Muteniten

Muteniten is a lightweight metal, comparable to aluminum. An ingot of Muteniten weighs only about a pound. While at surface pressure, it is about as soft as gold. However, at high pressure, it becomes so hard that it is practically invulnerable.

Muteniten exhibits a magical property wherein the durability, density, and tensile strength of the metal increases as the pressure of the environment around it does. At the levels of pressure found at the Deephollow's deepest reaches, the metal becomes practically invulnerable. Additionally, the metal normalizes pressure on the opposite side of the source of the pressure; so if a container is constructed out of Muteniten, the inside will retain the pressure inside regardless of the outside pressure.

Another notable property of Muteniten is that due to the fact that containers made of the material normalize the pressure inside when sealed at different pressures than the environment around them, that pressure differential can become buoyant. If a container made of Muteniten is sealed at a low pressure and submerged, the container will become harder and harder to lower into the water the deeper it goes. Because of this, it is not possible to make deep sea vessels from the material.

Muteniten is not magnetic.

Muteniten can be combined with other metals, but its properties degrade as the amount of Muteniten in the alloy decreases. If an alloy is any less than 80% Muteniten, the effects are so diminished that it is pointless to combine them. Alloys are typically only made with Zegroniten to make it impassable by means of teleportation. Though it can be combined with iron to make it magnetic, the amount of iron required to create a noticeable pull is enough to render the effects of the Muteniten inert.

Muteniten can only be found all around Aellorah in the Deephollow. It is extremely rare to be found near the surface, and is typically found at depths of a mile or more below the surface. Its frequency increases greatly at extreme depths.

Muteniten is a known Wellspring Anomaly, though it is unclear how old the anomaly that created it is, as it appears to predate the records of the Sorcerer's Cabal.

Muteniten was first discovered in the mid Reckoning period by miners who had encountered Deepfolk in the Deephollow below central Myr.

The most common usage for Muteniten is to make containers that can withstand extremely high pressure. In Myr, this is used by At Matica engineers to create things like boilers, which allow the interior to be pressurized. The pressure is then released through valves to propel mechanical devices such as drive shafts that rotate gears for complicated clockwork contraptions, among other things. This has been used to create vehicles that propel themselves, such as minecarts and trams.

Surface-dwellers do not yet have enough Muteniten to use it industrially, but they have been attempting to negotiate terms with the Deepfolk for millennia to obtain more; but the Deepfolk have been resistant to these negotiations, as it seems to have not only cultural significance, but importance to their way of life.

However, At Matica engineers have made a number of discoveries about how to use it that they have theorized ways it could revolutionize At Matica, making things like boilers more widespread and creating Atmatic Mutine Vehicles to explore the deepest reaches of the Deephollow safely.

Muteniten exhibits its properties even in its raw form, but must be smelted and either cast or forged in order to produce a form that is useful.

Muteniten is most commonly found in Myr, in the southwest near the Ixala Sunori. It is an extremely valuable material, fetching about 500 darr (gold pieces) per pound. It is a very lightweight material, with an ingot weighing only about a pound, making each ingot 500 darr. This price will vary depending on the settlement, but it is increasing in price due to surface-level deposits becoming scarce.