Elven Spidercloth

The elves of Plavithen have a unique and potent material that they use in most of their armor and a fair amount of their day-to-day clothing: magically-extracted woven spider silk.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Elven spidercloth looks like a thick, silvery fabric. It is soft and very lightweight.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Much like Earth spider silk, the spider silk that goes into elven spidercloth is incredibly light and strong - stronger by weight than high-grade steel.

Origin & Source

The spidercloth is produced by a special breed of giant spider that has been magically engineered and domesticated by the elves. One might expect the preferred diet of these creatures to be "enemies" but as it turns out, nothing provides more silk than giant ants and fire beetles, which has lead some elven communities to cultivate populations of the giant insects in their territory.

Life & Expiration

Elven spidercloth will last basically forever as long as it is taken care of, but it can be burned, dissolved with acid, cut with sufficiently-sharp and durable tools and so on. It isn't indestructible.

History & Usage

Refinement

Elven spidercloth is produced by farms of magically-engineered giant spiders. The elves feed the spiders well (giant insects are selcom a problem in elven forests or the surrounding area!) and in turn the spiders not only produce the silk, but weave it. Because of this, the fabric cannot be produced on an industrial scale, and it is reserved purely for use by the elves and especially honored allies; it is not a trade good.

Manufacturing & Products

Any sort of clothing can be made from elven spidercloth, but the two most common types are an armored gambeson worn by elven warriors and formal wear worn by elven royalty and nobility.
In a few rare cases, other things are made with it - for example, a few elite elven mage-warrior units use spidercloth ropes. Similar ropes are also used in certain elven sailing vessels (and as sailcloth in the same vessels) and sometimes in construction. The extreme lightness and durability of the material helps a great deal in making seemingly "impossible" feats of engineering work.