Metals

**Metal** may bond with the eight elements, as well as become a *deepened* version of itself under the influence of, possibly, mana and ranked zones. Hence, there are more **metals** in the world than there are on Earth.

Iron, copper and silver are also used in Currency.

## Elemental Metals

By combining particular varieties of Crysts (or GranCrysts) with particular metals, it is possible to create new metals. These metals can new properties, including affinities and disinclinations for particular types of enchantments.

* Heat Copper - a great conductor in items, also allows lots of heat resistance in armor, reacts averse to runes dealing with cold
* Cold Tin - allows cold resistance but reacts averse to runes dealing with heat
* Thermalitic Bronze - an alloy of nine parts Heat Copper and one part Cold Tin, a great base to enchant with enhancements of both Heat *and* Cold resistance
* Chemical Pewter - an alloy of mostly Tin, allows up to 150 chemical resistance in armor
* Force Iron - allows up to 200 force resistance in armor, but has less compatibility with hardness and durability runes
* Force Steel - allows up to 100 force resistance in armor, with better hardness/durability properties
* Dark Steel - allows at least 50 dark resistance in armor, but may be weak to direct light influence
* Arcane Steel - better than force steel, apparently, but wasteful in resources
* Grand Arcane Valis - Has high compatibility with Compression runes.
* Grand Arcane Gold -
* Grand Arcane Atantum - Great for linking runes and supporting structures
* Grand Thermalitic Bronze - Has greater heat resistance than Thermalitic Bronze.
* Aluminum has decent affinity for Lightness runes. Its intrinsic rune is also well aligned with the Mental element and poorly aligned with all others.
* Titanium surpasses even steel in the ability to strengthen certain runic enchantments, like durability and hardness.

## Deep Metals

Many metals have "deepened" versions. These metals are more condensed and also worth a lot more in craft and trade. We know of the following:

* Iron --> **Adamant**: dumbed down, this metal is "compacted steel" with a much higher defense value than even the best steel, having ten times the density of iron. Manufacturing even a single ingot requires a thousand time its mass in raw material, and when it is done by metal workers, it involves spatially "overlaying" all the raw ingots with each other, and then using the "Metallic Condensation" skill. Adamant may also be found in nature.
* Silver --> **Valis**: low compatibility with Hardness and Durability runes; good compatibility with runes of Lightness, Flexibility, Mana Capacitance, Arcane Regeneration, Binding; high affinity to the arcane element
* Gold --> **Atantum**:
* Lead --> **Rykir**: extremely high mana capacity per unit volume

Known sources for unrefined deep metals are mana-rich ranked zones deep below the surface. Rarely, monsters may incorporate (deep) metals into their natural armor, and Tallheart only encountered such a thing three times in many years of delving, the most profitable being the Sparkscale Deep in the arcane biome below the heat biome below Vestvall. The Sparkscales had hundreds of kilograms of metal embedded inside their scaled fish-like bodies, and older specimen have been found to have up to 20% valis in their massive silver scales, and over 90% atantum in the little amount of gold they have. The majority of their metal however was iron, mercury and lead with only tiny fractions of deepened metals in them. Freshly spawned monsters produced nothing worthwhile however, which makes farming a biome untenable over time.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Chapter 138
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Chapter 51
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Chapter 159
4. ↑ Chapter 140
5. ↑ Chapter 194
6. ↑ Chapter 154
7. ↑ Chapter 152
8. ↑ Chapter 154
9. ↑ Chapter 149
10. ↑ Chapters 158-160