Though called millet, only a fool would endeavor to consume this ivory sand used primarily for polishing the stone floors of churches and temples. This particular sackful appears to have been affected by a surfeit of aether which has somehow slower its degradation process, allowing it to maintain its fine sheen despite having been left untouched for several decades.

To hide the foul odor produced by tallow candles, tallow soap, and tallow polish, the people of Mysidia would apply generous amounts of heavily scented oils to anything and everything that came in contact with the stuff. This particular amphor appears to have been affected by a surfeit of aether which has somehow slowed its degradation process, allowing it to maintain its floral aroma despite having been left untouched for several decades.

Oilstones are large pieces of shale used to hone the blades of tools and weapons. Their name comes from the fact that they are treated with tallow and odorament to both aid lubricity and also help carry away any swarf created during the polishing process. This particular stone appears to have been affected by a surfeit of aether which has somehow slowed its degradation process, allowing it to maintain its hardness despite having been left untouched for several decades.

Rendered from the fat of boar or bison (or in the case of Mysidia, chocobo or ibex), tallow is widely used in the manufacture of foul-smelling candles and oily soaps. Blacksmiths have also been known to employ the substance in the final stages of polishing steel. This particular sample appears to have been affected by a surfeit of aether which has somehow slowed its degradation process, allowing it to maintain both its vibrancy and its viscosity despite having been left untouched for several decades.

When brought together, these glassy blue gemstones mined from the mountains of Mysidia resonate with each other, emitting a soft susurration that some compare to the crash of ocean surf. As such, necklaces and wristbands containing two or more of the stones are oft worn by retired sailors and fishers to remind them of their time at sea.

Northern legend tells of a terrible winged creature - Angra Mainyu - who, having lost one of its eyes to the blade of an intrepid adventurer, spent the rest of its days weeping as it wandered the countryside. So bitter were its tears that upon striking the earth, they would turn the very soil to stone - a side effect that would both irk farmers, while simultaneously tempt blacksmiths with the prospect of what such a substance might do to their iron.

Whereas most wings, when removed from the body of their respective owners, tend to grow hard and leathery over the course of a few days, the feather-light wings of Thalaos appear to indefinitely retain and inexplicable - almost frightening - amount of moisture.

It has been noted that, in some early texts, our forebears would ofttimes refer to crystals as ORBs. And while the use of all capital letters to this day cannot be satisfactorily explained, the term itself is most likely one scholar's interpretation of text transcribed from a much older language. This pale blue fragment taken from the body of the egi, Perykos, however, is indeed an orb - and while nigh flawless and teeming with wild whorls and eddies of pure life energy, by no means does it warrant rendering in the upper case.

While it certainly hasn't stopped kings and emperors throughout history from trying, every attempt to tame behemoths has invariably ended in tragic failure. Or rather, it has, until the Kingdom of Waloed discovered a means to influence the beast's primitive mind in the form of an enchanted shackle that presumably works similarly to crystal fetters, but without impeding aetherial channeling.

Since the time of the first thegns, scales of the north's massive ground lizards have been used to create the light, yet impenetrable armor worn by the region's champions. And while these scales gathered from the corpse of Hreidmar are certainly both light and impenetrable, they are also covered in a treacly sludge that not only burns to the touch, but induces severe headaches and nausea. A thorough scrubbing in the sea is recommended before use.

When properly treated with urine, lime, salt, and a lengthy soak in chocobo brains, this ichor-flecked skin will make for a fine piece of leather indeed.

Figuratively, the smoldering soul of a bomb given life by unknown magicks. Literally, a very hot rock. Fortunately, there are myriad uses for such a thing.

Very little rhyme and even less reason went into the creation of this ghastly neck ornament, the bones strung along its crude twine most likely belonging to those unfortunate enough to meet its maker.

When cut and polished, the spiny, opaline shells of western Storm's briar clam rival the luster of most gems. More importantly, however, when incorporated into armor, they can also provide nigh unmatched protection, being strong enough to turn aside an adamantine blade without suffering so much as a scratch.

To see the pattern on the surface of this spherical gem shift and twist, one would think a churning storm trapped within. Though it must surely be a trick of the light.

For centuries, these strange egg-shaped clusters of ore were ignored by Waloed's pickmen, since clutchmine is brittle, dull, and of little use in its own right. But when it was later discovered that the substance could be added to metals to increase their strength and hardness, it was mined to the point of exhaustion.

