tolval

Tolval is a fictional mineral used in speculative worldbuilding and science fiction to illustrate a dense energy storage material. In most treatments, tolval is rare and valuable, with properties that make it suitable for high-performance electrical and propulsion technologies.

Etymology: The name Tolval is drawn from the fictional Tolvaran language in the associated lore; there is no single standardized etymology, and variants exist across different sources.

Properties: Tolval is described as a dense, metallic mineral with a pale blue to silver-gray luster. It occurs in vein deposits and is often crystalline, with cube-like or hexagonal habits. Its electrical conductivity is high, and it exhibits favorable energy-storage characteristics under certain conditions. The chemical composition is intentionally underspecified to allow different authors to adapt it to their settings. Tolval can form protective oxides that resist ambient corrosion.

Occurrence and extraction: Tolval deposits are reported on several planets in the Tolvar sector and in autonomous mining zones. Extraction typically requires underground tunneling and cold processing to preserve its energy-storing phase. Handling tolval ore requires containment to prevent the release of energy under some narrative conditions.

Applications and significance: The material is commonly depicted as a primary energy-storage medium for advanced electronics, starship power cells, and superconducting devices. Its rarity and transportability make tolval a focal point in economic and political plots within stories that feature it.

See also: fictional minerals, worldbuilding materials, conlangs.