Adamantium, also known as Adamantine and Adamantite, is one of the toughest and rarest pure metals in Innworld.
Appearance[edit | edit source]
It appears deep red with fiery orange, may shift color depending on how light hits it,[1] and is naturally dull unless polished.[2]
Properties[edit | edit source]
Adamantium is incredibly tough. It is heavier than steel,[2] and does not rust or decay even after millennia.[1]
While rarer than diamonds, in its unprocessed state, Adamantium resembles clay or a weak mineral.[3] However even untreated, intense heat that would melt other ores will not even cause it to glow.[4]
Forging[edit | edit source]
Forging Adamantium is incredibly difficult, so much so that [Smiths] will fight over artifacts that will allow them to work it. However, the ability to smith Adamantium is recognized to be a true sign of mastery.[2]
Smelting Adamantium requires heat of such intensity that typical fire-resistance Skills will only offer protection for several seconds. It thus requires a substantially flame-proof crucible. First the heat is used to separate other minerals from the ore by melting them and sifting them from the still solid Adamantium. Then greater heat still is applied to make it melt and remove impurities.[4]
Shaping Adamantium requires immense force. Dwarven forges normally use gigantic moving arms called Magic Hammers to do so.[5]
Allegories[edit | edit source]
The Adamantium Hammer Fallacy refers to how you can’t hammer Adamantium without an Adamantium hammer. It is used to illustrate a problem where one has special materials but no means to make something from it. The literal problem, meanwhile, was solved by casting an unshaped lump of Adamantium and attaching it to a handle to shape another piece.[6]
The Adamantium Brick Parable is used to describe something valuable hidden in plain sight. It refers to how Adamantium is sometimes confused for lesser metals, and thus mistakenly used for mundane projects. It is in fact based on a true story about a Chandrarian [Brick Layer] unknowingly building a brick wall out of what turned out to be Adamantium ore, until a Dwarven [Smith] identified it.[7][3]