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Dust

What is it?

Dust is an energy propellant with elemental properties that acts as a source of power for most basic amenities and devices throughout Remnant, one which can be set off with mechanical devices, or controlled with Aura.
It comes in four primary forms: Fire, Water, Lightning, and Wind. These forms can interact and mix naturally or artificially to provide a variety of effects, but not all of them are compatible with one another, nor are all mixtures stable. Unstable mixtures do not require Aura or a mechanism to activate, such can be achieved merely through a sufficient (often very small) amount of agitation - therefore they must be handled and used with care.

Using Dust

Dust can be activated in a number of ways. With sufficient training and practice, Aura can be used to both activate and, to a limited degree, control Dust. Such Dust Users may achieve a wide variety of effects, anything from controlling Water to producing a blinding white flash, depending on the Dust type used. While this is how mankind first tapped the power of Dust, it is no longer the preferred method, having long ago been overtaken by mechanical activation. Through the use of priming charges, it is possible to activate Dust without the use of one's aura. Indeed, nearly all ammunition used in Remnant utilize this method of Dust activation, as it allows even those untrained in Aura usage or automated machines to make use of Dust. A third rarer and more costly method also exists, this being the infusion of threads and fabric with Dust. Such threads can be compelled to release their power in the same way as crystals and powder, for any number of effects, though the threads will need to be recharged after extended use.

Primary Dust Types

Four Primary Dust types exist, from which all Secondary Mixtures are derived. These naturally occurring crystals represent the most commonly used Dusts throughout Remnant, and are used everywhere, be it industry, textiles, or military.

Red

Known also as Fire or Burn Dust, Red produces heat when activated. Useful as both weapon and tool, it is the most widely used of the primary Dust types, and can be found in everything from ammunition to camp stoves, where its incendiary properties can be put to good use. In colder climbs, clothes may have Red threads woven into them, that they might keep the wearer warm, while some talented Dust users have even used Red in its volatile powdered form to truly devastating effect, creating destructive fields of fire at the snap of a finger.

Blue

Known also as Water Dust, Blue is the most stable of all the primary Dust types, whose primary property is the production and control of water. While it sees some use by water craft, and serves as the a key ingredient in certain secondary mixtures, few make use of Blue Dust in its raw form unless they have need of a great quantity of water. Divers and Huntsman in wet climes may also make use of Blue threads to allow them added mobility in water.

Yellow

Better known as Lightning Dust, Yellow Dust can produce high powered electric charges and is the most volatile of all the primary Dust types. This volatility and capacity to produce great quantities of energy make it ideal for use in power cells and heavy machinery, making it very popular in Atlas. Its use in weaponry is less common, both because of how sensitive the ammunition tends to be and its tendency to make unwary users regret employing it.

Green

Known also as Wind or Air, Green Dust can be used to manipulate air currents. Popularly used by airships throughout Remnant, Green Dust is also favored in non-lethal weaponry and as a means of maintaining high mobility. Clothes woven with Green thread can allow their wearers to jump great distances and even adjust their trajectories in flight, while canisters of chemicals can be quickly dispersed through the use of Green powder. Some weapons even make use of Green crystals in their ammunition, using them to produce blasts of wind capable of driving back or knocking over a target, with little to no lasting damage.

Secondary Dust Mixtures

Though there are only four recognized primary Dust types, a wide variety of combinations and mixtures can be derived from them, resulting in augmented and sometimes wholly new properties. These mixtures are rarely ever stable, and often require specialized means of containment to prevent accidental activation. While this does not prevent Secondary mixtures from being used to infuse threads, it renders an already costly and difficult process even more so. As a result, threads infused with Secondary mixtures are incredibly rare and too expensive to be used.

The creation of a Secondary Mixture often requires a very specific set of circumstances and quantity of components. Depending on the mixture, these requirements can be broad enough that some occur naturally, such as with Earth and Gravity, while others are so prohibitively exact that they could only occur in a laboratory, such as with Force and Blast.

