Loncruach (Lawn-crew-acH)
"The vile worm of soil had carved its way through twelve battalions of honored guards, and made its path into the center of the city. At that moment, hope seemed lost as it set its sights on the Lev-Chayyim, until one surviving soldier plunged his blade into the creatures neck.
The world paused, as silenced echoed louder than anything.
And then a true echo rocketed through the space, as the warrior let out a battlecry of exhaust and desperation, his valor and desperation ringing through his blade.
As a deep, resonant shout turned to a high-pitched screech through the length of the blade, which released into the air as it carved a bloody path through the worms head as if it was mere paper."--Lost tale of Chesed, yet to be found.
Loncruach is the Agarthan name for a long-lost natural-forming steel found deep within the dangerous Underdark. While it isn't the easiest to utilize, as it becomes porous once smelted and cooled, it has found use in the modern day as a decorative and magically conductive metal, although its true power is only known to the knowledge of old Dark Elf nations once deep underground, now only existing in the memory of its few scattered children. Perhaps the truth will return one day, but there are many roadblocks in modern Eddan society to be dealt with first.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Loncruach Ore appears as glossy silver clumps, usually forming in odd squares when sediment is removed. Under the light, they glow a faint violet, differing from other ores.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Loncruach is naturally cool to the touch and emits a violet glow under even a faint light. It's rather tough, but when smelted on its own becomes rather porous.
Geology & Geography
Loncruach Ore is often found in cave walls, but only forms 20 miles under the crust and lower, entering the most dangerous area of the Underdark, which begins roughly 3-8 miles underneath the surface, depending on the area.
At the depths Loncruach forms, however, you're liable to run into toxic clouds, infectious spores, issues with oxygen deprivation and hallucinations, and struggles with getting lost in the winding passages of the deep, not to mention the alien and deadly monsters that roam and carve those paths.
Origin & Source
Loncruach forms as its own ore in the cave walls of the Underdark, but scientific examinations find that it appears to form from mutated iron ore to begin with, absorbing strange sediments and chemicals present in the Underdark as it grows.
History & Usage
Discovery
Loncruach, originally known as Zimer P'ladah to the Dark Elves, was used in the far past by Dark Elf societies in the Underdark, as when smelted and forged correctly it was a durable and light metal that allowed for a lot of uses.
Its rediscovery after the mysterious collapse of those old societies came relatively recently, in 723 EE when Agarthan miner Lúcás Henderson led a dangerous expedition down to the lower levels of the Underdark, where few had dared to travel. While his team's actual time down there was very brief, due to running headfirst into a hive of mushroom-infected horrors, they were down there long enough to grab a strange silver ore, which they were able to return to the surface with.
Upon seeing it glow violet in the sunlight, it was clear what they had grabbed was not a simple one, and Lúcás quickly got to work with metallurgists to uncover the secrets behind the ore. While they found it seemed similar to steel, it had a richness of mana not found in standard metals of any variety, which caused the violet glow. Luckily, one of the metallurgists was a bit of a niche historian and was able to find fragments of a record from the old city of Chesed, which was said to be underneath the Agarthan Mountain. The record depicted how it was seen in the old times, but not how they specifically forged it.
With more preparation, another expedition was undertaken, this time knowing what they were looking for. This time, they brought back enough of the material to try smelting it without concern and found it successful with a catch. Certain deposits in the ore disappeared in the smelting process, leaving the metal porous once cooled. While the parts that remained were still strong and magically charged, it was still a letdown, and concerns of stability were posed.
Despite that, it's still a useful metal for smaller things, and with its scarcity, rather valuable and limited to boot.
Everyday use
Loncruach is mainly used as a decorative metal that can be used for the purpose of artifice, as the magical charge of the item is rather neutral and conducts magical energy easily. Some weapons using the metal exist, but most smiths are not able to work around the porous nature of the item to make them massively useful.
Of course, the Dark Elves who know the stories of their old kingdoms would know that, when smithing a weapon made from Zimer P'ladah, you need to create pockets yourself via unique molds or use durable materials to create a bar while the metal is cooling. That way, the heat that escapes easier than most of the metal has a path out already rather than needing to make one itself.
Cultural Significance and Usage
While modern culture mainly uses it as pretty purple decoration, it was a key element to Dark Elf construction. The Dark Elves in the past made great use of Sonomancy, sound magic, to power their technology and their magical items, and so the pathways created by Zimer P'ladah allowed for them to create direct, resonant pathways within the development of such items. Swords that carve through stone with sonic vibrations, electricity generated by the vibration of resonant devices, and even locks that could only open by singing the right tune. It was yet another facet of the Dark Elves' greatest cultural touchstone, music.
Refinement
Loncruach must be smelted to be used properly, although pockets of heat created by portions of the ore heating earlier than the rest create pores within the metal once cooled.
Distribution
Trade & Market
Agartha is the source of most Loncruach sales in Edda, although the material can be found anywhere pockets of the Underdark exist, or if drilled down manually. It isn't restricted or banned in any measure, outside of it being hard to obtain.
Type
Ore
Value
Valued in the right circles.
Rarity
Rare
Odor
Like soil after rain
Color
Steel, radiates Violet
Boiling / Condensation Point
Very High
Melting / Freezing Point
Very Low
Density
Dense
Common State
Solid, Ore
Related Locations
Related Species
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