Surprisingly, dissection of a coeurl's whisker shows it to be composed almost entirely of metal. While this would go some way to explain why some coeurls can channel lightning, it raises the question of how the metal got there in the first place...

As truly red chocobos are rare, one might assume the same could be said of their feathers - yet somehow they are found in nearly every market from Dlimil to Northreach. Contrary to what the merchants hawking them would have you believe, however, the items on sale are more often than not the feathers of robins or even common hens.

Extremely similar to iron, yet darker, harder, and heavier. Whatever fell magicks Ultima employed in its creation, the metal has thus far proven impossible to reproduce.

The power of the Eikon Odin made manifest. This shard of crystal is as black as a moonless night and can be heard to emit a soft hum when held to the ear.

Despite its rose-like appearance, this delicate sandstone formation found in the deserts of Dhalmekia is no rose, but instead an inexplicable peculiarity of nature - a reminder that humankind will never fully comprehend the world in which we live. It is also said to bring good luck.

Upon close inspection of a lesser dragon's foot, one may observe that the middle talon is considerably longer than the rest. This extended appendage is used to puncture the fleshy parts of the creature's prey, causing severe blood loss and weakening them for the kill.

Semi-priming requires the channeling and corporeal manifestation of aether contained within a Dominant's body. In Hugo Kupka's case, this produces crystalline formations that act as reservoirs to be drawn upon to provide the energy needed to maintain priming, as well as to cast magicks and effectively wield Eikonic Abilities. However, such appendages may be forcibly separated from an injured semi-primed Dominant, preventing the reabsorption of the aether contained within.

The power of the Eikon Titan made manifest. This crystal is as heavy as marble and can be heard to emit a soft hum when held to the ear.

Valisthean prospectors have yet to locate a source of naturally occurring electrum, the only known samples coming from the remains of Fallen automata. This has led some to surmise that the metal is not, in fact, naturally occurring at all, and rather a creation of the lost people.

For centuries, rumors of a metal harder than adamantium, lighter than mythril, and far more lustrous than orichalcum have persisted across the Twins, yet for centuries the fabled metal has "eluded" even the most skilled and traveled miners - hence the name.

Despite thousands of years having passed since its forging, not a single blemish, scratch, not patch of rust can be found upon this metal's surface. As to how this is possible, none can say, and the answer will likely remain lost forever.

The power of the Eikon Ifrit made manifest. This shard of crystal is hot to the touch and can be heard to emit a soft hum when held to the ear.

Though readily available in the mountains of Mysidia, few miners seek out this splendent ore, as it makes a poor substitute for both gold and iron - the former of which it contains none, and the latter than which it is harder to work, despite being made up almost entirely of the substance. Yet in spite of those faults, the region's Tonberries, for some unknowable reason, are drawn to the mineral, fools that they are.

"And as she sought, she shed tears of ice, which shattered on the bloodstained earth below." - A Dhalmekian soldier's account of the Battle of Nysa, Year of the Realm 873.

The wild flan excretes a sickly-sweet, viscous ooze that is meant to lure would-be predators into devouring it... at which time the powerful toxins within its flesh will paralyze the victim, allowing the flan to envelop and slowly dissolve it over a period of seventeen nights... up to seven of which the victim spends alive.

Covered in countless scars, these scales tell a tale of supremacy and survival - albeit one now ended.

Grimalkins have developed spots on their skins which render them nigh invisible as they prowl the arid savannahs of southern Storm. Said spots provide considerably less camouflage when prowling elsewhere, however.

The power of the Eikon Shiva made manifest. This shard of crystal is cold to the touch and can be heard to emit a soft hum when held to the ear.

Many have tendered explanations as to how imperial dragoons are able to leap to such absurd heights - from the power of prayer to a strict diet of hare, toad, and crickets - but none save the knights themselves know the truth. Whatever the secret, it is plain that heavy plate would only prove a hindrance, and so the empire equips its dragoons with armor forged from lighter-than-linen mythril. This link is part of a vest that would have been worn beneath the breastplate.

The power of the Eikon Ramuh made manifest. This shard of crystal tingles in the palm and can be heard to emit a soft hum when held to the ear.

The power of the Eikon Bahamut made manifest. This crystal is as bright as the sun and can be heard to emit a soft hum when held to the ear.

A flame trapped mid-dance, both aetherial and corporeal, fleeting and enduring, but very much alive.

A knot of feather-light muscle dislodged from Sigma's colossal frame with a well-placed strike to the sentinel's outer knee.

