All that Makes

What you once knew
What you once knew is gone. All that you are familiar with is tarnished, thrown away, abandoned. Before you even so much as glance at the Metals, you must remember that you are in an unfamiliar place. It is of the utmost importance that you open your mind and clear your preconceptions before venturing into a fundamental part of this world.

Do not be alarmed, there are similarities hidden within each of the metals. Each one strikes an unfamiliar note while consecutively maintaining an undertone of familiarity. You are not to use any metal except what is listed.

These are all that exist.

If you have something you once treasured, you will find it in here -- no doubt. It is hidden in the words, hidden in the meanings, hidden in the explanations.

[A side note: please feel free to come to Silas if/when you have any questions about these metals. There will be a Master-Student type Rp to explain 'All that Makes' in simple prose. As a bonus, the Master might also reveal some hidden secrets about the metals. [= Look forward to it! In the meantime, I will be coming to each one of you personally to answer any questions. ~Silas~]

Dr. Castel Monteux
To this day, nobody is entirely sure what was going on in the mind of this scientist. His early life was marked by isolation and abandonment. Contrary to what many believe, Dr. Monteux indeed had loving parents. However, it was his side of adoration that was missing. They frequently worried about his well-being and did everything they could to comfort him and include themselves in his life -- he would not allow it.

Never formally educated, Dr. Castel Monteux was nothing short of a genius in his own right. Every bit of his research was done independently until his later years, when he was given an honorary degree after an esteemed noble happened upon one of his papers. The minute the noble had finished reading the paper, titled "Energy Distributions and Amalgamations," a frantic search began to find the secluded Castel.

Found in a mountainous cave somewhere not remembered, Dr. Monteux did not resist as he was forced into the spotlight; this 'famousness' in the scientific and popular community would grant him access to the more collectable matters of this world.

Not much is known about his personal life. It appeared to his fellow scientists that he would seemingly disappear after the workday. He never once took on a pupil, and it is not known to this day, if he fathered a family.

Energy
As has been stated, you are walking into an entirely different world when considering the metals. In "Energy Distributions and Amalgamations," Dr. Monteux describes three distinct types of reactions that can occur with the metals: Oxygen, Hydrogen, and Carbon.

It must be remembered, these are not actual energy types; ‘energy’ is a synonym for reaction types.

Dr. Monteux begins with a statement: "There is a special interrelationship between the characteristics of metals, energy, and the mind."

The energy types are meant to be more so of a reference for when you actually read the metals. Their purpose, as Dr. Monteux specifically stated, was not to intrigue, but to guide.

[However, if you have questions regarding any of the energy types, please talk to Silas. :D ]

Oxygen Type
All that relates to Oxygen, be it chemical and/or metaphysical. They are as shown to the right.

Hydrogen Type


All that relates to Hydrogen, be it chemical and/or metaphysical. They are as shown to the right.

Carbon Type


All that relates to Carbon, be it chemical and/or metaphysical. They are as shown to the right.

Theoretical
These metals are given this name for a reason; they do not exist. Dr. Castel Monteux first acknowledged the possibility that these metals were the 'origin' of All that Makes. Ridiculed by skeptics of his time, the theoretical metals, to this day, remain more of a fantasy than a reality. Dr. Castel Monteux was also known for founding the Monteux tier system: Ranking the metals not only by their difficult usage, but also by their rarity. Of course, some of these metals were not fabricated and/or discovered by the time of his death; however, the Monteux Tier system is still revered by the most revered researchers in the modern day.

Cardinal
During the life of Dr. Castel Monteux little was known about the Cardinal metals; their extraordinary rarity and prowess was outmatched only by their seemingly endless ability to defy all that seemed logical with every turn. The common trend among Cardinal Metals, Dr. Monteux noticed after significant research, is their innate ability to work together and/or against the other metals. Not much is known about them, and definitive properties can be listed as of yet, but by his death after 75 years of life, Dr. Monteux pinpointed a name for each metal. To this day, modern scientists are baffled by his knighting of these metals – but the names stuck. With every turn, with new discoveries, it appears that the name seems to latch itself tighter and tighter around the Cardinal Metals. [A side note: If you happen to be curious about the Cardinal metals, talk to Silas! If he deems you worthy, he might just let you use them. You're always welcome to know about them though. Their descriptions are specifically not posted -- Dr. Monteux didn't want it that way.]

