What is adamantite, and why is it so special?

[moritheil]

In "homage" to this thread: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=130591

I invite you to post all manner of half-baked theories and implausible explanations here.

For that matter, please also "explain" the following:

- Why is silver so special?
- Why is gold so special?
- Why is mithril so special?
- Why is lead so special?
- Why is crystal so special?
- How deep is deep crystal?
- Why does crystal count as metal?
- If steel is so rare on Krynn, how can they use it as currency?

 

[palleomortis]

The fact that it is rare is what makes it special, and adamantine is the strongest metal, supposably unpenatrable. As for the other questions, you would have to ask someone else, I am not that great. In fact, some of this may be off too.

 

[Hellefire]

Silver, gold, mithril and adamantite - due to rarity and in the latter two, strength.

Lead - Because it's handy for writing notes and poisoning your brothers.

Crystal - Becaue it makes girls go oooooooooh, and it's transluscent, so you can build a laser out of it to shoot your brothers.

Aaron

 

[palleomortis]

What the hell did your brother do to you?

 

[Mystery Man]

Wow, I can actually feel myself getting stupider....

 

[palleomortis]

So can your avatar!!!

 

[CRGreathouse]

Sorry, these are halfway serious...

Adamantine isn't special, it's just extra-sharp.

Silver is touched by the moon(-goddess), harming evil by its purity.

Gold is the symbol of wealth and worldliness, sacred to Hades.

Mithral is the truest and purest form of silver, amplifying the power of the moon.

Lead is the basest of the metals, absorbing energy, light, and magic.

 

[Savage Wombat]

In one game a friend of mine ran, mithril was actually aluminum. Strong, shiny, and rare - unless you know the secret of mining it.

In one game I ran, mithril was a secret of the elves, and dwarves couldn't find it - because they didn't know that mithril actually came up from the ground in beautiful silvery springs of (toxic) water, and extracting the metal was a very time-consuming process.

 

[domino]

Lead is special because it is soft, and has a low melting point. Thus, it is useful for many projects that require a general shape, and isn't expected to get hot, but doesn't involve a lot of physical stress. Like water pipes.

 

[reason]

...

Adamantite is the thread that weaves the hearts of dwarves - and as such is magical, rare and dangerous to obtain.

Gold drips fully formed from the dreams of dragons; it's where their hoards come from, and why it is rare and plentiful at the same time.

The dead become lead if buried without the right rituals. Lead is mined from the great battlefields of the past and stolen from village graveyards.

Silver runs liquid from a single spring high on a sacred mountain.

Crystal forms the panes of lanterns hung in the sky by gods. The few great lanterns that fall are at the center of forbidden places, surrounded by crystal shards.

Reason
Principia Infecta