Tralaticon is a unique metal and the single most important material in this galaxy. Its unique properties allow it to contain, repel, or transmit raw element energy. The bodies of the Element Guardians are made almost entirely of the substance. It can be alloyed with other metals, most easily steel, to make items that somehow utilize element energy. This is called Imbuing. If raw elements with a tralaticon carrier are injected into a living thing, that is called Infusion. Infusion is a thing abhorred today by Conduit City dwellers, though it is practiced by nearly all element cults and by the Ergon, or so the Conduit City folk claim. There is also a less understood property of tralaticon that both the Ergon and City folk make use of but only the Ergon understand at all. This property is known as Soul Infusion and occurs when the same person handles an imbued object over a long period of time.
It can be mined in this era from a single island in the southwest of the continent, known as Tralaticon Isle. It is, however, mixed with traces of some kind of coral and is devilishly difficult to extract. It can be found in pure form out in the wilds and is a life changing discovery for a prospector. This is not known to modern humans, but the massive rent in the earth known as The Scar was made by shrapnel from the weapon of the Steward while fighting the Pilgrims during the Annihilating Light. The sliver was made of tralaticon and was covered in Fire. The tiny chunks of tralaticon scattered throughout the continent and on the sea floor are the remains of the divine weapon that survived.
Today, tralaticon is a tightly controlled commodity and even though mining it is slow, it is steady. Smuggling it is lucrative and the black market is kept stocked by any number of people looking to make a score. The ledgers and records of the mining facilities are a byword for corruption and inaccuracy.
Tralaticon reclamation is also a big business. With the advent of direct conveyance technology, which dramatically reduced the amount of tralaticon needed to provide basic power needs, every passive conveyance collector that can be found is scheduled for reclamation. Even though tralaticon is used far less now for power production, that has raised demand massively for goods that can use the now abundant element energy.
These goods range from weapons and armor to earthquake resistant devices and musical instruments. The applications and types of these goods are staggering and new inventions are popping up all the time.