  Illumynite Lit Bedroom (low) / (high) Illumynite-Laced Bat Guano |
Illumynite is a glowing mineral originally discovered and mined by the dwarves. Upon its discovery in the 1620s, it was considered useless, but is now a major product of the dwarven mines and used extensively for building underground. Glowing brighter than swamp gas, illumynite is valued for its grue-repellent qualities. Normal illumynite loses its glow after prolonged exposure to water, or most sources of warmth such as sunlight or body heat. Maximum illumination from this mineral can be obtained by placing it near radio speakers.
In the years following the First Great Diffusion of 1247 GUE, the scattered evil magic had seeped down into the soil. Deep in the ground, the tiny specks of evil dust began to shift and move. The particles percolated down through the soil, and formed veils, much like gold veins. When they pushed their way into certain rock formations, they produced light. One of these new materials would be called illumynite, while the other, which could be made translucent, would be called translumynite. Both of these geological formations continued to attract the scattered evil magic. This fusion was not felt above ground in the valley, but underground. Throughout the hallways and mazes of the old, forgotten Empire, the effect was monumental.
At the same time, another miracle was happening; a particularly dense cluster of saturated illumynite had developed some unusual characteristics and started to behave like a magnet, drawing more particles and absorbing the energy from them, more and more day by day. The cluster grew…pulsated. It began to emit strange sounds and energies. (for more information on this particle infamous chunk of illuymnite, please see the entries: Feebo & Morphius).
Eventually, IT&L was formed (in either the 1620s or 30s); a company harnessing illuymnite as a dominant manufacturing material. In the same century, the mage Canuk became the most knowledgeable person on illuymnite outside of the dwarven community. Together with his other three partners (Rooper, Trembyle, Moadikum), IT&L saw the invention of both the illumynite battery and magnet in the 1640s.
In the 1640s illumynite (stolen by the vultures from the dwarves), was used along with translumynite to build the Citadel of Zork for Morphius. Other inventions incorperating illumynite (patented and copyrighted by Shanbar residents) include the Keeper's Rotating Lighthouse Beam, Dwarven Illumynite Helmets, Rooper's Illumynite Batteries, Canuk's Illuymnite Magnet, Rebecca's Snoot's Illumynite Nail Polish and Lipstick, Illumi-nike Sneakers, Illumynite-lites and much much more.