Salazarium

Salazarium is a fictional metal created by Brother Grimace. It is used in several fics, such as Legion of Lawndale Heroes.

History

Salazarium is a non-ferrous metal alloy created after studies of an alien metal sample of extra-dimensional origin recovered after the Tunguska event in Siberia, 1908, and shared with the United States as part of the terms agreed upon in the top-secret Barcelona Accords of 1948 (the international agreements on metahuman and extraterrestrial operations/events which are the predecessors to the Bowman Acts). It was named for the mythological wizard Salazar Slytherin.

It is believed that the metal sample Salazarium is based on was a sample of Nth Metal, a metal found (until now) only on the alien world of Thanagar which also possess anti-magical properties.

Another derivative alloy of Nth Netal, Valorium, is the metal used to make the flight rings worn by members of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Properties

Salazarium has an atomic number of 676. It possesses a number of unusual innate properties:

• a hyper-conductive nature
• the property of inverting gravitons (to allow for flight)
• protects a wearer from temperature extremes and friction while in flight
• increases the wearer's strength to above-human levels
• the ability to interfere with inter-dimensional movement (in large amounts; this includes teleportation).
• its ability to remain (for all practical purposes) nearly indestructible, even in very thin layers and in extremely malleable shapes (coils, paper-thin sheets, etc.). In terms of its damage-resistance capacity, Salazarium is most like the mythical metal mithril; as a result, the jackets the members of The Alliance wear (being lined with a thin layer of Salazarium micro-mesh) are effectively priceless, as are the Legionnares' flight rings. Along with the metal known as True Adamantium, a large amount of Salazarium is capable of surviving extraordinary amounts of damage (such as nuclear detonations) with virtually no damage.

Most prominently, Salazarium is known for its innate anti-magical properties. Simple physical contact with a Salazarium object causes a complete and immediate disruptive effect of any and all mystical activity in any mystically active being or object, or in a radius around the object determined by the amount of the metal present. (For example, a one-ounce piece of Salazarium can generate the disruptive effect within a one and one-half inch radius around the sample.) Even more interesting is the cumulative anti-mystical field effect created by either many objects created with or coated with Salazarium, or from a sufficiently large amount of the alloy. The field-effect created by the alloy allows for any form of technological devices to operate normally with that field even when used by or near mystically-active beings or objects; however, when used in areas of exceptionally powerful mystical energy, the field-effect created by the use of Salazarium can generate a faint yet noticeable field of illumination near the edges of effect (where the suppressive effect is weakest).

When first synthesized, Salazarium (it is also known as 'Basic Salazarium') is as malleable as gold for the first thirty-six hours of its existence; afterward, its molecular structure stabilizes and it maintains the form that it has been fashioned into. Only the device known as a 'molecular rearranger', as well as forces or abilities capable of very precise molecular rearrangement, possess the capability of damaging/manipulating Salazarium in its molecular-stable form.

In the LLH Mini '...But Determined to Try', it was revealed that the material has a peculiar capability which allows individuals possessing objects composed of at least 85% Salazarium alloys to communicate with a limited telepathic ability.

In LLH 13:9 ('Candle In The Wind'), the metal's anti-magical qualities are once touched upon, as it is shown that even extremely potent mystical artifacts can be contained or neutralized with large enough amounts of Salazarium. In the fic, Danielle Todds encases the Soul Crystal in the Legion's custody within a six-by-six-foot block of Salazarium - which is later shown as the sole object to survive the destruction of the D-247 universe (as shown in Worldburner: Night Falls Upon The Line). In the Legion of Lawndale Heroes Worldburner tie-in fic The First Battle of Legion Tower, that block was shown to have survived three point-blank, full-power detonations of Judith's annihilation spheres with no more damage than a monofilament-width micro-fracture in one side.

In the Daylight LLH fic 'The Hope Mission', it is revealed that Salazarium is resistant to the effects of sustained, direct contact with 'anti-energy' (and by its very nature, anti-matter as well). It is believed that when anti-matter/energy comes into contact with Salazarium, the hyper-conductive and gravity-altering properties of the metal allow it to generate highly-energetic, self-sustaining gravity fields that shield the metal on the atomic level by separating the materials with reversed charges as if the field were of the same material (in the way that magnets with 'like' charges push away from one another) and allow anti-matter atoms and anti-energy flows to be directed and channeled around the metal without harm; the simple presence of anti-matter/energy provides enough energy for the fields to be generated and maintained in perpetuity by the metal. It is now only the second known material (besides dilithium) that possesses the physical quality of being able to exist in such an environment without harm, or can be used to safely contain and store antimatter or anti-energy supplies.

Known variants

'Salazarium-Two'

In order to use the advantages of the metal on a wider (and more cost-effective) scale, testing found that lesser amounts of Salazarium (including metallic alloys made with no less than thirty percent Salazarium; ) can still provide acceptable levels of anti-mystical protection. This was noted in experiments with electrical devices; it was found that the anti-mystic properties of Salazarium are effective in even minute amounts, allowing for relatively small amounts to be used in materials such as paint mixtures and providing treated materials protection from even concentrated or long-term exposure to mystical energies. (The percentage of Salazarium in an alloy that will still provide minimum anti-mystical effect is fifteen percent; all electronic devices used in areas of heavy mystic effect (such as on the USAES Old Campus meet this requirement.) All versions of Salazarium-based alloys are known collectively as 'Salazarium-Two', and must possess a minimum of thirty-five percent Salazarium content to be legally labeled as such.

