Silver (Material)
The Lifeblood of Alwaus' Economy
Properties
Material Characteristics
Shiny to the point of relfection when properly polished and refined, silver is a soft and malleable metal. Commonly found in a raw ore state duried underground, it is one of the most highly sought after materials in the world - second only to Arcanite.
Geology & Geography
Discovered in every corner of Alwaus, the material is not rare enough to be valuable just in it's appearance, but rather its peerless utility in modern life. Large concentrations of silver are tpyically found underground, especially in mountains and rock areas like Stolzetürm and Kaldaria.
History & Usage
Everyday use
One of the only natural conductors for arcane energy, silver is used in nearly every form of arcane technology in Alwaus. Everything, from Silverline Sails to Ironclad s(article:ddc6b283-4651-4cdd-96c7-55c30e3de3a9) would be impossilbe if not for the use of silver to adjust and direct the arcane power generated by @[Arcanite. As technological advancement only presses forward under the guidance of The Eternal Empire the need for silver only grows - with new deposits of silver being tapped nearly every year.
The material is so widely valued that is become the undisputed currency in every culture in Alwaus, with The Silver Standard being exchanged for goods and services a trillion times every day.
Cultural Significance and Usage
Unequivocally associated with wealth, status, and luxury, silver is present in the jewelry and luxury goods in nearly every culture - far outstripping other luxury resources like gold, gemstones, and pearls.
Refinement
Recovered in it's raw form, silver is normally melted down and combined with other material to form a stong yet durable alloy. The exact components bound together varies depending on it's usage, with recent experiments with Arcanite proving potent yet unpredicatable.
Reusability & Recycling
Literally worth it's own weight in silver, the material is far to value to be left un-salvaged. Damaged or depleted technologies are almost always salvaged for their silver-lining (at least whenever possible) and damaged and defaced standards are returned to the mint to be melted down and re-pressed.
Distribution
Storage
Stored as circulare coins in the form of a The Silver Standard, when used for currency silver can only be minted into thick sheets or even bricks with pre-defined and carefully measured weighting. When the use for raw silver has not yet been determined, it is typically melted into long heavy logs and stored in secure locations with the idea that the sheer weight of the logs makes theft of the material impractical if not downright impossible.
Law & Regulation
By decree of Jaenesa prime Virtutem, Empress of Alwaus, all silver in Alwaus belongs to The Eternal Empire. With her coronation as empress, all new coins minted are to bear her likeless on one side and seal of The Eternal Empire on the other. Any newly discovered sources of silver are to be reported back to Alvantes however The Empire usually extends a handsome reward for the discovery in an effort to encourage prospecting.
Color
Glossy & Highly Reflective Metal
Boiling / Condensation Point
2,162 °C
Melting / Freezing Point
961.8 °C
Common State
Solid
Related Locations
Related Items
Related Technologies
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