, but other than its colour and reflectivity, shares little else. Gold is tough and neither brittle nor malleable like a true metal. It does not melt under heat, nor does it shatter when exposed to extreme cold. When formed into a blade, the edge is thin like obsidian, and the universe defining properties make it able to cut Elemental flesh.

As the Gold is not malleable, and neither does it become more so when exposed to heat, the only way to manipulate the physical form of the Gold is to do so magically. Particular Elementals are born with this ability, and termed Smiths. Non-Smith, or non-royal, Elementals are unable to manipulate the Gold at all and must receive any product using Gold from somewhere else.

Origin & Source

The Gold can only be harvested in its energy state, and cannot be found as an ore for its solid state. As the Gold energy literary defines reality, the best way to harvest Gold is from other universes. Universes are defined by the Gold, and when they die this Gold scatters, mixing with other combinations of Gold to form a new universe, somewhat like new stars forming after a super-nova. Of course, there is nothing in the void to travel to in order to collect this free energy Gold. So instead, Elementals travel to other universes using Enigma Crystals and harvesting it in a more direct approach.

As the life in universes becomes more complex, so does the amount of Gold. The energetic "cords" of Gold are attracted to complex life, and often choose a single individual to "knot" within. This often allows this individual to do greater things than normal, and what happens when the individual dies depends on the universe. Some universes have "cords" that choose their individual with set properties, or lines of inheritance, whereas others are more random. The individual, despite having a lot of power from the Gold, rarely knows it, and is usually incapable of harnessing the actual Gold power within them. Meanwhile, they become a weak point that can be exploited to harvest the Gold. Upon death the cords would be released from the individual, and if an Elemental Royal is present, they can instead absorb this Gold. This usually (almost always) leads to the universe collapsing, but it is the way to gather Gold that provides the most energy immedially. The other option is for an Elemental Royal to instead create a "link" to the cords within the individual, essentially siphoning off the Gold from the universe slow enough that the universe won't collapse.

As a note, Ravagers consume the Gold much faster than the Elementals, and are incapable of forming links. As such, they hungerily travel from universe to universe with the sole goal of abosrbing Gold, leaving a trail of collasped universes in their wake.

Type

Metaphysical

Color

Gold

Boiling / Condensation Point

None

Melting / Freezing Point

None

Common State

Energy, Solid