Ex;R - Lutin Creux and the Origin of Dust

Overview
While the true origin of Dust remains unknown, many civilizations have attempted to explain the miraculous resource through the use of mystical tales. Some examples include the Tale of The Dragons from Mistral, The Great Alchemist of Atlas, and The Grand Spirit Tree of Vale and Vacuo. However, the one fairy tale that transcended cultural borders was that of The Fairy and the Child which told of an island where the origins of Dust lay dormant.

The Fairy and the Child
''Once upon a time, in a village near a forest there was a young girl who lives with her mother. She was a daydreamer who bewildered by the world around her, much to her mother’s displeasure.''

''One day, while the little girl was out doing chores in the garden, she heard little bells ringing from distance. Curious, the girl dropped everything she was doing and followed the sound into the wood - deep enough to where sunlight could barely reach the ground. There, she found a fairy - a tiny girl with pretty butterfly wings, stuck inside a tree trunk and rescued her.''

''Touched by the girl’s kindness, the tiny fairy rewarded her with a magic crystal and asked her to come back soon, to which the child promised to just before she left. And so, the fairy waited, and waited, before she falling asleep under a tree waiting, hoping, to see her friend one day soon.''

''As for the girl, she went back to her village and introduced the magic of the crystal to her people. The child was praised for her good deeds and became the first Dust Caster.''

However, she never forgot her promise to the fairy and still longed to be reunited with her.

Lutin Creux
Lutin Cruex, or the Fairy Hollow, is a place consistently described as a lush island, located somewhere in the oceans between Mistral and Vacuo, surrounded on all sides by shallow crystal-clear water. Its remoteness and distance from the rest of the world protected it from the Grimm somewhat and is theorized by scholars through many primitive interpretations of the story to be the magical origins of Dust.

Dust
Dust is a substance that is most often credited to the development of civilization in the world on par with the discovery of fire, however, the initial discovery of Dust was of little use to early peoples who only came across low amounts of surface deposits. Raw Dust was often rare and impure, but those who had access to pure Dust deposits, and had the knowledge to use it, were revered as gods.

Today, Dust serves as the ground works of civilized life in both the security of a nation as well as the upkeep of its infrastructure, social services, and economy. Odds are if it exists, Dust played a part in its assembly line. In the eyes of a Hunter however, Dust is specially recognized for its three specific properties, two of which is the basis for the oldest and most effective strategies in Grimm extermination, Dust Casting. The three combat centered properties are as follows:
 * Dust as an elemental power source
 * Dust as an elemental catalyst
 * Dust as a munitions propellant

Dust Casting
Dust Casting is the second, and arguably most effective, method of Grimm deterrence discovered after Aura based combat. Dust Casting at its core is the manipulation of elemental energy stored in Dust to cast spells of various effects using Aura as a conduit. Many prevailing stories of demi-humans, wizards, and witches are attributed to early Dust Casters and thus, Dust casting is also commonly referred to as the art of Magic.

In its most basic form, Dust Casting simply results in the release of energy contained within Dust in the form of “spells”; the most basic spells are derived from the 4 most basic Dust types, Fire/Burn, Water, Earth, and Air/Wind result in the spells of Combustion, Aqua Jet, Boulder Heave, and Gale Winds.

However, access to Dust isn’t the only things required to cast spells. The reason why Dust Casting was discovered second was because Aura is a prerequisite. Spells can only be conjured with the use of Aura as a conduit, similar to how modern weapons are conduits for Aura. Due to these requirements, however, it also means anyone who has had their Aura unlocked is capable of Dust Casting and thus, is a required skill taught in all Hunter Academies.

The basic principle of Dust Casting relies on an Aura user to release the elemental energy within Dust and shape them into whatever form they please. Since its creation, Dust Casting has been refined over centuries to give today’s Dust Casters an inventory of proven spells, some of which are listed below along with their Dust element.

Spells

 * Combustion
 * Fire/Burn
 * Aqua Jet
 * Water
 * Boulder Heave
 * Earth
 * Gale Wind
 * Air/Wind
 * Shock Bolt
 * Lightning
 * Cone of Cold
 * Ice
 * Fog Cloud
 * Steam
 * Force/Emit Force
 * Gravity

Prism the Phantom
A crucial development in Dust Casting came in the form of a brilliant witch who lived 500 years ago by the named of Prism the Phantom who pioneered the teaching techniques required for consistent Dust Casting. This method, which still remains in use today, came in the form of verbal incantations to help one focus on manifesting the desired outcome. These incantations come as poems with direct meaning to the spell it is linked with. In the words of Prism the Phantom, “Dust Casting is simply just stating your wishes upon upon the world and having it perform your whims.”

Runes and Incantations
Most spells today rely on chants to be consistently executed intentionally however, a problem arose when Prism herself found it hard to relay the intent of her incantations to her apprentices. In short, words modern languages and sentences constructed with them are limited by the way every individual interprets them. Thus, all incantations are written in primal runes to reduce them to their most basic meanings and intent.

Through this format, Dust Casters have a solid base to work on by understanding the most primal meaning of a spell and translate said meaning into their own incantations as they understand it. Following this logic, incantations can be as long as a story or as short as a singular word as everything is based on intention and some skilled Dust casters do not need incantations.

Original Magic and Dust
As the name implies, Original Magic and Original Dust are home-brew versions with custom effects. Original Magic works on the same principle of regular magic but simply does not exist within texts and most likely run off of an original combination of secondary or tertiary Dust.

Dust Ammunition
Dust in ammunition is a simply process of producing a bullet with a Dust reservoir in its tip. When the bullet hits the target, the tip is ignited, and the physical bullet then punches through the target while going through the ignited Dust, effectively carrying the element of the Dust with it.

The sole exception to this is that of Gravity Dust munitions which impart two specific effects, the increase in both penetration power and recoil.

Dust Weaving
Dust Weaving is the art of intertwining Dust soaked threads into garments. This method is rarely used based on several factors such as efficiency, maintenance, susceptibility to external damage, and the requirement for specialist Dust Tailors.

The process of Dust Weaving starts with the production of a Dust solution produced from the powdered form of Dust and a dangerously strong solvent. The knitting material is then soaked through the solution to imbue it with that specific Dust’s elemental energy. The product can then be used to weave Dust into garments. The concentration of Dust within the solution is crucial in this process as differing concentrations may mess with the behaviour and output of spells.

Dust garments must also be replenished and resurfaced with the Dust as the amount absorbed by the fibers are finite. This process requires costly precision work, something machines still cannot replicate consistently.

However, Dust Weaving provides a way of carrying Dust incognito without the weight, bulkiness, and imprint of Dust canisters or Dust ammunitions.

Dust Injections
And alternative way of introducing Dust into the Aura system. Dust injection is classified as anything from dermal Dust Tattoos to Dust stim-packs. The advantage of these type of Dust wielding is its direct interaction with Aura within the body allowing for more efficient and powerful energy transfer from the Dust.

However, studies have consistently shown that these methods prove extremely harmful to the body and thus, have been outlawed by all 4 Kingdoms. Only the truly desperate can be found utilizing this practice of Dust Casting.

Dust Interactions with Semblances
Some Semblances have the ability to integrate Dust seamlessly, a feat most Dust Casters regard as cheating and not true Dust Casting. The effects of Dust integrated into Semblances vary but it severely limited by the Semblance itself. In contrast, Dust Casting is only limited by the ability redirect the energy using their Aura and the length of their incantations.