Mercule
Adventurer
Somewhere (Rolemaster, maybe) I saw mithril referred to as "true silver". Thus, I've always pictured it as silver, probably more silver than silver.
I think adamantium was called "true steel" but, since steel is an alloy and that doesn't feel right for adamantium, I figured it was probably more akin to "true titanium" or "true tungsten" which was then worked into a carbide, making the end product something like steel. Both metals have similar colors to iron, being silvery when pure, but darker in many ores (no rust, though).
As a science-oriented high schooler, I figured that both had to fit into the periodic table. Of course, there isn't any room for new elements without making stuff up, so I decided that mithril actually was silver, but had some sort of mystic valance level that facilitated stronger bonds that had to be broken at multiple points in time rather than one instant. Ditto for adamantium and whatever element I decided it was related to. You had to use magical fire, just to work with the metals. Yeah, way too much thought, but cut a high school kid some slack. That said, the description stuck in my players' heads and they were suitably awed and trousers soiled when one foe actually managed to perform a weapon break on the fighter's hand-crafted mithril sword.
I think adamantium was called "true steel" but, since steel is an alloy and that doesn't feel right for adamantium, I figured it was probably more akin to "true titanium" or "true tungsten" which was then worked into a carbide, making the end product something like steel. Both metals have similar colors to iron, being silvery when pure, but darker in many ores (no rust, though).
As a science-oriented high schooler, I figured that both had to fit into the periodic table. Of course, there isn't any room for new elements without making stuff up, so I decided that mithril actually was silver, but had some sort of mystic valance level that facilitated stronger bonds that had to be broken at multiple points in time rather than one instant. Ditto for adamantium and whatever element I decided it was related to. You had to use magical fire, just to work with the metals. Yeah, way too much thought, but cut a high school kid some slack. That said, the description stuck in my players' heads and they were suitably awed and trousers soiled when one foe actually managed to perform a weapon break on the fighter's hand-crafted mithril sword.
