Trituration of the Arcane

Trituration of the Arcane is a book uncovered through use of Study-related Inquiries.

## History

During the academic endeavours of the vedalken Andrius before relocating to the newly-founded settlement of Amber Run, the artificer spent numerous hours engaging in research across a wide range of fields. Amongst these, the so-called liveblood of Oxresh, the substance Iviniuum, caught his attention and imagination alike - including its history, production and uses.

## Research

### Completed by Andrius

While often referred to as the "Arcane-Made-Material", citing Iviniuum as such, and thus by extension the title of this text - although deliberately done so for sake of catching the eye of scholars than something more verbose and wordy - is a misnomer, for as many scholars will say, Iviniuum is not just affiliated with the arcane, but also the divine. As betrayed by its etymology, Iviniuum is believed to be a creation of Divinus, the Three-Eyed Light, his mastery over magic made physical for the boon and benefit of those within his charge. It is thus assumed that Iviniuum was therefore first created at the time of Aita's Second Gift, for before that time there were no mortal beings that would benefit from their creation. The warriors of the Ahlusian Pantheon before the Second Gift were divine in origin, celestials predominantly, alongside Fey and Dragonkind, and thus all inherently magic - and thus unneeding of a powder brimming with magical potential.

Nonetheless, Iviniuum was quickly noted by the Principal Races after the Second Gift, who found great deposits of it in ten separate places upon the continent, two within the borders of the Empire of Raq and Atralran respectively, with the Realms of Kingbourne, the Duchies of Tynd, Gawylthlan, Sunstone, the Giado Territories and Tulis all likewise finding the same potential in their territories. Upon these deposits the Ten Guilds were founded, the mined ore - said to appear similar in appearance to biotite-rich granite with veins of dull grey-white stretching throughout - were lifted en masse from the soil and stone, serving as both the physical and magical foundations for the fledgling sites of research and learning. Invaluable for use to replace niche or otherwise rare spell components, they also found the substance to be of great use in the creation of arcane and elemental constructs, such as the creation and powering of golems used for training purposes. Such appears to be one of the boons of Iviniuum, by nature of its form seemingly being magic in a stable, physical form, it can aid in creating enchantments, items and artifacts that necessitate the same functionality - the containing of elemental spirits in crystalline form for future usage being the key example. Despite this, research committed to understanding Iviniuum deeper would prove ultimately fruitless to the Guilds, for the substance simply was magic made material, as different as ice and steam, but still fundamentally the same substance at its base. With the passage of the centuries, the deposits upon which the Guilds had been built would run dry, and so the reliance on the substance would shift elsewhere out of necessity, as well as the interest in replicating or otherwise reacquiring it.

If the question of what Iviniuum was simultaneously seemed simple, but defies closer definition, the next question was surely a case of where it had originally come from. It was quickly posited by theologians that as the almighty forces had affected the continents in other ways through their acts in the time before the Second Gift, then perhaps Divinus had inadvertently done so too. The Caskbows of Stalrose Vineyard, and the tenants of the lands in the centuries long before them maintain the vineyards are so fine and prosperous because it was where Buwello first made landfall in Ahlus. Perhaps the positions of the deposits were where the Three-Eyed Light had strolled across the continent, or, in perhaps a more sinister twist, where his blood may have been spilt during the numerous wounds dealt on all sides during the wars before the Second Gift. Despite extensive searches, no further deposits were found, until such time that the Wayfinder Stones came to be, which could, with correct processing, be macerated and levigated into the substance, serving as a further boon for the Astedians and their Empire. Particularly so, creating Coghearts relied on a supply of Iviniuum, preventing their rivals from recreating the constructs from those they captured or destroyed. Between such times, and since, other sources have naturally been sought. Particularly powerful sorcerers with bloodlines touched by the presence of Divinus' Weave sometimes spontaneously produce the substance when unleashing bombardments of spells, but rarely in any meaningful quantity. Equally hazardous, it has been suggested, and attempted, by numerous researchers over the years to utilise the planestuff of the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo, citing the mutability as an equivalent to the versatility of Iviniuum. Repeated failings in these endeavours have resulted in naught but disaster, with numerous casualties and incursions by the denizens of the Plane, and thus cast aside as injudicious, irresponsible or ill-suited for its worth.

Nonetheless, in more recent years, some manner of success has been found by the Academy of Erudition in Oxresh, the only faction in the continent seemingly capable of doing so. However, the process through which this has been achieved is unknown, and deliberately so. If the Academy was relying on the proposed methods of utilising the Ever-Changing Plane of Limbo, this would surely be noted peripherally, whether by the residents of the city, or those numerous mages known to be sleuthing around the city on the hunt for any such clue or idea. Mines have been opened in response to deposits of other minerals and materials have been uncovered in the Timberlands near the city in the last century, so is it possible that a previously undiscovered source of Iviniuum has been found buried beneath soil and stone? Or does the production relate to the Ashenvale, with which the Academy, particularly the Ministry of the Curio, has been extensively involved? Have they discovered some forgotten process from within the boundaries, a casualty of the Siege of Iron along with the thousands slain? If so, from which side would it have come? The Astedians commanded vast resources engaged in extensive research beyond the imaginations of the commonfolk, but the Atrals maintained, and continue to, maintain a long-standing history with magic itself, and were forced to desperation and breaking point by a superior combatant. Perhaps it is instead something else entirely, an option not yet considered by the histories and too hidden behind walls and wards to thwart sabotage, subterfuge and theft for contemporaries to guess at. Regardless, Iviniuum finds its use across the continent, from facilitating transport on the Great Conduit to illicit substances that addle the senses - and each measure of the substance passes through the halls of the Academy of Erudition.