Leverite, Ealdé's Wonder Metal

Discovery

Hardly a decade ago, the explorer Eadwig Leverick the IV led the first Andryte expedition to Ealdé. On his venture, he noted that Ealdé had actually lowered down to levels of accessibility over the past century or so. Previous explorers noted that the distance between it and the High Plains was far too great to safely traverse. Now, with technology growing more sophisticated, he was able to find a way in through a cavern that lead deep into the subterranean depths of the new world. In his exhibitions searching, they found a strange material that shone like pearl and was shaped like rectangular carvings. Leverick, at first, marked it off as strange statues but soon realized that it wasn't manmade. It was entirely natural.  An Alloy of Wicked Strength Leverick returned with carts full of this strange material. Over the next several years, much experimenting would be done to find its uses. The difficult thing about the metallic crystals is how brittle they were, but it was later discovered that mixing a small percentage of them with iron yielded a stronger metal that was heavier, but resistant to the elements. Leverick would name the alloy Leverite as a reward for this discovery. The crystal itself is known to Ealdé as Lumb.

"Nay, Leverick was no genius. He simply paid metallurgists so much in coin that they were forced to give that old man all the credit for it"

- Leofric Yarburough, Blacksmith

Leverite, as it stands, is incredibly expensive. It is difficult to harvest and strenuous to work with. Very few smithies or metallurgists know how to properly create the alloy with it. Those that do, however, are practically nobility with how rich they've become from crafting blades of Leverite for nobles, knights, and the inquisition. 

Dangers

The alloy can be incredibly volatile within the furnace, often causing massive fires. As such, smithies that make Leverite know to not attempt to craft it near flammable objects. Some people claim that blacksmiths that often create the alloy have had changes in behavior. Some seem to laugh for no reason, others fly into wanton rages and burst into tears. Many believe that it is merely the stress of performing a delicate process that takes its toll on them.