Ambrosium

(a.k.a. Ambrose / Einherjarium / Heaven's Gold / Divine Sterling)

A pale gold coloured metal, with a smooth texture and a waxy lustre. Almost completely opaque, but slightly translucent around the edges. Functionally indestructible. Has about the same density as iron. Retains a consistent internal temperature of about 10°C (50°F) in all conditions.

History & Usage

History

Ambrosia is the metal of the gods. The Heavenspear is said to be the first and greatest quantity of Ambrosia in the world, said to be carved from the soul of Gaur, The Twelve-Faceted Ivory Monastery. The Spear is estimated to contain around 882 million cubic feet of Ambrose, but nobody can use it for anything other than it's original designed purpose.
Later on, Ambrosia became the currency of Heaven. The coins come in sizes from around the size of a pin-head, to the size of a dinner plate; and they're distributed to the gods by The Horned Rainbow Lords when they do their jobs and acquire proper prayer. Use and distribution of the currency is bound up in bureaucratic nightmare fuel: Ownership of the coins always needs to be properly tracked and accounted for; so a list of all transactions are kept on a public ledger in Heaven's Bureau of Industry & Resources' infinite library. Anyone can attempt to ratify the ledger, and following proper procedure temporarily grants the user Divine Permission to add to the block and take any indivisible quantiles of the transaction for themselves as payment for their hard work. These fractional amounts of money are pittance compared to 'proper employment' in Heaven though, so to help encourage the hard work to be done, a lottery-like game is also played with each submitted paper that has the potential to create and award a new Ambrosia to the participant.
The coins (also sometimes referred to as "prayer tokens") aren't the only use though. Being a functionally indestructible material means that much of Heaven's internal architecture and public buildings are reinforced by the stuff. Certain weapons and armours of the gods are also made of Ambrosia.

Everyday use

Down on Loke, usable Ambrosia is exceedingly rare. When the city of the gods shattered, indestructible dust and debris were scattered across the earth. These are very occasionally dug up or sifted out of river beds, but they must be put to uses that conform to their shape. A bit like diamonds, the dust is used to edge tools, chunks are sometimes used as hammer or drill heads, and very occasionally a shard is found that's big enough to use as a knife blade or axehead. Seldom does one see a shard with just the right shape to be used as a seax or a sword. Even larger chucks may be used as the heads of battering rams, as anvils, or as demolition balls. Attaching the stuff to another object is tricky too, bindings and adhesives often have to be used. Some pieces are just used and sold in the same as valuable gemstones. Some pieces are so large that they can only really be used decoratively: A flagstone in a building, a village's central totem, the backdrop to a room, or on display by a throne as a token of wealth.
It's indestructible nature is often as much of a curse as a it is a blessing; you just have to get creative and just use the shapes you're given. Reuse of the material is common, and different people have found different uses. For example, the fact that it's always slightly warm means that Ambrosia is incredibly useful in freezing conditions to melt ice.

Coin Hammers

Sometimes a coin will fall from Heaven. A prayer token that slips under a rug, gets unaccounted for or forgotten, is lost between the folds of that higher dimensional space, and drops to earth. And sometimes the coins even get stolen and smuggled out. One way or another, a smattering of heaven coins find their way to Loke every few decades. These are much more usable by the mortal populace; perfectly round discs, with a good thickness and a nice distal taper. These can be mounted in specially-shaped hafts and made into war clubs! (Like a normal mace or hammer, but +1 VA).

Distribution

Law & Regulation

Ambrosia requires Divine Permission to reforge, reshape, or otherwise modify, which makes it unbreakable. Every coin has a unique engraving on it, and since transactions are also eternally tracked in the great ledgers, the proper owner of any coins that make their way to earth can be traced. There are a few fanciful songs about mortals getting lynched by gods looking to reclaim their lost money.

by Seraaron

Type

Metal

Value

Exorbitantly valuable

Rarity

Very Rare