Rodite

This little crystal, barely bigger than the palm of my hand, holds the power to either protect or kill thousands. You always have to remember that the way you handle it can make the difference between having one of the most useful minerals our world has to offer and an engine of oblivion. Look around you! There are 300 of you in this room. By the end of the year, 100 will remain and in the end, only 20 will be qualified to work with Rodite.

— Orian Cidara, Master Mineralist to a new class

 

Two Faces

  Broadly speaking there are two categories of Rodite use:   Civilian   Rodite, when brought together with Tin, will react by heating up. If this process is controlled, like in the Rodite Mines where a constant stream of cool water reduces the heat created, the crystal will begin to produce Rodite Salt (or Rodine as it is commonly known). This salt serves a variety of purposes.   Cleansing of sewage water, recovery of overworked earth, a stabilizing factor in concrete, cleaning of infected wounds (very very very small doses only) and and and. In total there are over two dozen uses known and practiced throughout the world.   Military   There are however far more insidious uses for the green crystals. If a Rodite reaction is not controlled, it will continue to build-up heat until the very air around it erupts in flames. Combined with water this can result in explosions of devastating might. The only civilization to have weaponized it in this way is the Rhomeian Empire, which possesses the technology and knowledge to steer the reaction, producing the most powerful weapon known to man, the Eye of Gefrin.   A second variant is known to the Kinogare of Nurn. By mixing Rodine with various other chemicals, they produce one of the deadliest poisons in existence. If burnt, it will produce a cloud capable of choking the life out of an entire city in minutes.