Rust: An Emergent Nature

Originally published May 9th 2024

The ambition of empire is eternity. The fact of the matter is that the earth will swallow you. Cities will be buried either under their own rubble or the sands of time but they will be swallowed. Once mighty titans shall rot to their bones.

The age of iron ended. Bomb after bomb driving the stake deeper into its heart. Entire cities were left to rot.

When you let iron rot you get rust.

Rust: That which man abandoned.

Leech, lock up, conceal, weaken, age.

Anything iron can do, but it must consume something.

Not many people would know of rust as a nature. It is only just beginning to bubble up from the dead cities. Only a few circles of rust mages exist, and only they know how to create a rust focus.

Their guiding philosophy is simple; the old world never died, the new world is just its death rattles. They view humanity as beyond saving, the only thing we can hope to do is use what is left to end it quicker.