Foregone Fables Dust Alloys Guide - Ice

Cold is one of the elements that, rather than being something of their own, is a lack of something else: heat. To humans and other animals, however, cold manifests as a phenomenon of its own, or for the more creative of the bunch, an element. One of the most ancient forms of Fusion-Type Dust was created for that reason, and to harness this element. Ice Dust, Snow Dust, Cold Dust, Frost Dust - it is one of the more versatile Fusion-Types out there, and so common, that many mistake it for its own element.

Cold Dust is produced from the fusion of Wind and Water Dust. It is fairly common in both solid and liquid form. While having a minor usage in the refrigeration industry, it is just as common if not more as a weapon in the hands of Huntsmen and Huntresses, and mastery over it would make one into a formidable and powerful opponent to Grimm and humans alike.

The way Frost Dust is released usually depends on the exact amount of Dust triggered. Small quantities of Dust produce a strong burst of extremely cold wind that would freeze anything around it, and larger quantities can be used to create solid ice, which operate similarly to Earth Dust, and much like Glass Dust, can break into snow if not handled carefully. Injecting Snow Dust into a human body will cause them to be significantly slower, but will also cause their body to become extremely cold, to the level of freezing objects that come close to it, and give them the ability to breathe freezing wind or fire icicles from their body. However, the user puts themself on a risk of freezing their vital organs to death or suffering from hypothermia.

A controlled usage of Ice Dust via weapons can direct the freezing wind produced to engulf specific targets, as well as control the shape and movement of the ice itself. One rather unique ability that certain antipersonnel fighters utilize is the ability to freeze wounds caused by their weapon, preventing them from healing. Similarly, it can be used to seal open wounds in order to stop them from bleeding. It can be used to create a tidal wave of snow or solid ice, create pillars and spikes of ice, spiked shields and walls of ice or snow, create limbs, wings and tendrils of ice, a vortex of snow, crescent slashes of ice, floating ice platforms, cause an explosion of snow, form daggers of ice, augment a blade's length and width with an extended ice casing, create a sheet of ice, summon ice chains, create jutting ice crystals, summon weapons from ice, create giant hands and fists of ice, giant ice boulders, create ice armor or a giant mech-like suit, aesthetic objects like flowers, ice arrows that expand into sharp spindles inside a target's body and tear them apart, thrown ice spears and tridents, a long pillar with spinning blades across its length, a tree-like structure with multiple branch-like tendrils that can fire projectiles, whirlwinds of freezing wind, ramps, ladders and slides of ice, bolts, blasts and beams of freezing cold, create claws of ice, razor-sharp ice discs, keys to pick locks, hooks and grappling hooks used to climb, spiraling ice drills, giant shovels for digging, surround an opponent with snow, generate giant ice balls and cubes, and encase bullets and blunt weapons in large volumes of ice to enhance their power. The absolute mastery of Ice Dust allows its users to create animate golems of ice or snow in the shape of human warriors including specific individuals, centaurs, giant birds, dragons, whales, tigers, apes, fish, mice, insects, bears, and wolves.

In spite of being a Fusion-Type Dust, Ice Dust is more commonplace than some normal types of Dust. As such, it has plenty of recognition, and not of the good kind. The most common symbolification of Ice Dust gives it a negative outlook, and associates it with people who have a cold heart, which is a common phrase to describe someone as devoid of emotion or empathy. And just like the Frost Dust itself, the quality of being undistracted by emotions and kept rational, is a positive trait that almost never gets the appreciation it deserves.