Arcanate

Arcanate is a rare mineral that occurs naturally in the world. Arcanate acts as a buffer for aether, absorbing small amounts of magical energy from ley lines and dampening unicorns' and alicorns' abilities to cast spells. The more arcanate is present in one given area, the greater the magical absorption is, resulting in magically deficient or dead areas. Very few lands have abundances of arcanate that would lead to severe magical dampening, and many nations have excavated most of it away to eliminate the hindrance on local unicorn populations or to use as magical inhibitors in law enforcement. The Griffon Kingdom is currently the only nation with an abundance of naturally occurring arcanate still in its soil and a magically dead zone covering the entire country.