Hermetauxite

From MeiLinWiki

Hermetauxite (derived from Hermetic Bauxite) is a substance in the world of Scryer's Gulch. It is smelted from hermetauxite ore, which in turn has to be mined. It is magical in nature and is therefore highly sought after.

Hermetauxite is to Demons what catnip is to cats, only more so. It makes them antsy, and once they are in a hermetauxite-induced frenzy, or simply lying there soaking up the metal’s power in blissful lethargy, they are vulnerable to enslavement by a human with sufficiently strong magic.

Some of the hermetauxite coming out of Scryer's Gulch is magically poisoned. Who poisoned it, and why, is the target of an undercover investigation by treasury agent Annabelle Duniway. The poisoned hermetauxite is highly distasteful to demons. Its effects on humans seem mainly in suppressing conscious will and strengthening subconscious desires and emotions to the point where people under its influence can spontaneously react according to their deeper feelings without having any recollection of having done so afterwards. According to Mamzelle the poisonings started shortly after she came to Scryer's Gulch, i.e. about two years before the start of the story, but no new pollution has happened since about six months before Miss Duniway arrived in town.