Lore24 Jan 7: Metals

In this post I tried to balance basic real world information with the more fantasy-oriented details, because I don't want to leave readers with absolutely no idea about metallurgy without any idea of what the different metals might be used for, but I also don't want folks who have watched multiple hours of youtube videos on the topic to have to slog through a bunch of stuff they already heard a hundred times.

Copper: probably the first metal to see large-scale use. It’s not very good for weapons or armor, and is rather hard to enchant with magic. What it is good for, however is it can be made into catalysts, that help a sorcerer channel magical energies. Most use staves or plate-sized tablets, although smaller, hand-sized sheets are sometimes used by the less affluent sorcerers.

Iron: plentiful, relatively useful for tools, arms and armor. The problem is its brittleness, which means unlike bronze, it breaks instead of bending, which makes iron items much costlier to repair. It also refuses to hold enchantments, and in fact wearing too much armor can significantly hinder or even outright prevent the use of magic.

Bronze: The gold standard for armor and weapons. Relatively easy to repair and make items out of, the main problem is that its constituents (tin and copper) can’t be found near each other, so making bronze, and especially making enough bronze for an army means you need to trade with faraway lands. With the great empires of the land beset by numerous problems, these trade routes have mostly collapsed, meaning what little new bronze items are being made, are mostly made from reclaimed bronze. Bronze holds enchantments quite well, and most magical items are made out of bronze.

Steel: Through secret techniques used in special forges, one may create this legendary metal from simple iron ore. It is just plain better for every use than bronze or iron, takes to enchantments extremely well. In fact it is not uncommon for steel items to develop magical properties simply from repeated use, such as a steel sword that has killed a hundred men acquiring a taste for human blood and seeking it out, dragging the wielder’s hand into the perfect position to land a killing blow. Due to their extreme rarity and magical potency steel items are valued extremely highly. In fact Khasti Ir-Azi the great emperor of Upper Nefet is said to have traded away three cities for a magical steel sword.

Gold: mostly used as jewelry,  decoration and as a currency between kings and emperors. Relatively hard to enchant, but even unenchanted, it can damage and drive away the undead.

Silver: mostly used as jewelry,  decoration and as a currency in bulk trading. Easier to enchant than gold, but harder enchant than bronze. Its touch harms shapeshifters, and if they are in contact with it long enough, it forces them back into their true form.

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