Faulting the Leylines - A Geological Examination of Thaumaturgical Formations - SCP Foundation

Leyline Formations and Elan-Vital Deposits

By Dr. D. Draws1

Leylines are defined as "invisible, metaphysical lines that encompass the globe and are characterized by high levels of ambient thaumaturgic energy".[1] In essence, they are faults in the very fabric of reality. And like faults, they are a part of a complex series of rifts and subduction zones that seem to mimic that of non-anomalous geology. However, their key differences are what defines a large portion of anomalous geological studies. This brief paper functions as a culmination summary of intensive research done on this entirely new branch of study.2

Unlike tectonic faultlines, whose geological processes involve high temperature and pressure, leylines output massive amounts of thaumaturgical energy.3 These high outputs have interesting effects upon their surrounding strata; mainly the creation of Elan-Vital deposits. Such deposits have been characterized via the creation of a secondary veiled rock cycle, called the EVR4 cycle. This cycle is defined by three phases, of which are in similar mimicry of the non-veiled cycle: thaumaorphic, igneaturge, and effervementary.

Thaumamorphism is an anomalous form of metamorphism that occurs when rocks and minerals are subjected to extreme thaumaturgical energies and pressure. These occur most often directly within leyline entanglement — where the metaphysical "plates" of reality are coming into contact, and one being forced beneath the other. These spots where leylines cross are not only locations where Nexuses can form[2], but are hotbeds for thaumamorphism. All thaumamorphic rocks have varying ranges of foliation, with highly foliated rocks containing distinctive stripped appearances. These aligned crystals resonate with one another — creating the ability for complex informational storage and transfer, something that has made them a boon in paratechnology and eigenmachinery.[3]

Igneaturge rock occurs when magma within the crust and mantle interacts with leylines. Like igneous rocks, igneaturge rocks are identified by their textures and compositions. Phaneritic igneaturge form deep within the strata, coarse grained due to slow cooling. These large crystals often make them go-to's for thaumaturgical channeling within many anomalous communities. On the other hand, aphanitic igneaturge are formed from leyline eruptions — rare occurrences in which metaphysical volcanoes form from rapid leyline rearrangement. Despite their rarity, these fine-grained rocks have too small of crystals to be useful in any casting. In another similarity to igneous textures, composition also plays a role in classifications and identifications of igneaturge rock — utilizing the same felsic-intermediate-mafic-ultra mafic definitions relating to silica v.s. iron and magnesium concentrations. However, the colors of these compositions are thaumaturgically altered — shifting along the visible spectrum with felsic leaning towards red, and ultramafic towards violet on the opposite end. The strikingly vibrant, colorful rock that results from this alteration makes the identification of igneaturge rock an easy, and quite entertaining, task.

And finally, effervementary rock, the least understood area of the EVR cycle. In spite of its namesake, magic is anything but "sedimentary" — bubbling and changing over time — often in ways that can be deemed chaotic, if not sometimes outright dangerous. These eroded "sediments"5 are incredibly unstable, and rarely ever static in their properties. Due to this shifting nature, not many of these rocks have actually been catalogued. For now, 'effervementary' remains a blanket term for a currently poorly understood corner of geology. In spite of this, effervementary Elan-Vital deposits show great potential due to their containment of incredible raw thaumaturgical energy — though in current times, we have yet a way to extract said energy.

Within these three phases, Elan-Vital deposits are categorized and loosely defined. The most notable, and most contentious, of these often being the rare and valuable metals that form within these faults — adamantine, orichalcum, scrantonite, and the infamous irrilite.

Named for the metal that made the mythological chains of Prometheus, adamantine is a highly thaumamorphized carbonate-lodestone mineral that can be rarely found at incredible depths in sites of intense leyline compression. Breaching the natural Mohs scale of mineral hardness by achieving a value of 12, this nigh unbreakable metal is difficult to harvest, and even more difficult to use. Due to the high concentration of igneaturge iron, this crystaline metal is a brilliant crimson, with a strikingly bright luster.

Orichalcum is a second Elan-Vital deposit with a mythological name. A glimmering, blue-green ore, orichalcum is, at its core, a crystalized form of native copper mineral. Forming similar to non-anomalous coppers, it is a magmatic deposit that forms when volatiles within magma leech into fractures within the surrounding strata — with the key difference of it occurring within leyline areas, and being thaumamorphized afterwards. This results in the creation of a thaumaturgical alloy that creates a high level of electrical conductivity within orichalcum crystals. With its nature as a strong semiconductor, it is popular amongst mehkanite practitioners6 and anomalous computer science — as this metal can increase power efficiency quite dramatically when used correctly — and its thaumamorphized nature lends it to being able to store tremendous amounts of power.[4]

Scrantonite, otherwise known as the periodic element 126, is an Elan-Vital deposit that sees the most widespread use within the Foundation. Named after Dr. Robert Scranton, this metal functions as a thaumaturgical inhibitor and reality anchor.[5] Deposits of scrantonite are formed as a result of extreme thaumamorphism, and is frequently found at incredible depths amongst sulfates in single cleavage planed crystals. While it is a rather common metal, we are beginning to exhaust some of the largest known deposits of it — and Foundation coordinated search for new ore deposits is likely as time goes on.

The most infamous, and widely known, Elan-Vital metal is irrilite; The Tyrant's Metal, Element 164. Once an incredibly common magmatic leyline deposit, it was completely mined by the Fae Empire around the 275th millennium, BCE — and almost everything made from it lost during the Two Great Diasporas.[6] Due to this, irrilite is not completely understood, as all we have left are legends and the rare fragments that are often hoarded away — but some details of it have remained throughout the centuries. It was so sought after due to its nature as a great thaumaturgical conductor, able to greatly amplify any magic that passes through it. It is theorized that this silver-white metal formed in heptigon crystals7, with high reflectivity and a blue-purple luster.

At the end of the day, anomalous geology is still a relatively young field in Foundation studies, with new discoveries being made with increasing frequency as the Department of Geology emerges and grows. With our accumulation of knowledge of these new-found minerals, rocks and structures, will hopefully come a further understanding of how the world beneath our feet functions — and a further understanding of leylines and magics effect on our general reality.

Bibliography

1. Asheworth, D. (1992). Defining the Undefinable. Internal SCP Foundation Publishing, 45-67.

2. Hennessy, C. (2013). Following the Leylines. Sloth's Pit Publisher, 12-20.

3. McDoctorate, P. (2010). Eigenmachine. Internal SCP Foundation Publishing, pages 253-289.

4. Cyprog, H. M. (2015). Thaumic Potential Storage of Crystalline Mill Spin Glass. Internal SCP Foundation Publishing, pages 78-84.

5. Scranton, R. (1902). Never Love an Anchor, an Autobiography. Internal SCP Foundation Publishing, pages 172-198.

6. Gwyneth, O. (2005). Of the Great Diasporas. Sidhe Lounge, pages 98-105.

Footnotes

1. Of the Department of Geology and Paleontology, head of Project Leymine.

2. Otherwise known as the Department of Geology’s 2016 project “Leymine”.

3. Be aware that this is a major simplification of the thamodynamics involved with leyline flues

4. Elan-Vital Rock

5. Eroded and sedimented particles from igneaturge Elan-Vital deposits

6. Especially for its use in the creation of beryllium bronze

7. 7-fold symmetrical pseudo crystalline structures