All creation is possible because of aether. It is what gives the formless form, and the lifeless life. When an object is consigned to the flames, whether due to age, accident, or ill intent, the aether contained within is released and returned to the land. There are, however, rare instances in which an elemental charge remains trapped inside the resulting detritus, and skilled weaponsmiths can harness this energy for use in their work.

Just as drops of molten iron fall from a smith's oven to the floor to cool, so too do they fall from the celestial foundry where the gods forge their divine instruments of war... or so it is believed. We call these otherworldly outcastings "meteorites."

A mane used in everything from helm crests to hairbrushes - primarily by those people lucky enough never to have met with a minotaur. "And lo did Sir Crandall strike the mane from the beast and rob him of his strength." - From The Noble Knight.

It is said a morbol only blooms once every thirty summers, and when it does that the resulting flower emits such a noxious odor that flies, beetles, vultures, and other cravers of carrion are drawn from leagues around by the stench. The resultant convergence sees the flower pollinated, with the morbol devouring those late to the festivities.

For a Tonberry - a creature driven by its pure, unadulterated hate for those who have slain his brethren - a sharp blade is ultimately a gauge of his commitment. The more honed its edge, the more honed the killer's intent.

Common sense would suggest that any metal taken from the corpse of a centuries-old construct - metal that shudders and quakes like a slab of freshly cut swine's flesh - should be given a wide berth, if not a hefty heave into some nearby lagoon. That said, legendary weaponry is rarely the product of common sense.

—

There was a time when orichalcum was so abundant that it was used in everything from armor and weapons to coins and cutlery. However, when the Twins' only orichalcum mine was finally exhausted, the trading price for the noble metal increased tenfold, causing people to hoard what they had, and ultimately making it rarer than even adamantite.

As goblin communication seems limited to a painful cacophony of throaty grunts and raspy wheezing, the beastmen will oft employ carved horns such as this one to send messages over longer distances.

After taking up the mantle of Lord Commander of the Knights of the Royal Waloeder Army upon Cidolfus Telamon's untimely resignation, Sleipnir Harbard served king Barnabas for the better part of a decade. Intriguingly, however, there are no records of a House Harbard ever existing in either Veldermarke or on the southern continent, begging the question: whence exactly did he hail?

One of the hardest metals known to man, scarletite is highly sought after by those with the means to pay its exorbitant asking price - a price determined not by its rarity, but rather due to the fact that a forge must employ no fewer than five healthy Bearers to produce flames hot enough to melt the ore - at which time it takes upon the deep scarlet high from which it takes its name.

If there is one thing for which the fauna of Valisthea do not want, it is more dagger-sharp fangs to line their slavering maws. And so, those Valistheans fortunate enough not to succumb to said fangs have conceived ingenious ways of fashioning them into myriad articles of vertu, ranging from cutlery to bijouterie.

Modesty is not a trait that comes to mind when one thinks of an orc, so it is a mystery why they bother to wear a loincloth at all when the strips of cloth only afford nominal protection (and leave naught to the imagination). There are some scholars, however, who argue that they are vestiges from when the creatures were more civilized and serve as proof of a devolution of the species.

A rare case in which hyperbole has played no role in the item's nomenclature, steelsilk is every bit as strong, yet soft as silk, making it a popular choice for tailors tasked with crafting durable armor that does not hinder movement.

Even should one manage to survive the rows of diamond-hard, serrated teeth lining an archaeosaur's jaw, it is likely one's reprieve will be short-lived, as awaiting one just beyond is a granite tongue sure to finish the job.

Heart of Iron. Beats alone. Through solemn oath. Our sins atoned. -Northern Nursery Rhyme

"So spake the Lord, and the hills, they did rise. The rivers, they did run." - Circle of Malius Scripture.

An inconspicuous shrub commonly found growing near Mothercrystals, its roots are harvested to create a deep red dye. But unlike most pigments, madder root extract does more than merely stain cloth - it imbues it with a faint elemental charge that can aetherially enhance both Bearer and crystal-based magicks.

The Power of the Eikon Leviathan made manifest. This shard of crystal is wet to the touch and can be heard to emit a soft hum when held to the ear.

Being fiercely territorial in nature, it is rare for dragons to attain any considerable size in the wild as constant infighting ensures that most die young. Those bred and trained in isolation by the empire, however, do not face this problem, allowing them to grow to unthinkable proportions.