vabu

Vabu is a fictional mineral that appears in science fiction and fantasy worldbuilding. In most portrayals, vabu is a luminous crystalline substance valued for its energy storage and luminescent properties. The term is used across different works with varying specifics, but it commonly functions as a scarce, transportable resource that can power devices or rituals.

Physical characteristics vary by author, but vabu is typically described as blue- to violet-glassed crystals with a glassy to metallic luster. Descriptions often assign it several to many compositions, and the material may exhibit an afterglow or color-shift when exposed to light or heat. In some depictions it is ductile or brittle; its hardness is left largely unspecified.

Geological context: vabu deposits are usually portrayed as veins in ultramafic or volcanic rocks, formed by hydrothermal processes at moderate temperatures, though some stories place it in meteorite impacts or deep underground plasmas.

Uses: energy storage in devices, reactors, or magical foci; refined into alloys; traded as currency or symbol of status; often central to plot as a scarce resource; access laws and mining rights are frequently featured.

Reception and analysis: as a plot device, vabu serves to illustrate scarcity, technological advancement, or magical-realistic blending. Some commentators note it as a convenient MacGuffin, and discuss its role in worldbuilding and economy.