Arsenic

Overview

Arsenic is the thirty-third element of the Periodic Table of Elements and one of the most feared and misunderstood substances in the Continuum Universes. Toxic, shadow-aligned, and deeply tied to both death and purification, arsenic sits at the boundary of poison and medicine, curse and cure, rot and rebirth.

In the Continuum, arsenic is known as “The Pale Prophet” — a metal that foretells destruction, but also forces transformation.

Properties

Arsenic’s properties are strange and unsettling:

sublimates directly from solid to vapor
exists in metallic-gray and yellow nonmetal forms
forms violently poisonous compounds
disrupts cellular and metaphysical processes
absorbs psionic energy like a sponge
radiates faint “death static” in magical fields

Arsenic alters life-force signatures, transforming order into chaos and stability into dissolution.

Metaphysical & Continuum Role

Arsenic’s metaphysical signature is tied to:

decay
corruption
curse propagation
shadow rites
spiritual catharsis
painful transformation

Continuum classification:

Magical Class: VOI/PRI – void-corruption + primal decay
Resonance: 5 – extremely high; destructive but clarifying
Psionic Valence: -2 – psychic dulling, memory corrosion
Mass State: M/E – interacts aggressively with ethereal bodies
Origin: W/S

Arsenic is the Element of Necessary Endings — it clears what must die so something new can grow.

Arsenic’s Dual Nature

Arsenic has two distinct metaphysical states:

1. The Pale Metal (gray arsenic)

cold, reflective
used in cursecraft
breaks illusions through pain
forces truth via fear
used in soul-exorcism rituals

2. The Yellow Death (yellow arsenic)

fragile, volatile
deeply toxic
used in shadow-alchemy
melts dream-bound identities
induces controlled ego-death in advanced mystics

Most civilizations ban yellow arsenic entirely.

Uses

Mundane

herbicides
semiconductors (GaAs)
pigments (historically dangerous)
wood treatment
alloys

Continuum / Magical

curse-binding inks
shadow catalysts in death rites
void-channel sigils
plague alchemy (controlled destruction)
exorcism powder
ego-dissolution rituals
“boundary breakers” in forbidden transmutations

Arsenic is always used behind triple wards.

Arsenic and Noelaran Biology

The Noelaran are extremely sensitive to arsenic:

trace amounts distort their boron–magnesium lattice
causes dream-fracturing
induces emotional numbness
disrupts psionic cycles
kills in moderate doses

Yet— Noelaran shamans use microdoses for:

traumatic memory severance
identity-reset rituals
cleansing corrupted auras

These practices are highly regulated.

Occurrence

Arsenic is found in:

sulfide ores
volcanic vents
geothermal springs
death-zones of ancient battlefields
ruined necromantic laboratories
shadow-infused caverns

Its presence often marks areas where corruption once thrived.

Cultural Significance

Across the Continuum, arsenic is feared, respected, and invoked cautiously.

It symbolizes:

endings
corruption
truth through pain
catharsis
forbidden knowledge
liminality

Elvari cursebinders keep arsenic quills locked away. Aetherion monks use arsenic dust in “shatter rites” to dissolve harmful attachments. Human mystics call arsenic the Razor Path — a way to enlightenment that cuts.

Trivia

Arsenic mirrors show the “rot” in one’s aura.
Arsenic vapor glows faint green in voidstorms.
Gallium-arsenide crystals power dream-communication towers.
Ancient texts call arsenic “The Bone Fire,” the flame that burns within endings.

References