Materials of the Pallid Age
In The Pallid Age, materials are not defined by their atomic weight, but by their metaphysical resonance. Matter is simply “frozen spirit,” and different materials correspond to different stages of the Akashic Descent.
The Materials of Corruption (4th Root / Atlantean)
These materials are associated with the Nephilim (Atlanteans) and their connection to Carcosa. They are beautiful, advanced, and radioactive with spiritual decay.
Orichalcum (The King’s Gold)
[cite_start]Reimagined from A2A[cite: 1171]. [cite_start]In the text, Orichalcum is a “semi-magical alloy of copper, gold, and iron”[cite: 1171]. In this setting, it is the Conductor of the Yellow Sign.
- Nature: It is not mined; it is alchemically transmuted gold that has been exposed to the light of the Hyades star cluster. It hums with a low, maddening vibration.
- [cite_start]Properties: It is stronger than steel but lighter[cite: 1171]. However, it is physically painful for Humans (5th Root) and Dvergar to touch, causing radiation burns that smell like ozone and sulfur. (nah)
- Usage: Used by Nephilim for armour and the masks that hide their alien features.
Vril-Glass (The Pallid Crystal)
[cite_start]Reimagined from Amberglass[cite: 1233]. [cite_start]The text describes “Amberglass” as a material used to contain magical energies[cite: 1233]. Here, we rename it Vril-Glass or Pallid Crystal.
- Nature: It is not blown glass, but solidified Vril—the crystallized blood of the Elder Gods. It is translucent and milky, like a cataract in a giant eye.
- Properties: It is virtually indestructible and can channel magical energy without shattering. However, looking through Vril-Glass allows one to see the “Dreaming Earth” overlaid on reality, risking sanity.
- [cite_start]Usage: Used for windows in Carcosa, containment vessels for demons[cite: 1211], and the lenses of the Nephilim’s masks. (i’m ok if the Atlanteans has more technological progress than the humans and only scholars understand Nephilim tech)
The Materials of Anchoring (5th Root & Dvergar)
These materials represent “Heavy Matter”—the dense, physical reality that the Creator Gods (The Architects) built to lock the Mythos out.
Cold Iron (The Anchor)
The antithesis of Vril.
- Nature: Iron is the element of the 5th Root Race (Humans). It represents the “Weight of Reason” and the rejection of the spirit world.
- Properties: Cold Iron does not just block magic; it grounds it. Striking a Nephilim with Cold Iron disrupts their connection to the Yellow King, causing their Vril-infused flesh to wither instantly. (I like this fairy and cold iron equivalent)
- Usage: Humans use it for weapons and door nails to keep spirits out. Dvergar bolt iron plates to their stone skin to resist magical corruption.
Basalt of the First Fire (Foundation Stone) (Oily black stone? Dragonstone?)
The bones of the Dvergar.
- Nature: This is the primordial rock formed when the Elemental Titans (1st Root) first cooled the world. It holds the memory of the world before biological life.
- Properties: It is completely immune to warping or transmutation. A wall of First Fire Basalt cannot be walked through by ghosts or altered by Atlantean sorcery.
- Usage: The Dvergar use this to build their “Reality Anchors” (fortresses) and the hammers they use to shatter Vril-Glass.
The Materials of Biomancy (3rd Root / Lemurian)
The Lemurians reject dead matter (metal/stone) and corrupt matter (Vril). They use Living Matter.
Bloodwood
[cite_start]Directly from A2A[cite: 1352]. [cite_start]The text mentions “Bloodwood” cages used by giants[cite: 1352]. Here, we elevate it to a primary crafting material.
- Nature: Wood harvested from the massive, semi-sentient trees of the Lemurian jungles. It bleeds red sap when cut.
- Properties: It is as hard as iron but heals itself if fed blood. It does not rust or corrode.
- Usage: Lemurian weapons, ships, and the cages used to transport their Beast-men creations.
Osseous Steel (Ivory Metal) Ossium?
The perfection of bone.
- Nature: Lemurian Flesh-Shapers calcify the bones of their massive labour-beasts (Taureans/Elephants) into a material denser than bronze.
- Properties: It is white, polished, and warm to the touch. It creates a psychic resonance with the wielder; a sword made of Osseous Steel feels like an extension of the user’s own arm.
- Usage: The signature weapons of the Lemurian elite.
The Materials of the Void (2nd Root / Saurian)
Star-Metal (Null-Silver)
The frozen void.
- Nature: The Saurians (Ophidians) were creatures of the tropical dawn of the world. This metal is harvested from meteorites that fall from the spaces between stars. (Not sure if works, star symbols better for Nephilim)
- Properties: It is intensely cold and absorbs light. Unlike Orichalcum (which conducts magic), Star-Metal eats magic. It creates a “dead magic” zone around it.
- Usage: Used by Saurian assassins to kill sorcerers. It is the only material that can permanently kill a Dvergar by extinguishing their internal elemental fire.
- Do Saurians need materials at all? I view them as dinosaur masters. Lets make their tech purely Late Stone Age with ziggurats
I wonder…
- Does Orichalcum decay into Lead over eons? If so, is Lead the “dead” form of high magic, explaining why it blocks radiation?
- Can Vril-Glass be melted down and re-forged, or does heating it release the “infection” into the air as a gas?
- Do the Dvergar view Cold Iron as a sacred material (the bones of the earth) or a profane one (the cage of the spirit)?
- If a Human implants Osseous Steel into their body, does it eventually try to take over their biology?
References
- Khepera Publishing. Atlantis: The Second Age. [cite_start](Sources on Orichalcum [cite: 1171], Amberglass [cite: 1233], Bloodwood [cite: 1352]).