Myrkandite 3

Part 3
         The armor does not glow under the scrutiny of detect
     magic.  However, for all intents and purposes, it acts as a
     suit of elven chain + 3.  Further, it has fantastic damage
     absorption capabilities.  For every amount of damage leveled
     against the wearer, 4 is absorbed.  This can come as any type
     of kinetic damage, from bites, to sword thrusts, to arrows, to
     even falling.  However, unless a magical attack is kinetic in
     nature, it provides no protection.  Thus, some types of
     weapons can be all but ignored.
          The shield acts as a +1 item, also non-magical in nature. 
     It can absorb 4 points of damage, but only when the wielder
     strictly parries in a round.  When the two items are combined
     in a parry, up to 8 points are absorbed.  Further, the shield
     can be positioned underneath a falling wielder to absorb part
     of the damage from a fall (DEX check required).
 
     Item:  Cool Sphere:  One mage in Cameron's enclave happened
     upon this idea.  Grabbing a piece of Myrkandite roughly caused
     it to become cooler, as the rock stole heat and motion from
     the hand (necessitating a layer of protection when fashioned
     into shields or armor).  Since liquids, when heated, seemed to
     become agitated, it would reason that something that actively
     sought to still the liquid as much as possible would cool it. 
     To affect the change, the liquid should be kept from the air
     as much as possible.  She sent word to Greyhawk to fashion a
     sphere out of the substance, with a removable plug, also of
     Myrkandite.
          The item can hold up to 1/2 gallon of fluid.  If shook
     briskly, the liquid within quickly cools, always right before
     the freezing point.  Small pads must be worn during agitation,
     to prevent cold burns.
 
          On Toril, Myrkandite acts to absorb kinetic energy.  It
     does so in four distinct grades (the energy is dispersed along
     a matrix throughout the item.  Until a discreet level of
     Myrkandite is reached, the alloy does not efficiently
     dissipate energy).  The grades are linked to the percentage of
     Myrkandite within an object.  For every 25% an item is
     composed, the item will absorb 1 point of damage.  Thus, an
     item composed of 50% Myrkandite absorbs 2 points of damage. 
     However, keep in mind that although a pure Myrkandite coin
     will absorb 4 points damage, the area it protects is very
     small indeed.  As the Scarlet Suit, composed of thousands of
     individual links, showed, unless the item covers a wide area,
     it protects very little.  As a rule, unless the Myrkandite
     intercepts every part of the force, it is not completely
     effective.  Thus, ring mail, raised above the leather coat,
     will completely intercept the shock of a bashing weapon (while
     allowing a small enough dirk to pass through), while
     Myrkandite studs placed into the bottom of boots will not
     completely absorb the shock of a fall, since they do not cover
     the entire surface area of the bottom of the shoe.
          On Toril, Myrkandite does not take an enchantment well. 
     However, it is excellent protection, acting as magically
     enchanted armor, depending on the degree of protection it
     provides.  This is usually directly linked to the mass of an
     object.  Of course, the amount of metal (which Myrkandite is
     taking the place of) must be a significant fraction of the
     armor to be considered.  Here is a rough estimate, assuming
     100% Myrkandite.  For less pure mixtures, divide the number by
     the fraction it contains (25, 50, or 75%) and round down.
          Armor Type          Defense Bonus
          Studded Leather          1
          Scale Mail               2
          Chain Mail               3
          Plate Mail               4
          Field/Full Plate         5
     A shield of myrkandite is not enchanted to move to intercept
     attacks, as many magical shields are.  Subsequently, unless it
     is specifically used to parry, the shield confers no defense
     bonus, except the standard +1.  If it is used to parry, the
     bonus increases to +3.  However, its damage absorbing capacity
     makes it worth creating and owning.
 
Al Quadim:  Soon after Cameron finished his studies in Faerun, he
hired a spelljammer to investigate the planets of Realmspace, to
see what effect Myrkandite had on the different worlds, beginning
with the moon.
     When they were about to depart, Cameron explained to the
captain about the nature of the mission, and asked her if she knew
of anything that would assist him in his studies.  After a bit of
pondering, she told him that certain areas of Toril were avoided by
spelljamming captains, because of sudden shifts in the way magic
worked.  Intrigued, Cameron asked to be taken to the border of one
such barrier.
     When they arrived, it was at the edge of a vast desert. 
Finding a caravan route, they waited until one approached, and
Cameron left the ship to travel into this strange land.  Showing a
sample of the ore to a pack of merchants, they immediately
attempted to buy it, claiming it was a substance called the
Radiance of Fate.  From what Cameron was able to glean, Myrkandite
glowed when struck, making it ideal for use as a lighting element.
     Further experiments with the bits he had brought with him
confirmed this discovery.  Not only did the ore cast a bright white
light, but it also gave off no heat.  It seemed a mundane power,
but it enthralled Cameron nonetheless.  This proved his theory that
Myrkandite had a specific, differing effect on each world, and not
all were keyed to a special aspect of that world.  It also reasoned
that if the Myrkandite had mundane effects on some world, it might
take years to correctly analyze the effect on certain worlds.
     Armed with this knowledge, Cameron left the land of sand and
Djinn, to search other worlds for other properties.
 
     On Al-Qadim, Myrkandite has, perhaps, its most mundane
     effect.  When struck, it produces a bright, clean light
     from every exposed surface.  However, even a light
     application of paint will shield an area from
     illumination; thus, myrkandite is sometimes used to coat
     decorative pieces, then delicately painted over in
     intricate designs, so that when struck, produce dazzling
     geometric patterns that shine on surrounding walls and
     floors.
          Otherwise, Myrkandite can be treated as a novelty,
     or a weak tool.  Oftentimes, a small shaped piece is tied
     to the end of a stick, to make a safe torch.  However,
     those who inhabit Al Qadim, being innately creative,
     seldom allow such a miraculous item to be wasted.  Pieces
     of myrkandite are intricately worked into weapons,
     instruments, and articles of clothing, so that in the
     frenetic motions of fighting, playing, and dancing,
     radiant beauty can be discovered.
          Myrkandite glows in direct relation to the amount of
     force applied.  For every point of damage inflicted upon
     the item, the item glows for a round.  Further, for the
     first round after contact, the object hums with a
     pleasant tone, whose pitch is determined by the amount of
     myrkandite used; the smaller the amount, the higher the
     pitch.  Of course, intensity of light is directly based
     on a ratio between mass of object and amount of force
     applied.  Thus, an extremely large object and an
     extremely small object are struck with the same amount of
     force.  The large object will glow with a hazy
     illumination, while the smaller one will burn brightly. 
     Oddly, both will glow for the same amount of time.  The
     reason for this is not particularly well understood.
 
     The Divination Conic of Umar Abd Al-Badia:  The largest
     and perhaps most dramatic application of Myrkandite is