'Salazarium-Three'

In response to requests from special operations personnel in the Department of Magical Affairs, a second alloy of Salazarium was created. This variant alloy, known as 'Salazarium-Three', is far more difficult and exorbitantly expensive to create than Basic Salazarium - and as a result, only a handful of samples of the metal have been created. All are under strict control of the Department of Magical Affairs, and their existence is one of the agency's most carefully-guarded secrets.

S/Three has a unique lattice structure that allows one-way transmission of the specific energy wavelengths of 'magic' through the material. S/Three is created by combining newly-created Salazarium (forged no later than four hours prior) with lithium and fused by means of a 'molecular rearranger' to make the alloy.

While S/Three has the same properties as Basic Salazarium, it also possesses two other properties which make it useful to mystically-active beings:

• Like the metal Adamantium, S/Three can only be shaped while in a molten form, and then, for only one hour. After cooling, because of its unique qualities, the form it is forged into is permanent, and for all practical purposes, indestructible. (S/Three can be damaged or even destroyed by Class Five weapons/metahuman powers.)

• Because of the unique structure of the alloy, S/Three has the anti-mystic properties of the primary material, but allows those wearing the armor to use mystical abilities. mystically-active creatures wearing armor or vestments of S/Three are still able to use their magical abilities (fly, breathe fire, etc.), while gaining effective defenses against the primary and secondary effects of mystical environments and attack.

Terrestrial Salazarium

While Basic Salazarium is a metal alloy formulated on studies of samples of an extraterrestrial metal found in the early 20th Century, a similar, non-ferrous metallic element has been discovered on Earth (with meteor impacts in the distant past believed to have been the origin of the majority of that element). Because of it's terrestrial origins but related properties (particularly in relation to PQE-related beings/environments), the element was named 'Terrestrial Salazarium' . Commonly mistaken for iron pyrite, Terrestrial Salazarium has been known by several names since the classical period of Ancient Greece (where its true properties were discovered by those aware of the supernatural as more than just folk tales and the beliefs of fools); the most common name known for the metal translates to modern English simply as 'witchblock' (the term used by persons in North America since the late 17th Century).

Main article: Terrestrial Salazarium

Nova Salazarium

Main article: Nova Salazarium

During the Worldburner Crisis, the Corps of Ringbearers made a deal with the DELPHI organization on D-387 to obtain the formula for Basic Salazarium. The Corps realized that creating enough material for their needs would be a strain on even their resources, and thus set out to create a variant material that could be applicable for their needs without the resource drain. Nova Salazarium is a material that allows non-mystical beings to create weapons capable of fighting mystical creatures and equipment that can operate in mystically-active environments.

Known uses of Salazarium

• Salazarium-coated items: These items/devices/vehicles do not suffer the detrimental effects of normal items, etc. when in the presence of extreme concentrations of mystical energy. Electronics remain functional, electricity is not disrupted, and devices, vehicles and items that use the above items will function and operate normally. It should be noted that even a very thin coating of Salazarium upon an item (or mixed within paint or other coating materials) will provide this effect and allow devices to work in areas of concentrated mystical energy.

• Salazarium-laced 'ghillie-mesh' coverings: wearers are resistant to the primary effects of magic.

• Salazarium aerosols – metallic particles suspended in am aerosol mist; sprayed into an area by various means and inhaled into the body. (The Salazarium cannot be absorbed by the human body and is excreted in urine; is usually removed by the body within 24 hours.) Mystical powers and senses are negated totally during the time of effect.

• Psychically-gifted individuals wearing Salazarium-laced protective coverings and attire, or devices infused or built with Salazarium components, do not suffer the debilitating effects to their powers that are usually associated with being subjected to extreme concentrations of mystical energy. (All Psychon-class psi-augmenters protect their wearers in the fashion.)

• Salazarium-coated/forged ammunition and edged weapons: They are totally unaffected by the primary effects of magic, but act upon mystic beings and objects as if they were non-mystical. (Example: Salazarium-coated rounds would pass directly through a defensive barrier of mystic origin, but would injure/kill demonic beings or cause disruption-effects on ghosts.)

• Psychon-class power augmenters, regulators and negation bands used by psychically-active individuals in the U.S. Government (and affiliated groups), and negation bands (which can restrain mystically-active individuals) used by the preceding groups.

• PFT Weapon usage: the inner workings are made of minute amounts of the metal. In a number of custom-made PFT-M3 and M3-CC2, there is enough Salazarium in the weapon to allow users to mentally control the metal's anti-gravity properties and fly (at any speed at which they can breathe and resist friction). These specific weapons are very rarely seen in the field, very valuable, and are seen in the hands of only a few noteworthy individuals.

• The members of The Alliance wear jackets with a Salazarium micro-mesh inner lining. The jackets allow their wearers to fly at any speed at which they can breathe, act as body armor (edged weapons and bullets will not penetrate, but they are not immune to impact-effects), and provides limited resistance to mystical attacks. Also, Carolyn Field's electrical powers are boosted when wearing her jacket (from Class Three levels to Class Four).

• The members of the Legion of Lawndale Heroes wear flight rings made of Salazarium. These were created by Sherrie Klein, whose metahuman abilities allow her the ability to synthesize the metal.

• Due to the events of Judith The Judith Conflict and The Spoilsport Agenda, a number of Ringbearers have managed to procure (through differing means) edged weapons made of Salazarium. These are usually found in the form of stilletos, fighting/military knives, and machetes. Archangel is in possession of two military-style knives made of Salazarium, and Priscilla Henry also owns at least one such knife.