Skymetal

Skymetals are a collection of eight innately magical metals spread throughout the islands of Asiyah, each associated with one of the eight schools of magic. They are considered to be the most valuable materials in the world aside from Ionite. Besides their great financial value, the metals also have a varying amount of cultural importance in different societies across Asiyah. Especially the wandering Dragonborn have a particular reverence for skymetals, naming each of their great Dragon Arks after one of the metals.
The purple flame atop the mountain in the dwarven settlement of Torch is the only flame in Asiyah that burns hot enough to fully melt skymetals. More than 90% of all objects crafted from skymetal were expertly crafted by one of Torch's skilled smiths. For this reason, Torch is considered a veritable valhalla for those interested in acquiring a piece of gear crafted from skymetal, as well as those who would like to master the craft themselves.
=== Bellerite ===
Bellerite is the skymetal associated with Evocation magic. It is a perfectly smooth, silvery gray metal that gleams with pink and indigo sheens. Bellerite is hyperconductive, even more so than silver or copper, though its rarity makes it economically unviable for use in large-scale Ionite power transmission. While electrically charged, Bellerite becomes extremely receptive to elemental energy and can retain some of the energy's properties, becoming a permanent source of the energy in and of itself. This property makes Bellerite a popular material for weapons infused with elemental power, or armor that protects against the very same.
=== Crimtane ===
Crimtane is the skymetal associated with Illusion magic. It is an amber-gold colored material with an extremely reflective surface, almost like a mirror. Crimtane's most notable property is that it is not where it visually appears to be - the material warps light, making it seem like it is just a few inches off from where it actually is physically. Crimtane weapons can be exceptionally deceptive for this reason, making it hard to anticipate when and where they will actually strike. Polished Crimtane can reflect an image so accurately to the point that the reflection seems to visually manifest in physical space. Displacer Beasts seem to have some sort of sixth sense when it comes to locating Crimtane, as the creatures need the metal in their system to fuel their duplicatory abilities, which they acquire by swallowing pebbles containing trace amounts of Crimtane.
=== Djezet ===
Djezet is the skymetal associated with Enchantment magic. It normally has a rust-red color, though it glows a scarlet red when there is active magic in its vicinity. Unlike most metals, Djezet is only ever found in a liquid state no matter the temperature. Djezet enhances the power of spells and the potency of magic items constructed with it, and is very prized and sought after by mages for this property. Its permanent liquidity makes it difficult to work with however, so it is more commonly used as an alloy. A popular one is Djezeteel, an alloy of Djezet and steel, which is also known as tigersteel, for the Djezet within the alloy retains its property of glowing in response to magic, creating glowing red lines across the metal.
=== Necrontyr ===
Necrontyr is the skymetal associated with Necromancy magic. It is a milky translucent, teal material that feels cold to touch no matter how much it is heated. Necrontyr functions much like a spiritual anchor, binding the soul to the body. This makes Necrontyr jewelry a popular protective charm. Necrontyr weapons also make use of this property, making them capable of striking a foe in both flesh and spirit. There exist some legends that it is possible to bind a soul to the Necrontyr itself, which can then be used in the creation of mystical and powerful artifacts, though condemning the soul within to eternal torment. It is often believed this was a practice of the ancient Tieflings, which ultimately led to the curse that now rests on their descendants. Tieflings' contribution to the founding of the school of Necromancy have not helped this preconception.
=== Noqual ===
Noqual, also known as mage-silver, is the skymetal associated with Abjuration magic. In its raw form, it is a lightweight, pale blue crystal. It handles high temperatures poorly, turning brittle when heated instead of melting. To this end, the metal can only be molded though expensive alchemical treatments in order to craft it into usable items. Noqual has an innate anti-magic property - objects crafted from Noqual prevent the wearer from being affected by magic, at the cost of making them unable to cast spells themselves as well. A cheap alternative to Noqual exists, called organic Noqual, which is synthesized by creatures known as Akata to construct their coccoons. Organic Noqual has a very weak anti-magic property however, and looking for it has the risk of running into the Akata themselves, who make for terrifying predators when not in hibernation.
=== Inubrix ===
Inubrix, also known as ghost metal, is the skymetal associated with Transmutation magic. It is a shiny, pearly white metal, that is soft to the touch like lead. Inubrix has one of the more unique properties, having the ability to bend reality around it and traverse through other, non-magical metals without making physical contact, moving through iron or steel like it wasn't even there. This property makes it undesirable for armor, other than its flexibility and light weight granting an increased mobility, but Inubrix weapons are highly prized, easily bypassing the defense provided by simple armor and shields. Despite this, the weapons are still fragile, and incapable of harming anything made of metal.
=== Orichalcum ===
Orichalcum is the skymetal associated with Divination magic. It is a sturdy, coppery green metal and the rarest of the eight skymetals. Orichalcum bends time around it, aiding its durability - weapons made from Orichalcum remain in their prime indefinitely, never losing their edge and swinging with supernatural speed. Malacath, the Iron King of the drow of Naggarythe, is rumored to possess a full suit of armor made from Orichalcum, which is purportedly the source of his incredible lifespan and his dominion over the battlefield, the armor increasing the speed at which he moves and reacts.
=== Tenebrium ===
Tenebrium, also commonly known as feverstone, is the skymetal associated with Conjuration magic. It is a lusterless, jet black metal with a smoky pattern that seems to move in an unnatural fashion when one stares at it for too long. After being melted, the metal hardens back into a spiky formation. Tenebrium radiates a mystical energy, and prolonged exposure to this energy can induce insomnia, paranoia, hallucinations, exhaustion, and madness. There have been some experiments into using Tenebrium as an alternative power source to Ionite, though the health risk posed by the material seemed too great to ever be functionally applicable. Tenebrium can be alchemically powdered and used as a very potent poison.
== Other Materials ==
A number of other materials exist that have properties similar to skymetals, though they are not considered as such. Adamantine is often thought to be a skymetal, because it sports incredible hardness and indestructability, is comparably rare, and can only be melted by Torch's purple flame like the skymetals. Despite these qualities, nothing about Adamantine is innately magical, which is usually the source of its exclusion. Other magical materials, such as the Serrensteel of the elves or the Wraithchitin of the Swarm, do hold some innate magical properties and are sometimes considered as skymetals, though these materials are not technically even metals and do not appear naturally, being alchemically-treated wood blessed by tree spirits and crystallized psionic energy, respectively.
Some written histories of the Ehlnofey make mention of a metal with magical properties treated with importance equal to skymetals, that does not seem to align with any metal known today. It is unclear if this was perhaps a similar case of a metal-like material oft-confused with an actual metal, perhaps an alloy of a skymetal with some other metal or material, or an actual ninth skymetal which would then be aligned with a ninth school of magic. Whatever the case, knowledge of the metal was lost at some point between the fall of Ehlnofexian civilization and the Elven renaissance.