Adamantium

An awakened metal: adamantium is iron that is enhanced by alchemy.

Properties

Material Characteristics

It is a stark and striking black, yet highly reflective, and its surface has a coruscating sheen as if embedded with minute diamonds.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Is incredibly durable, both in its tensile and compressive strength, as well as being resistant to heat. However, it is more conductive of electricity than iron. These traits make it highly desired in architectural construction as well as for weapons and armor.

Compounds

Efforts have long been made to combine adamantium with diamonds to make an awakened steel, as well as to awaken steel through pure alchemical processes. So far, such efforts have been unsuccessful.

Geology & Geography

Small pockets are found within the Crowning Ranges, but most adamantium is mined within the Sames Islands, where it is put to primarily military use.

Life & Expiration

Though more resistant to oxidation than mundane iron, it can rust, and if a piece becomes completely encased, it will revert to mundane iron.

History & Usage

Everyday use

The most frequently seen use is in weaponry, and to a slightly lesser extent in armor. The bladesmiths of Sameshima have honed the making of these to near-perfection; their products are wiry and delicate, combined with other metals to add weight, and would instantly break or bend on use if not made of such a fantastic material.
The other common use within Sameshima is in architecture, where thin "rails" of Adamantium are used to form the core of bridges and buildings. A common form is the "rail house", a tower tens of stories high that can house hundreds of people within minimal ground space.

Cultural Significance and Usage

The richest deposits are in the Sames Islands , and see a myriad of uses throughout the archipelago, mainly military and architectural. Though hardly ubiquitous, its unmatched usefulness gives it great cultural prominence among the inhabitants, who call it "dai-tetsu" and hold it as a common metaphor for strength and endurance. Though too expensive to use in jewelry or other accessories, symbolic representations of it are common.

Industrial Use

Adamantium drill bits are in high demand, especially for the purpose of mining Adamantium ore. A small, fixed percentage of all ore extracted is given over to maintaining mining equipment.

Manufacturing & Products

It is relatively easy to make among alchemical products, though time-consuming, and is one of the highest in demand along with Orichalcum. Alchemists in most countries render it from common iron, usually in shapes pre-made by smiths.

Distribution

Trade & Market

It is in high demand everywhere in the world, but only the Far Islands have bountiful natural sources, and refuses to export them; other countries must make do with what they can produce from mundane iron. Alchemical enclaves routinely produce it in regular amounts, and often have exclusivity deals with the local government for their output.

Type

Metal

Color

Black with speckled reflection

Boiling / Condensation Point

3240 C

Melting / Freezing Point

1829 C

Density

7.2 g/cm³

Common State

Ore, bound with mundane iron and silicon