Godstone
"This? This is a genuine Godstone breastplate from the old Empire. Its been with my family for over fifteen hundred years and is worth more than the entire Imperial Fleet. It's travelled a fair bit too, the family had to move it to Llaris when the damned Sakamohr ruled the city, but my grandfather brought it back. The only thing like it is the armour the Palace Guard wear."The religious and political heart of The Empire of Belyos is the city of Belyos. The city is sited on its own island that occupies a strait between the mainland and the larger island of the Imperial Province. As well as being the place of retirement for members of a deceased Emperors direct family, and providing a direct income for the Emperor (as opposed to taxes, which are for the Empire as a whole), the Imperial Province contains a large black deposit known only as Godstone. The nearby town of Stone relies entirely on Godstone for its existence, as only the miners and quarriers of Stone know how to extract the ore in a form suitable for further processing.
Properties
Material Characteristics
A dark, metallic looking rock, with an unusual pattern across the surface. It can be polished, exposing the cross-hatch pattern more clearly.
Physical & Chemical Properties
The material is, without processing, relatively soft and malleable, with thin strips easily deformed by hand. After appropriate working by a skilled smith, using techniques only known to a select few, it becomes harder and stronger, and able to be formed into useful items.
History & Usage
History
The origin of Godstone is unknown, but popular myth states that the substance was placed there by Yaltur himself, to provide easily accessible iron to his new Empire. The knowledge of how to work Godstone was lost for many centuries, after the only smiths capable of crafting it were killed in a storm in 623 IY, but by that point iron smelting had become commonplace across the Empire, using naturally occurring ore deposits. Some articles still exist from this period, mainly breastplates part of an old noble house's armoury and are worth a fortune.
Whilst the knowledge of how to smith it was lost, the ability to mine it wasn't and the people of Stone continued to extract small quantities of the substance, making it into the unique jewellery now found across the Empire.
When Til-Yaltur unified the Empire, he restarted the practice of using Godstone in a processed form, using knowledge gained in a revelation from Yaltur to teach new smiths the secret, to make armour for his newly created Palace Guard.
Everyday use
Originally, Godstone was used as the only easily accessible source of iron for the early Empire, but as infrastructure improved, sources that were easier to use became available, and the practice decreased, before being lost entirely. For many centuries, Godstone was used as a decorative substance only, with various trinkets and items of jewellery finding their way across the Empire.
Since the re-emergence of working it, Godstone is exclusively used to create armour for the Palace Guard, with all other usage restricted. This has significantly raised the price of existing Godstone jewellery across the Empire.
Distribution
Law & Regulation
By Imperial decree, all newly mined ore is only to be used for the manufacture of Palace Guard armour and weapons. Historical pieces, and existing small items of unprocessed or jewellery is allowed, but must have been registered with the Imperial Bureau of Minerals.
Type
Metal
Value
Immeasurable
Rarity
Unique
Color
Black or blackish green
Common State
Solid, crystalline
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I love the image on the side, it makes it feel a bit more real. And the change in maluability is really cool too, I'm kind of imagining it being as squishy as hard playdough before being treated, or like warm gold. Great article :)