Ice (Water/Wind)

A stable combination of Blue and Green Dust, Ice is the most commonly used of the secondary mixtures. Due to its capacity to significantly lower ambient temperature, many machines use Ice Dust for cooling. It is also commonly seen in specialized ammunition, given its ability to freeze a target solid on impact. As one of the few stable Secondary mixtures, it can be used in thread, usually to weave climate controlled clothing.

Earth

There is some contention as to whether or not Earth Dust is a Secondary mixture at all, and not merely the byproduct of some failed interaction between other Dust types. This confusions stems from the fact that Earth Dust occurs naturally, as well as is formed from a variety of different combinations of primary Dust types or Secondary mixtures. This has lead some scholars to wonder if Earth is not merely the natural state of Dust. Whatever the case, Earth is also one of the most stable Dust types, and allows for the limited manipulation of minerals and metals. It is widely used in construction as a result, as well as by Huntsman who expect a need for hastily erected defenses.

Steam (Fire/Water)

A combination of Red and Blue Dust, Steam is so incredibly unstable that it has led some scholars to wonder if its is even a mixture at all. Given Red and Blue's tendency to immediately activate upon mixing, thereby producing an uncontrolled blast of super heated moisture, some may argue that what is commonly thought of as 'Steam Dust' is merely a combination of Red and Blue powder that hasn't yet exploded. Whatever the case, Steam is widely used throughout Remnant for its ability to explosively produce mechanical energy.

Gravity (Earth/Wind)

A combination of Earth and Wind, Gravity is an unstable but naturally occurring Secondary mixture which can be found in many places throughout Remnant. It is also one of the few types of Dust which exhibits its properties even without activation, the same way that Red crystals produce heat. As a result, formations of Gravity crystals can often result in entire landmasses lifting off into the air, it complete defiance of all natural laws. These properties only become more dramatic upon activation, with Gravity capable of rendering something effectively weightless or increasing an object's density drastically. Some huntsman have even been known to use it to cling to vertical surfaces, or to allow for extremely limited and short lived flight.

Glass (Fire/Earth)

An extremely stable combination of Red and Earth Dust, Glass can be used to produce transparent and inflexible constructs. These constructs can be very sturdy, depending on their size, but also tend to be extremely brittle and unlikely to stand up to multiple impacts. Some Huntsman have used Glass Dust as a means of rapidly producing razor sharp projectiles or single use shields for taking cover behind. Given its stability, it can also be more easily infused into thread than the other Secondary mixtures.

Force (Wind/Lightning)

A combination of Wind and Lighting Dust, Force, as the name implies, produces considerable kinetic force, often in considerable amounts. The exact manner by which these forces are produced is unknown, though they resemble the shields projected by Aura users. As a result, Force Dust can be, and often is, used to produce short lived shields and barriers. More deliberate application, by a highly trained user, can also result in solid constructs, maybe even weapons, conjured seemingly from thin air. Its inherent instability makes it impractical making anything intended for prolonged use, but it has the advantage over Glass Dust in that the things it creates can actually move.

Blast (Fire/Wind/Earth)

An extremely unstable combination of Red, Green, and Earth Dust, Blast's only effect is the production of explosions. This highly devastating dust is used mainly as a weapon and rarely as anything else, given just how destructive even the smallest amount of it can be.

Forms of Dust

Crystal

The four Primary Dust types and the Secondary mixtures which can occur naturally can all be harvested from crystalline formations. The exact means by which these formations are produced is poorly understood, but there is a great deal of money to be made in mining them. Like all Dust, Crystals can be activated with Aura, though they tend to be more stable that Dust in its powdered form. Dust users who employ crystals will typically have more control over their actions, though will not be capable of such incredible feats as those armed with powder.

Powder

The least stable form of Dust is powder. Dust in this form is so unstable that it often times doesn't even require Aura to activate, and can be set off by as little as a bump or a sneeze. This inherent volatility has made it an ideal component for use in ammunition, though vials of powder might also be employed by Dust users talented or foolish enough to control, or think they can control it.

Thread

The infusion of Dust into thread is a time consuming process requiring great care and extensive training, though with the benefit of producing something more durable and stable Dust in its natural form. Such threads are then woven into articles of clothing, usually in order to imbue such garments with certain effects, but sometimes also as a means of allowing Dust users quick and easy access to the Dust of their choice.