Metallurgy

Treatise on the Special Metals of the Known Silver Moon Empire

(Player Notes: As you read this you are not going to find information on elemental composition, details of how and why, molecular agitation, ionic cohesion, etc. Scientific explanations for elements in a fantasy game setting are irrelevant. What is relevant is enough information for the metals to be "playable" across the whole of the Forum. Until an Ion microscope appears in the Empire, a Quantum physicist arrives through the portal or some deranged dwarf builds a tunnel for atom smashing, modern scientific explanations are irrelevant except for the player's personal logic. This is a realm of magic; these metals and alloys exist simply because they can within a realm of fantasy.)

Significant Metals of the Silver Moon Empire

These metals and alloys found within the Silver Moon Empire are known to be exceptional to normal metals and follow the Rule of Seven. Applying strictly to the known Empire, there may or may not be other such metals and alloys within the Badlands or other regions. Of note is the fact that some of the metals and alloys are specifically attuned to certain gifts. For example, Soniarium can be enchanted with any one of the Gifts, while Sombratite can only maintain Necromantic magic. The availability of these metals and alloys are unbelievably rare; collecting enough of an ore for a single item is excruciatingly hazardous in most cases. Most of the mining companies excavate common ore and pray to find one of the special metals.

Ashblack

- Region Mined: Not a mined ore, Dwarven communities craft the metal bars.
- Trade Control: Controlled by the various Dwarven Communities.
- Gift Attunement: Pyromancy
- Possible Enchantable Items: Armor (Scale), Shields (Bucklers and Medium), Weapons (Slashing, Bludgeoning and Piercing), Rods.

Dwarven legend tells of a time when Dwarven smiths sought a way to bond the malleability of metal to the hardness of pure diamond. So goes the tale of how Ashblack was first discovered. In truth, it is not that difficult to assume that a Dwarven miner saw the ore that diamond came in, how close to coal it was, and that the same substance existed within their own furnaces.

Blending iron and the ashes from within their smithies, Dwarven blacksmiths have developed an alloy that crystallizes like diamond, but in layers. Ashblack, named after its extremely dark gray color and the ashes that it is composed of, exists in extremely durable, yet rigid, layers. The alloy is so strong that it is almost unworkable even at extremely high temperatures. When it cools, it bonds into thin, striated layers, along which it breaks when chiseled.

Since it lacks iron's malleability, most items made from it are simple bladed or bludgeoning weapons. While difficult to shape, the materials are inexpensive. Iron and smelted ash make the armor much more cost-effective than Soniarium. Also, the mixture of ash and iron is stronger and lighter than steel, which partially balances its stiffness as an armor. While the armor is weak against sharp concussive shocks because of its makeup, Ashblack is extremely difficult to bend or break and it resists temperature extremes. Near diamond hard at room temperature, it is next to impossible to carve runes into the stuff for spellcasting.

While Ashblack is almost impossible to heat, the reason it's hard to break is the opposite reason why soniarium is hard to break: it conducts vibrations easily, which means a staff will vibrate itself right out of your hands or break your fingers with a good strike. It will do the same for one's opponent, but can easily be a danger to the user when it is employed against someone wearing armor.

One of the difficulties encountered in forming Ashblack it that it only breaks into square shapes, meaning any weapon you make out of it will be a polygon. Polygons do not make good armor as they do not mold to your form, making the armor very encumbering. Since Dwarves are the only smiths who know the process of making and smithing ashblack, and armor made out of it tends to be for very short people. Nevertheless, the secret for its making is closely guarded. Not all dwarves are privy to the process and anyone searching for Ashblack is required to make a trek to the Arborian Mountain Caves.

For even more information on the creation of Ashblack, please refer to Ashblack (continued).

(With thanks to the player of Edail Archiras.)

Firenium

- Region Mined: Exclusive to the area around Rahskana in Thermador.
- Trade Control: Controlled by mining companies operated by the Government of Thermador.
- Gift Attunement: Pyromancy
- Possible Enchantable Items: Weapons (Slashing, Bludgeoning and Piercing [Nothing over the size of a short sword]), Rings, Rods, and Misc. Jewelry.

Discovered in Meridian of 1265. Something about the sheer ferocity of the Rashkana's eruption has transmuted most of the soniarium veins around it, altering the physical and magical properties of the ore. Dubbed 'firenium,' this new material has an unmistakable orientation with the element of fire. Dull red-black when refined, it is quite malleable, comparable to gold or silver. When heated to make it easier still to work, it quickly reverts to its natural state, with one difference; firenium will radiate warmth, varying between 80 and 110 degrees F. The greater the heat it was exposed to, the longer it will radiate so. Firenium also absorbs body heat and energy from the sun very readily, and thus is rarely cold or cool to the touch. Because of how rapidly it cools, it can require special techniques to work, but its great malleability aids in this. Firenium is best used alloyed with other metals to lend it strength, again like gold and silver. It is believed that the loss of the sound-absorbent traits soniarium possess is the primary reason why it is so much less resilient.

