Clutfunium

Clutfunium is a very powerful variety of prasiolite, valued in the antiquity, most notably in pre-medieval Ireland. Its value mainly comes from its power of indestructibility upon activation near a geomantic line, being first used in 35 BC by a sorcerer in Bhaile Clutfun to raise a powerful barrier to stop Fari from heading further to the west.
This technology remained forgotten after the fall of Bhaile Clutfun. Outside of Ireland, the mineral was a rare and precious stone used for jewelery.
==History==
===Ancient times===
Earliest traces of clutfunium mines date back to the antiquity with the most notable sites being at Bhaile Clutfun, an ancient Celtic settlement, that the minerals were named after. Bhaile Clutfun was considered to be the capital of clutfunium at the time. The precious stones managed to reach Britain, which was being conquered by Romans at the time. The Romans valued clutfunium for its appearance, but were unaware of its hidden power. Thanks to sea trade between the provinces, clutfunium ended up in various corners of the Mediterranean Sea, as far as Egypt and Petra, but was never used as a power source. Clutfunium powder was also used in medicine and cosmetics, especially in Egypt and the countries of the Levant, areas that are very far away from Ireland.
The crystals were used in royal jewelery, most commonly in the early Middle Ages. They could be found in Charlemagne's crown and in treasuries of Constantinopole. Clutfunium gradually became less popular by the end of the 14th century and was ultimately forgotten for centuries to come.
===Down in the Mines===
In modern times, the technology was rediscovered by Griselda of the Polyhare Order. With the help of The Grandmaster, who provided the funds, she launched an operation in southern Ireland led by Sir Lochlann Murray to mine the remaining clutfunium clusters and harness their power in war machines.
In the series, Alice, Dr Saturn and Charles, with the help of Turlough Marbleford find themselves in Murray Mining Facility, a giant mining facility and power plant, ran by the Polyhare Knights. Sir Murray, who is in charge of keeping the miners in order, refers to clutfunium as "hyssopium" to avoid suspicion from public eyes. In the facility, clutfunium is obtained in plenty of mineshafts inside the gorge, which is later taken to a large cargo vehicle known as the Desman.
Eventually, thanks to the investigation and Alice's knowledge on the matter, the trio manages to find out the dark truth about the operation. As the only witnesses, Griselda attempts to silence them by leaving them in the facility thinking Charles planted a bomb in the headquarters. This ultimately proves false and the bomb destroys the Desman instead, dumping tons of raw crystals on a road.
The Polyhare Knights manage to retrieve a small amount of clutfunium and smuggle it to Orange Canyon to develop The Polyhare Brain, a power source to enhance a large war machine. Unfortunately for them, they soon realize, that the crystals lose their valuable properties when taken away from a catalyst. The gem shatters in front of The Grandmaster and his cohort leaving him disappointed.
=== Knights in Time ===
TBA.
== Properties ==
Clutfunium is an unstable variant of quartz, that loses all its powerful properties when taken away from a catalyst and becomes a fragile crystal, that decays over time. It owes such properties to a magical geomantic network, that spreads across Ireland and the surrounding seas. Ancient Celts learned to use this natural electrical circuit to build large megalithic structures covered in clutfunium and raise impenetrable force fields, that helped Bhaile Clutfun and many other villages to defend themselves from invaders and most notably, Fari.
When placed above this network, the crystals release uncalculable amounts of energy and become indestructible, which is what caught the interest of the Polyhare Order.
Because of how it decays over time, all artifacts containing clutfunium are lost to time.
== Appearances ==
# Down in the Mines 1/4 
# Down in the Mines 2/4
# Down in the Mines 3/4
# Down in the Mines 4/4
# Knights in Time
Category:Objects