Orichalcum: The Magical Metals of Sundaland

According to Plato Orichalcum was abundant in Atlantis and second only to gold in value. But we don't know which metal it was.  Supposedly it was mined but others believe it was simply an alloy of copper, zinc, nickel and iron. Of course readers of this blog will know that Sundaland is a good candidate for the real Atlantis.

So is Orichalcum a simple alloy or a magical metal? If it's the latter what kind of properties does it have? Are there other magical metals in Sundaland?

Roll some d10s to discover the qualities of the magical metals of Sundaland.

Extraordinary Properties 1d10

1. Lighter than Aluminium

2. Stronger than Tungsten

3. More dense and heavy than Iridium

4. More elastic than Steel

5. Conducts electricity better than Silver

6. More beautiful than Gold

7.  More dazzling than Diamonds

8. More rust resistant than Stainless Steel

9. Can be polished to reflect light like a glass mirror

10. Sharper than a Diamond or Obsidian blade

Supernatural Properties 1d10

1. Can provide and/or store an electrical charge like a battery

2. Anti-gravitational

3. Glows in the dark

4. No known melting point

5. Can be shaped to amplify sound waves

6. Can be shaped to reflect light like a laser

7. Does not reflect light at all. It's darker than Vantablack 

8. Antimicrobial or healing properties

9. Magnifies or enhances brain waves and/or facilitates Psionic / Psychokinetic / Telepathic abilities.

10. Can not rust or corrode at all

Colour 1d12

1. Transparent

2. White

3. Yellow

4. Orange

5. Red

6. Brown

7. Olive

8. Green

9. Blue

10. Purple

11.  Black

12. Grey

Sundaland Deviant Art Inspiration Board

Artwork by Matthew Watts, click for a larger view.

I've created a new inspiration board on Deviant Art which hosts lots of great artwork that is very evocative of the Sundaland setting. You can find it here Deviantart.com/TimWest77

And in case you missed it here's my Pinterest board: Pinterest: Sundaland Inspiration Board

Pinterest Mood and Inspiration Boards

 

I want to draw attention to my mood and inspiration boards that I've set up on Pinterest. As I've mentioned before, I take inspiration from the cultures of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia the Indus Valley, the Eastern Mediterranean and Central and South America.

I'm not imagining the cultures of Sundaland as being direct analogues of real world cultures. Rather each culture bears certain resemblances or might look like a mixture of several cultures depending on their geographical surroundings, societal structure, technology level and such things.

It really helps fire my imagination and get away from assumptions about the past, usually based on ideas about the Classical period to the end of the Middle Ages.

A good example is this interpretation of a style of Bronze Age village found in Southern Russia. It's not something I would ever have come up with on my own and if someone presented it to me without context I'd think it a fanciful concept. Wikipedia: Arkaim

Bigger Image: Arkaim Infographic

Here are the Pinterest boards:

Sundaland RPG Inspiration Board


Find all of the articles and resources I've compiled so far here: Sundaland Overview

Pinterest Inspiration Board

Here's an inspiration board where I collect images that evoke some of the aesthetics of Sundaland, places and people.

I'm imagining cultures that are a mixture of Pre-Columbian America, ancient Mesopotamia, India, Southeast Asia and Egypt. In a way I'm trying to reverse engineer the progenitors of those cultures.

Sundaland Inspiration Board

What does this land and its people look like in your imagination?