Etherium
| Etherium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Etherium is a rare and magically aether-infused alloy whose secret forging technique is native to the shard of Esper. Etherium is prized for its beauty, durability, and arcane properties. Traditionally forged into delicate filigree that belies its incredible hardness, etherium is inseparably linked to Esperite culture — most inhabitants incorporate it directly into their bodies as both ornamentation and enhancement. Said to have been first created by the sphinx Crucius, the alloy cannot be reproduced without its key component, sangrite (long mistaken for the ficticious material "carmot"), making existing supplies a closely guarded resource.[1]
Description
According to the myth, etherium was created by the sphinx Crucius, and since then almost all of Esper's inhabitants have etherium fused with their anatomy.[2] The body's functions are kept up through a series of complex enchantments. The stocks of etherium are measured in rods. Ultimately the Ethersworn are planning to fuse every living being with this metal.[3] The greatest masters of the craft abandon tools all-together, shaping the metal with hand and mind alone.[4]
The inhabitants of Esper believed that all life and every physical form was incomplete without some connection to the Aether via filigree or etherium fusing.[5] As they could not create new etherium themselves, their supplies of it were very limited, so mages began to use more subtle fusions with lower-class life forms.
Origin
It is unknown how Crucius made the alloy; even Sharuum could only show how to thin existing etherium. The Seekers of Carmot believed that the substance was made from the material known as carmot. They possessed the Codex Etherium, which supposedly reveals the location of both; however, it was revealed by Tezzeret that the Codex was a fraud.[6][7]
The reason why the Esperites could not craft new etherium was because carmot could only be found on Jund in the form of sangrite, crystallized dragon's blood, which was inaccessible to the planebound inhabitants of Esper. As Crucius was himself a planeswalker, he could obtain sangrite from Jund.
Sangrite forms as reddish cylindrical spikes in volcanoes or deep caverns.[5] No one knows exactly how sangrite is formed, but when a dragon dies in battle on Jund, its life-force disperses into the air and settles in crystals that already exist in volcanoes and caves.[8]
Infused with life essence, crushed sangrite is an incredibly potent form of energy. Dragons sometimes consume entire crystals, which grant them intense, but short-lived, strength and power.[5]
Mining rights
Tezzeret and Nicol Bolas fought over mining rights on an unnamed plane, where Tezzeret claimed the ores needed to create etherium came from. It is unclear if this was on Esper, Jund, or some other plane.[9]
After the Conflux
After the Conflux, the Seekers sent emissaries into the other shards, seeking carmot at any cost.[10] However, at one point while in the service of Nicol Bolas, Tezzeret ventured back to the Seekers on Esper. In a single, brutal act of revenge, he murdered the entire sect, eliminating the new Hieresiarch and the whole Arcane Council. Only one member of the group, the seeker-adept Silas Renn, managed to survive Tezzeret's massacre, simply by not being present for the events at the Academy. Tezzeret then took over the whole Seekers' Sanctum structure and made it his new fortress.[11]
With the eradication of the Seekers of Carmot, the quest to forge etherium fell to other motivated individuals. The young human artificer Breya was the first to create etherium from sangrite harvested from Jund.[12] To commemorate this, she replaced most of her body with self-crafted etherium.[13]
Etherium artifacts
Notable items made of etherium are the vedalken's sacred Filigree Texts, the vaunted but hoax Codex Etherium,[14] and Tezzeret's Infinity Globes.
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Referred to:
- Sangrite:
- Carmot:
References
- ↑ Doug Beyer (November 19, 2008). "Perfection through Etherium". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2018-01-23.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (November 19, 2008). "Filigree Art Quiz". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2018-01-23.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (September 18, 2008). "Sketches: Ethersworn Canonist". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21.
- ↑ Flavor text for Etherium Sculptor
- ↑ a b c Doug Beyer & Jenna Helland (2008). A Planeswalker's Guide to Alara, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 978-0786951246
- ↑ Jenna Helland (February 4, 2009). "The Seeker's Fall". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05.
- ↑ Reinhardt Suarez (October 25, 2022). "The Brothers' War - Chapter 3: Nemesis". Magicthegathering.com.
- ↑ Test of Metal
- ↑ Agents of Artifice
- ↑ Doug Beyer (March 04, 2009). "An Etherium Tale". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-18.
- ↑ Greg Weisman (November 2019). "War of the Spark: Forsaken". Del Rey.
- ↑ Jay Annelli (2022). Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, DK. ISBN-13 978 0744061055.
- ↑ Magic Creative Team (October 26, 2016). "It's Time to Talk Commander (2016 Edition)". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (September 29, 2008). "The Filigree Texts". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2018-01-23.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