Krystallios (AKA Crystal Iron or Crystiron)

- Region Mined: Exclusive to Cloosidian.
- Trade Control: Controlled by Shrike Enclaves.
- Gift Attunement: Aeromancy
- Possible Enchantable Items: Shields (Bucklers only), Weapons (Slashing, Bludgeoning and Piercing), Rings, Rods, and Misc. Jewelry.

High within the mountains of Cloosidian, far above where normal men can journey, up to where breathing can cause one to literally suffocate, the Shrike gather the mythical ore, Krystallios. This ore is actually a lightweight, malleable crystal containing high metallic properties. It is a clear quartz-like ore that sparkles and twists light like a prism. Rainbow hues dance through it causing the metallic deposits within to glow an iridescent crimson.

The creation of a metallic item is mostly done through smithing; heating, forging, hammering and searing, the art of creating with Krystallios differs a bit. Krystallios, or Crystiron - short for Crystal Iron, is gathered up in small quantities, melted down into a block of needed size, allowed to cool and then sculpted into the item to be created. The Shrikes, along with a small collection of Aeromancers, have refined the practice of "Krystallios slicing" into an unsurpassed art form.

Weapons, bucklers and jewelry crafted from the Krystallios are rumored to have a magical reflective quality. The truth of this rumor has yet to be officially documented since any incursions into Shrike territories to ascertain the truth have failed. However, one member of an expedition team into the region spoke about "Krystallios statues coming alive and all magic reflecting back off their sparkling bodies..." The credibility of this accounting has been suspect since the storyteller of this tale was in a feverish delirium suffering from severe shock and then dying.

While this is not common information, Krystallios does not reflect magic naturally. However, through a special, mysterious process, Krystallios can be made to reflect magic. Those items that possess this ability are rare indeed...

Merisite (AKA Brinyglow)

- Region Mined: Exclusive to Southern Oceanuus.
- Trade Control: Controlled by mining companies operated by the Government of Oceanuus.
- Gift Attunement: Hydromancy
- Possible Enchantable Items: Weapons (Slashing, Bludgeoning and Piercing [Nothing over the size of a short sword]), Rings, Rods, and Misc. Jewelry.

Off the coasts of the islands of Oceanuus are rich deposits of a rare ore, Merisite. This is extremely rare ore composed of magnetic iron from lava vents deep within the Oceanuus waters, tainted with deep water (heavy water) and phosphorus coral. The collection of this ore is incredibly dangerous as it is only found in the deepest trenches of the waters around Oceanuus. The only known way to mine it is with the assistance of deep diving Merfolk from Northern Oceanuus and all collection of it is rigidly directed by the Oceanuus government.

In its raw form, is a rigid golden ore that emits a pale yellow, phosphorus glow. When crafted into an item, it is painstaking labor. Once finished, the item has more luster than finely polished gold and maintains its pale glow. The glow radiated by Merisite is the light equivalent of a modest candle. As for it's magnetic property, it is rather negligible. Even though the crafting process maintains it, the magnetism is only enough to repulse an iron dagger or smaller items. Mages have found the magnetic field it generates repulses items, while none of the recovered ore to this day has ever attracted items.

Phylanium (AKA Greensteel)

- Region Mined: Not a mined ore, a magically grown bio-organic alloy from Arboria.
- Trade Control: Controlled by the Geomantic Council.
- Gift Attunement: Geomancy
- Possible Enchantable Items: Armor (Ring, Scale, and Chain), Shields (Bucklers only), Weapons (Slashing, Bludgeoning and Piercing), Rings, Rods, and Misc. Jewelry.

Hidden deep within the forests of Arboria, the academicians of Geomancy within the Earth Tower, have invented an entirely new alloy of metal, created solely through the use of the power of the Ley Lines. By melding the natural, lush vegetation of Arboria with trace particles of ore in the soil, Master Geomancers have created a living, regenerative alloy called Phylanium or Greensteel.

