Arkhium

Arkhium is a yellow, green and blue crystal that can be used as a potent energy source. The Fontaine Research Institute once tried to harness its power to defy gravity, but research was halted after it caused an explosion that destroyed much of the Institute grounds.

Overview

Properties

Arkhium is a crystalline ore that naturally occurs in certain areas of Fontaine, such as the Geode Mine Shaft beneath the Fortress of Meropide. It has the property of separating matter, or "certain things outside of matter." Apparently, this separation can also be reversed, though there has been little academic interest in this direction.^[1][2]

Arkhium can exist in two states: Inert or activated. When inert, it is chemically stable and produces no energy. When activated, it becomes unstable and begins emitting powerful pulses of radiation. If not carefully controlled, this intense energy flow can cause explosions. Residual Arkhium energy in the environment does not dissipate quickly.^[3]

Inert Arkhium can be activated in a catalytic environment, while activated Arkhium can be made inert using a specialized inhibitor. Activated Arkhium can also trigger a type of "resonance" that activates other crystals within range, potentially causing an explosive chain reaction. After a certain amount of activation, an Arkhium crystal's energy-generating potential will be depleted, effectively rendering it permanently inert.

Direct exposure to Arkhium energy can be dangerous; symptoms include nausea, vomiting, subcutaneous bleeding, and even coma. Most people cannot withstand it without appropriate medication or other precautions. Notably, the Traveler and Paimon are resistant to these effects.^[4]

Under specific circumstances, Arkhium ore can spontaneously fuse with itself.^[5]

Refined Arkhium ore has been known to emit heat, light, and/or a strange buzzing sound.^[3][6]

Fontaine Research Institute

The Fontaine Research Institute became interested in Arkhium for its outstanding energy potential, which far surpassed that of Pneumousia Annihilation reactions. The researchers' main goal was to use Arkhium to "counteract" gravity, creating a "city in the sky" that would allow the people of Fontaine to survive the prophesied flood.^[1] Other proposed applications included using Arkhium to power a ship lift at Romaritime Harbor.^[7]

The Institute's Arkhium Research Project was spearheaded by Edwin Eastinghouse, a lauded senior researcher who specialized in Arkhium and gravimeters,^[8] and his collaborators Nacker and Raimondo. Edwin created the Experimental Field Generator, a huge device capable of creating a Gravity Reduction Field. To fuel it, he and Raimondo developed the Arkhium Kinetic Core, a concentrated energy source powered by a large chunk of Arkhium ore, along with a special suppression device to control it. Edwin personally taught Nacker how to operate it.^[4]

At some point, a mechanical malfunction caused the Arkhium Kinetic Core to overload, triggering a massive explosion that destroyed much of the Fontaine Research Institute. It also created the Allogravity-Condensed Water Bodies, large cubes of water suspended in the sky around the Central Laboratory Ruins.^[9]

After the explosion, nearly all Arkhium crystals in the area were shattered into fragments. Since these could still be activated via resonance, the Institute used the Experimental Field Generator to gather and restrain them. Survey Anchors were also placed in key locations to monitor residual radiation levels,^[4] and Arkhium mining in the Geode Mine Shaft was terminated.^[10]

Trivia

• "Arkhium" shares many characteristics with real-life radioactive materials, such as actinides and most elements with atomic numbers above 92, as well as certain isotopes like ^99mTc and ³H (T).
  • In the world of Teyvat, Arkhium (analogous to nuclear power) outperforms Arkhe Annihilation reactions (analogous to matter-antimatter annihilation reactions), but in real life, the opposite is true (theoretically).
• Arkhium powder apparently has a "rich distinctive flavor."^[11] The consequences of consuming it are unclear.
• Lechlade claims to experience headaches, heart palpitations, and cold extremities in the vicinity of the Geode Mine Shaft, which contains a vein of inert Arkhium. His complaints are dismissed by the doctor, as others do not show the same symptoms,^[12] but the player learns in Fontaine Research Institute, Stagnating in the Rubble that activated Arkhium can in fact cause negative effects. It is possible that Lechlade actually experienced these effects at some point, and if so, he may be reporting true symptoms of Arkhium exposure.
• Edwin Eastinghouse speculates that The Wingalet, a giant flying ship, is powered by Arkhium.^[13] His theory is supported by the fact that the ship was designed by one of his former assistants, Jurieu, and was constructed with resources from the Fortress of Meropide,^[8] possibly including the Arkhium in the Geode Mine Shaft.

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