Kestre

Ever since the creation of magical items, the mortal races have tried to find easier ways to enchant the trinkets and toys around them to make their lives easier. The precious metals of copper and gold provided in this purpose. The highly conductible metals have no issue storing the magic imbued by spellcraft or runework. Magical weapons, everyday trinkets, and even constructs have copper in them. However, in some expeditions to the deepest reach of the Underground. A myserious blue mineral was found by Duergar miners outside their home of Kalgurmath. This matte, flaky substance was originally used for decoration, but after heavy experimentation it was found to be a very efficient container for magic.
After it's discovery, wars have been fought over the acquisition of kestre and it has funded empires. Despite the rarity of the mineral it is exceedingly powerful, both magically and economically. Most of the colonization of Patharnae was pushed due to the Island's rich deposits of rich blue kestre. The Haskanian Empire funded a number of colonization efforts to claim the mineral with The Empire of Veret close behind them. It is treasured greatly by the empires of Omeath, even thought many normal folk hold things containing the mineral. Travelling troupes of adventurers with enchanted weapons, merchants with magical items for sale, and the occasional tavern keep or bard with a instrument that can play itself.
A Mineral of Countless Magical Applications
Due to kestre's ability to hold magic. It is used in a variety of magical items. Wizards of Omeath transcribe their spells with kestre infused ink and a copper tipped quill. Weapons wielded by spellswords and adventurers contain magical effects enhanching their combat ability or being able to conjure spells. The weapon of Vereti General Candus Grimvaine is a beautifully smithed steel and obsidian greatsword with blue streaks of kestre applied down the blade. Known as the Blackedge Blade it can create spheres of black darkness and can cleave through creatures that are magically resistant to usual weapons. It is also used in infrastructure as the base for teleportation circles. Copper has since been phased out of this usage due to the inefficiency of the material. Kestre has since been used to inscribe the tiles and floors of important buildings with secret teleportation rooms.
There was a brilliant inventor who lived in Veret and travelled to Patharnae after a series of financial troubles. To clear his debt, he began adventuring. In doing so, he came upon a kestre mine and the brilliant blue metal. After discovering the uses of kestre he came up with countless different inventions, including the idea of a Hellfire Trebuchet. A trebuchet that fires a ball of concentrated kestre with the theoretical power to wipe out a navy. He died before a trebuchet could be produced and the schematics were lost with him.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Deep blue in color, this ore is highly conductive. In it's natural ore state, it looks like normal blue rock. But when it is refined, it changes drastically. After the refining process, you have removed all the stone and other metals dealing with the impurity of the ore. When touching refined kestre you can feel it tingle.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Kestre is highly conductive, especially when it comes to magical energy. It is especially efficient at holding powerful spells, being able to contain twice the magical power as copper and three times as much as gold. When creating a magical item, you usually need copper or gold in the construction in order to inscribe runes or imbue spells within the item. Where you would need one pound of copper, only half a pound of kestre is required.

Geology & Geography

It is a rare element found underground or among the sides of cliffs. Originally discovered by the mortals in the Underground reaches near Kalgurmath. After it's first discovery in Kalgurmath, people started to notice it in other places as well. Deep ravines, canyon cliff faces, and beneath the ground roughly two miles or so. The rare mineral is still quite hard to find in each of these places.
There is one place in Czerelan that has an abundance of the mineral. Patharnae, the island off of of the Malurian Peninsula and a short boatride from Marceas. The island has been colonized several times by entities from Czerelan and beyond. During The Ruination, it was abandoned and the colonies that were there failed. Kestre had not been found on the island at that point so they figured it would be best to focus their forces elsewhere. However, after the colonization of Torlou by the The Haskanian Empire in 4313 AS, Kestre was discovered in large deposits. With its discovery, a race began between The Haskanian Empire and The Empire of Veret to claim the island. As well as other independent rebels. An exiled Vereti Essitat, and a band of clans from Salicia who left the Vereti occupation. However, in 4356 AS the island would be conquered by an invasion of Giants. The only holdout settlement is the Vereti colony of New Aelcourd, surrounded by Giant enemies.

History & Usage

Discovery

In the mines and caverns surrounding the Duergar city of Kalgurmath, deep in the Underdark, a group of Duergar miners found a strange unrecognizable material. It was originally thought to be some type of granite, but the color was off and it was much too flaky. After mining it, it released a strong coppery scent and it was discovered to not be stone, but ore. They quickly mined the material in an effort to claim the vein and brought it back to their forges in order to try and smelt the material. After doing so, it's true properties were discovered.

Everyday use

It's most visible use is in decoration. The vibrant blue hue of the mineral is prized by those who value the color and wish to decorate their thronerooms or manors. But the main use is in the creation of magical items and inscription of runes. Weapons that could cut through shields, scrolls that hold magical power in words written upon them, and trinkets used by a variety of people. The greatest usage of Kestre is the Neasian Rings, a series of floating rings that hold entire city districts afloat two miles from the ground and the rest of the city. Within the stoney exterior of the rings is a core of kestre and copper, imbued with magical runes to keep the city afloat.

Refinement

While kestre is a highly valuable mineral. It is very hard to fully refine the ore into it's most potent state. The first step includes a long smelting process. After that, the impurities can be removed and it must be put through a chemical process where the metal is cooled, soaked in a reagent known as kestring fluid, and then smelted once more with the introduction of molten nickel. While this is happening, the smelter must ensure that the mixture remains stable throughout the process. If anything goes wrong while it is smelting, you may lose some of the kestre. After it is complete, you have a brilliant blue metal that can create magical items with twice the power of copper with the same amount of material.

Distribution

Storage

It is most often kept in the form of bars or rods for safe and compact storage. Those who wish to keep their kestre extremely safe also place them in boxes of wood, lined with lead and tungsten. This ensures that no electricity would get in, or out of the boxes and reach other things in storage, or elecctrocute other people. The lead also counteracts the interference of magical elements, protecting the kestre from outside spells.

KT

Type

Mineral

Value

A pound of unrefined kestre is roughly 75 Vereti Aurens, while a pound of refined kestre can be over 250 Vereti Aurens

Rarity

Kestre is simliar in rarity to platinum, with it being 1/10th that of gold.

Odor

coppery scent when unrefined, but is scentless when refined

Taste

salty, slightly tangy

Color

deep blue or indigo

Melting / Freezing Point

953 C

Common State

It is usually found in solid form, among rock and stone. But liquid form is possible to find in nature, in theory.