Greensteel is perhaps the greatest balance of natural harmony ever attained by the Geomantic gift. Through incredible focus and mastery of Geomancy, a Master Geomancer can bind together soil, vegetation and ore traces from special Arborian glades into an amorphous form. Once the "blob" is summoned and bonded, then the item one wishes to create can be formed. The uniqueness of Greensteel is its regenerative powers. Once crafted into the object desired, that item can literally "repair" itself. For this regenerative power to function, a vast amount of plant life must be available for the Greensteel item to draw on, such as deep forests, thick jungles, etc. Simply standing in a field or on a lawn will not provide enough vegetation.

Greensteel is not produced for merchant trade, it is produced for a specific purpose. It will never be found openly sold on any market. Items crafted from this "living" alloy are usually made upon request for the Silver Moon Knights, Arch-magi and select individuals from the Solar Knights and Empire in general.

(With thanks to the player of PolAvarius.)

Sombratite (AKA Shadowsteel)

- Region Mined: Exclusive to Balthazor.
- Trade Control: Controlled by Balthazorian mining interests while being severely overseen by the Arch-magess Vep.
- Gift Attunement: Necromancy
- Possible Enchantable Items: Weapons (Slashing, Bludgeoning and Piercing [Nothing over the size of a long sword]), Rings, Rods, and Misc. Jewelry.

During mining operations in the region of Balthazor a solid black glossy vein of ore was discovered. When the miners touched this black glossy ore with bare flesh they literally shriveled up into dried, desiccated corpses. Arch-magess Vep sent a contingency of advisors to investigate this "Death Ore." What they discovered was veins of a strange new ore that rested incredibly deep within the bowels of the land and were saturated with the negative energies of the Necromantic Gift. Eventually, it was safely mined and studied further. The metal, now named Sombratite, or Shadowsteel, was found to have ghastly properties.

Shadowsteel can maintain necromantic magic within itself. Only Necromancers have thus far been able to handle it with bare skin, being attributed to a Necromancer's attuning to the negative energies of Necromancy. In darkness, Shadowsteel manifests greater power, however in full sunlight it wavers and weakens to become ghostlike, translucent gray, like a specter.

Soniarium (AKA Silentsteel)

- Region Mined: Mountainous regions of Arboria, Thermador and within the Badlands.
- Trade Control: Merchant trade used to be strictly regulated by the Silver Moon Knights under the auspices of the Emperor. Controls are now designated by appropriate region leaders when possible, and this ore is still quite rare.
- Gift Attunement: All the Known Gifts
- Possible Enchantable Items: Armor (Ring, Scale, and Chain), Shields (Bucklers only), Weapons (Slashing, Bludgeoning and Piercing), Rings, Rods, and Misc. Jewelry.

"More rare than a wart-covered elf, and bloody expensive besides!" The precious ore Soniarium, also called Silentsteel or Deadsteel, is a lusterless gray ore found in the most treacherous mountain caverns of Arboria, Thermador and crags bordering the Badlands. Slightly stronger than steel, this incredibly lightweight ore possesses an unnatural ability to either absorb or suppress all sound within an area. Soniarium does not affect air; it is a magical metal that absorbs or suppresses sound. The range of sound negation varies in relation to the size of the item crafted from Soniarium. A dagger of Soniarium would only effect an area of no larger than 2 feet in diameter, while someone foolish enough to don Soniarium chain could possibly suppress sound up to 10 feet in diameter. A spell-caster with a staff of Soniarium would likely find himself useless. Soniarium also possesses a certain limited resistance to acid (in particular acid used by the Hive). Note that not only would no one be able to hear you, but you would be unable to hear...

Due to the sinister possibilities surrounding this ore, the Emperor once banned the crafting or owning of items made from this metal. Given the restrictions the metal imposes, it has become notorious as an assassin's weapon.

On a more distressing note, rumors abound amongst the various Sage and Loremaster communities that the Mad Mage Icaruss has somehow crafted a massive golem purely from Soniarium (This construct is different than those constructed from Soniarium and iron which, as a hybrid mix, does not give off sound, but also does not absorb it). If this is true, then such a creature could hypothetically suppress sounds within a 50 yard radius! Such an area would make this abomination a virtual juggernaut. With such a large noiseless area, one could not verbalize spells, summon aid to combat or give vocal commands to warriors...

Common Metals:

Lead, copper, bronze, tin, iron, steel, silver, gold, platinum and zinc (which is used primarily combined with copper to create brass).

These metals are commonly used to craft a myriad of mundane items. However, due to the commonness or simplicity of these metals, they are sometimes bypassed for one of the more unique metals as they tend to be easier to enchant.

Hardest to Softest	Most to Least Expensive
Soniarium Ashblack/Krystallios Steel/Merisite Iron Bronze Phylanium Sombratite	Soniarium Krystallios Ashblack Merisite Phylanium Sombratite Steel Iron Bronze

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