Aether
Aether is a gaseous resource produced by many types of magical creatures. Aether is an extremely volatile material which is only solid in extremely low temperatures, swiftly turning into a liquid and then evaporating. Therefore, the easiest method of harvesting Aether is by mining Aether crystals in very low temperates, then transporting it utilizing Frigidite.
Once mined, Aether can be used for several things. It is used in flying machines, decorations, and as a drug, but pretty much only by the very wealthy, as its rarity and difficulty of safe extraction makes it very expensive. Aether has a tendency to rise which is much more extreme than most gasses. Due to the volatility of Aether, mages can control the temperature of sacs of Aether gas in order to turn it liquid and remove its boucancy, thus controlling the rise and descent of flying machines. This feature is also of use in decorations. By placing frigidite at the top of a sealed container of Aether, gas will rise, be cooled, and then turn to liquid before raining down back to the bottom, creating a unique water feature which can also make use of dyes and lights for a truly exquisite affect. Of course, the price of Aether means this is also a statement of wealth.
As for Aether's use as a drug, it produces a very potent magical high which can also melt the user's brain. While not very addictive in itself, the hallucenogenic properties can cause addiction as users seek to escape real life. Usually it is kept cold and then applied into a user's nose via a heated spoon or special device. Those who are completely addicted to the drug may attach themselves with pipes to flasks of aether while it is gradually heated and blown into their nose. Once an addict starts making such contraptions to keep high, it's essentially over for them, as the long term affects of consistent exposure are far more extreme than a single hit. Even when they can be kept off the substance, their brains are completely destroyed, and even magic has issues of scale healing broken brains, especially considering they are not well understood.
There is one other use of Aether which has been recorded, though its actual workings remain a mystery. Ancient elves tell stories of gears filled with Aether, passed down from their forefathers. They claim that gears filled with aether were once used in metals and contraptions in order to fly, to produce power, and to automate certain tasks. While the elves claim that only they had this technology and that it was lost in a great cataclysm, other relics have been found that contain traces of aether, metal corrupted and warped by years of weather, moss-covered golems that try to rise only to fall to dust. The burgeoning field of artificery, especially beloved by the Tai'shoni, has sponsored many of these types of expeditions, hoping to one day reverse engineer whatever ancient technology there may have been in use.
Once mined, Aether can be used for several things. It is used in flying machines, decorations, and as a drug, but pretty much only by the very wealthy, as its rarity and difficulty of safe extraction makes it very expensive. Aether has a tendency to rise which is much more extreme than most gasses. Due to the volatility of Aether, mages can control the temperature of sacs of Aether gas in order to turn it liquid and remove its boucancy, thus controlling the rise and descent of flying machines. This feature is also of use in decorations. By placing frigidite at the top of a sealed container of Aether, gas will rise, be cooled, and then turn to liquid before raining down back to the bottom, creating a unique water feature which can also make use of dyes and lights for a truly exquisite affect. Of course, the price of Aether means this is also a statement of wealth.
As for Aether's use as a drug, it produces a very potent magical high which can also melt the user's brain. While not very addictive in itself, the hallucenogenic properties can cause addiction as users seek to escape real life. Usually it is kept cold and then applied into a user's nose via a heated spoon or special device. Those who are completely addicted to the drug may attach themselves with pipes to flasks of aether while it is gradually heated and blown into their nose. Once an addict starts making such contraptions to keep high, it's essentially over for them, as the long term affects of consistent exposure are far more extreme than a single hit. Even when they can be kept off the substance, their brains are completely destroyed, and even magic has issues of scale healing broken brains, especially considering they are not well understood.
There is one other use of Aether which has been recorded, though its actual workings remain a mystery. Ancient elves tell stories of gears filled with Aether, passed down from their forefathers. They claim that gears filled with aether were once used in metals and contraptions in order to fly, to produce power, and to automate certain tasks. While the elves claim that only they had this technology and that it was lost in a great cataclysm, other relics have been found that contain traces of aether, metal corrupted and warped by years of weather, moss-covered golems that try to rise only to fall to dust. The burgeoning field of artificery, especially beloved by the Tai'shoni, has sponsored many of these types of expeditions, hoping to one day reverse engineer whatever ancient technology there may have been in use.
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