Ninium

Ninium is an intrinsically magical, partially sentient metal found throughout Tesia. It is valued highly for its versatility and willingness to accept enchantment. It is primarily used in artifice.

What makes ninium particularly troublesome, however, is its cheeky attitude. The raw ore will often change it's appearance to that of any common ore, such as iron, gold, or copper, and will mimic its properties. Magic used to identify it will frequently fail, telling the caster it is whatever ore it is pretending to be. Magic detection also fails to identify it as magical.

Through repeated contact with the same bit of ninium, it is possible to ascertain what it truly is, as its deception is seldom consistent across multiple interactions. Once identified, it permanently morphs into its true form.

True ninium appears brilliantly shiny, even without polishing, and bears a slight prismatic sheen. Working with true ninium is astoundingly easy, as it possesses a weak telepathic ability that it uses to read its worker's mind to infer what it should become.

While ninium can be found across all continents, the largest deposits of ninium were discovered in the mountainous regions surrounding Avak in Efthemia, which served to push the practice of artifice to absurd levels.