===Laudable ===

“Sought after.” A simple phrase describes these metals' attributes to the letter and, none-the-less, their history. Reserved for kings, nobles, and warriors, these metals are the most plentiful of all the tiers. Dr. Castel Monteux, the most notable scientist of his era, had complete access to these metals. He took it upon himself to specifically not record their uses. “Their uses seem endless, those who are worthy will know – I won’t spoil them for the general public. I do not wish to tarnish their luster.” He constantly reminded pupils and fellow scientists who were working on this project to not record the Laudable uses. “The uses vastly outweigh the descriptions of these metals. And that’s [as] it should be.” Dr. Monteux reiterated, standing behind a lavish podium during a press release at the unveiling of the Monteux tier system to the world. While many of the Laudable Metals are available for use by the general public, it is an extraordinary sight to see them on the streets – they are hardly used for fabrication, and even less for frivolous applications.

Exceptional
Characterized by high utility in an urban environment, the Exceptional Metals are primarily present in industrial factories. Dr. Castel Monteux also noted during his research on these metals, that they share excellent innate strength. He was famously quoted as saying, “Their uses rest more on the surface than down below in deep meaning.” The Exceptional Metals are to be taken at face value, rather than looked at from below in search for hidden meanings; doing so can cause dire consequences from the user. Common Laborers are probably the most familiar with these metals, as they constantly lay hands on them when manufacturing heavy equipment. Their most common application is in ‘general defense’ armor sets across most city-states. Exceptional metals can in some instance be rare, but they are seen throughout the world on a regular basis. Dr. Monteux described them as “the most common of the least common.”

Practical
This group of metals is by far the most useful for building infrastructure. They are generally very sturdy. However, all of the practical metals maintain an ability to be molded into an almost infinitesimal amount of shapes and sizes. Their importance is not to be undermined, as they are present in almost every situation. “I dare you to find an urbanized area where one isn’t.” – Dr. Castel Monteux

Common
Sheer abundance. “Just look around you, you’ll find one – I guarantee.” – Dr. Castel Monteux

Monteux Tier System
Dr. Castel Monteux's greatest work -- or possibly his only work.

The charts are organized as such:

1. If Two or More metals transition to the same metal in the tier above, they have to be bonded in order to produce the metal linked to both of them.

2. If a single metal is directly linked to the metal in the tier above, the metal below has to be physically altered in order to artificially produce the metal above.

That means that any metal in between a chain-metal system does not exist naturally; they must be artifically created. Only the metals on the top and bottom of the chain exist naturally. However, this does not mean they are not abundant. Decades of producing metals for countelss uses have made some of them appear as if they occur, indeed, naturally -- they do not.

A famous example to put this principle into perspective would be the Uhi-Rust chain system: Tar and Mat do not naturally exist, while Uhi and Rust can be produced in a natural setting. Another example is found with Gold and Copper: They, in fact, both exist naturally because Copper is on the bottom, and Gold is on the top; however, it is also possible to artificially produce Gold from Copper.

[It is a GREAT help to take the time to glance at the Carmot Chart while you are reading this and/or if you have any questions.]

Phoerima Metals


Alkahest


In the Realization that...
Every sentient creature in this world is vastly different. Dr. Castel Monteux was fully aware that it is impossible to give some sort of steady measurement of usage to the metals that would hope to kindle to each society, race, and environment. During the same time of the development of the Monteux Tier system, he came up with an equally explanatory means of giving relativism to each metal.

Perpetually revised, the relativism of each metal will be found to change after new discoveries about each metal is made. After his death, Dr. Elina Monteux, or Dr. Elina as the populous knew her, gave a fitting name to the system.

The Maker's Relativity
Regarded as a "living document" in the scientific community. The relativistic nature of each metal is derived from usage, and not power. One would be a fool to simply regard the Maker's Relativity as a ranking of power.

Each metal is assigned a relative weight. One "RuW" or "Relative Unit of Weight" is the pounds when one block the size of one cubic foot is measured.

Each metal is assigned a relative durability. One "RuD" or "Relative Unit of Durability" is approximately equal to the force of a blast from a standard Howldon Cannon shot.

Dr. Castel Monteux struggled for giving a concise unit of Ease of Use, but his notes were taken and then Dr. Elina finalized his plans. She equated, along with her father, that one "RuE" or "Relative Unit of Ease-of-Use" is approximately the number of situations it was used out of 100 possible scenarios. Humans participated and conducted the field test of each obtainable metal, so it also becomes apparent that the "RuE" is also a tribute to the general computing power of a human mind.

Dr. Elina made this very clear, the "Relative Power of each metal, no matter what it is ranked, will be completely dependent on the user."

As is the underlying case for each metal, they will be divided into the separate groups and tiers for ease of comprehension.