Howdy, partners! Pull up a chair and settle in, today we’ll be talking about the Setting of our first genre, Sagebrush.

As the name might imply, Sagebrush is meant to be a Western and with that comes leather dusters, 6 shooters, and bandits galore. But why are you donning that duster or loading those 6 shots? What are the bandits looking to pillage from honest hard-working folk? Well friends, it’s simple. Chryptarium.

What is Chryptarium, I can hear you asking, and the easy answer is that Chryptarium is power, it’s wealth, it’s magic. The rarest of coins, worth a sack full of gold each, are made from Chryptarium. You find a noble’s crown and there you’ll find Chryptarium. Maybe you’re a seer and you’re looking to really see the future, then you’ll need Precious Chryptarium. In short, Chryptarium is why you’re adventuring.

So, to break it down a little bit:

• Pure Chryptarium – Pure, about as rare as platinum and worth a good bit to boot
• Precious Chryptarium – Alloyed with precious metals or stones, channels energy real good
• Prime Chryptarium – Alloyed with base metals (iron, copper, etc.), the strongest metal you can imagine

That doesn’t answer my question, I can hear you replying. Fair enough. So, what is Chryptarium? It’s a mineral with exceptional alloying capabilities. Alone it’s a fairly tough metal, rare, mildly hallucinogenic. But alloyed with precious metals? It becomes a fantastic conductor of energy, both natural and arcane. Or, instead, alloy it with iron and achieve Prime Chryptarium, in the world of Sagebrush, a true rarity. A metal that can do basically anything, survive any stress, withstand any damage. If someone could make more than a small lump of the stuff, they’d be richer than their wildest dreams.

You’ll see Chryptarium crop up across all of the genres in WEIRD, but in Sagebrush, it’s a bit more mystical. You’ll see people biting Chryptarium coins for good luck, or rumors that the Nobility make their spoons out of it and it’s causing them to go mad. You’ll see soldiers and seers inlay their weapons and tools with Precious Chryptarium to help them ply their trade. And if you see Prime Chryptarium at all, you’re either very lucky or in grave danger, as everyone will want their hands on it.

So good luck out there, my Chryptarium prospecting friends!