Mithral, Material
The pylon smith, famous in this city, looked right at me after some silent consideration. "So," it's voice not unlike air fleeing around a roaring flame, "you want to apprentice for me? No writ of contract, references or anything else? Hmph." It chuckled, if you could call it that. Picking up a pair of tongs, it grabbed silvery-purple length of metal from a nearby scrap pile. "What is this? Tell me all about it and then I might consider letting you work in my shop." I couldn't help but get closer to examine it before rattling off at it's request. It was good my father himself had worked with this such metal before he passed. My mouth starting before I had actually gathered my thoughts, "Well... its mithral."
Properties
Material Characteristics
Mithral is a light weight metal that in its unrefined state appears more silver than silver itself. However, when refined and then put in further extreme heat, it takes on a slightly purple hue. As it cools, it returns to its extremely pure silver state but if it has been in furnace heat for to long, it still retains at least some of its purple coloration. Well treated mithral is almost always silver in coloration, as purple betrays that the material was treated by either an inexperienced or rushed metal worker.
Physical & Chemical Properties
- Mithral is as strong as steel but weighs considerably less. Just over almost exactly half the same weight for the same amount.
- Melts at a lower point than steel, making it easier to treat.
- Has many of the same disruptive effects as silver, making it effective for fighting strange and otherworldly creatures such as undead, fiends and faen.
Geology & Geography
Mithral can be found wherever there are artifact sites. Especially in Equinox, where they hoard most of their mithral materials. Other Realms have good amounts spread across them, but not as much as the faen have themselves.
Origin & Source
In its raw state, it is mostly found in broken sheets with pieces of refined iron and steel driven through it. To get to the mithral itself, one has to pry out the other parts as well. For example, a relic wall seeming to be made of mithral will often only be 3/4ths mithral.
History & Usage
History
Found originally within Equinox, the Society and Sisterhood originally claimed that only they had mithral shortly after the Banishment. However, come seven hundred or so years later, the pylons begin digging up pure mithral in their own ground of Cevaria. Then the people in Highsun and Unside do as well, weakening Equinox's claim and causing even more tension. Though the other peoples had found mithral based artifacts before then, they had not recognized that this true mithral and only a weaker byproduct that had been tainted by iron and steel based residues, making the material then weaker. Only after the discovery of pure mithral did the Cevarians attempt to separate the mithral properties from the others, eventually resulting in what we have currently. Shortly after the Ranger's began to employ the use of mithral for their own uses, with the Temple becoming the second largest consumer of products made from the material. The lie that Equinox perpetuated for several centuries severely rose tensions even further once the truth was revealed.
Everyday use
True mithral is not employed by most of the populace in amounts larger than, for example, rings or amulets. It is commonly seen in established holy locations, such as older abbeys and temples.
Cultural Significance and Usage
The Temple calls its mithral coins mithral not because they are mithral, though they aren't in actuality. Instead the purple artifact currency they have is only colored after the real mithral material, earning it the name, or so it goes. In Highsun, Modal produces the most pure mithral among all other countries. In addition to this, the material has become so widespread in Modal that it is said to be the defining reason why Modal held out in the south during the Blood Year. In Unside, mithral is often associated to be a symbol of balance, capable to be used against demons but also their own kind, and to many of their commoners, is used with the utmost, if not downright spiritual, sense respect. Unside residents that use mithral to harm their own kind with the substance are almost guaranteed to be put to the sword in any circumstance.
Manufacturing & Products
Most often, if not used to make rings, doorknobs, window frames, keys or amulets, mithral is used to create special mithral based armors and weapons.
Byproducts & Sideproducts
Some alchemists require the aid of smiths to distill certain properties from mithral to create extremely potent liquid poisons against those who are vulnerable to the metal. If the average Old Blood should drink from a liquor tainted by mithral, he may have a simple fever and piss blood for a day or two. However, should a hoardling or creature of the Ivy court drink from it? It's likely they will die within minutes. The distillery of the mithral in this way does not 'harm' the metal in any clear way. Also, mithral used for this must be of the purple variance, though the reasons why are not yet clear.
Distribution
Trade & Market
Most sellers on the common market are plunderers, adventurers and smugglers. However, most of the mithral found is done so by institutionally sponsored diggers. From here, if it does not land in the hands of a noble baron or travelling merchant, it is bound to find itself in a government paid forge to be used in an armory. About a third of all mithral goes to the Rangers, where any serious Lodge has at least a militia's worth of mithral arms and armor. The second third goes to aid those in Unside fight demons and other monstrous creatures. The remaining third is found in domestic use. It is uncertain how much the faen truly have in mithral based products.
Law & Regulation
In Unside, it is common across tribes and countries that a dwelling may not have more than one mithral based weapon if it has one at all.
Type
Metal
Value
Light Armor: +1000 GP / Medium Armor: +4000 GP / Heavy Armor: + 9000 GP / Shield: +1000 GP / Other Items: +500 GP per lbs.
Color
Silver or light purple
Melting / Freezing Point
2300 F
Common State
Solid
Related Locations
Related Technologies
Related Professions
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