Grimsteel

Summary

Grimsteel is a metal found pretty much all across Aerith. It starts to be accessible about 30 meters deep into the ground, and on the shallowest spots found spans a few kilometers down, and at the deepest presumably runs all the way into the core of the planet. The metal itself is rather dense, as well as durable so it's used widely in all sorts of applications. The first known use of it was around the year 350, when it was used for the first time in weapons and armor. It was found to be heavy, but almost impossible to bend or break, as well as erode with use, thus blades with it retain the edge for significantly longer than traditional steel, armor made with it is harder to penetrate, and grimsteel inside mechanisms has an incredibly low failure rate. When it was first discovered in the year 348, it was considered almost a miracle metal. The presence of this metal within the planet makes an otherwise really small planet still have a gravity acceleration of about 10 m/s2.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Being an amalgamation of a couple metals, as well as iron, when found raw it forms as really big chunks or sometimes massive boulders made out of the metal, which has a mostly black color to it. Once treated, it seems like black iron, with some patterns almost like water of lighter colors.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Reacts incredibly strongly to direct magic, able to be enchanted easily, as well as known for changing colors when it is imbued with magic, depending on the wielder.

Life & Expiration

It is unknown if the metal even deteriorates. It doesn't seem to oxidize, not at a meaningful rate anyways. It's not really reactive with any other element, unless imbued with magic or mixed with other metals.

History & Usage

History

When it was first discovered, it was almost impossible to mine or gather without special tools or powerful magic. Forging with it needs a lot of heat, and thus it wasn't particularly used until technology for forging advanced more. Slowly, more and more common items contain grimsteel, from durable kitchenware like pots and pans, to decorative statues that don't wither away. Every nation developed its own use of grimsteel that separated more and more as years passed and the techniques got refined.

Discovery

Discovered in 348, by miners from Torrin's Domain.

Cultural Significance and Usage

Most of the Domains have different cultural uses for grimsteel, for example, Siv's Domain holds some rituals where men and women that are becoming adults have to forge their own axe head using grimsteel. Ari's Domain has a couple special rites where special amulets forged with magically imbued grimsteel is used.

Industrial Use

Torrin's Domain has created a way to use grimsteel as foundation and supports for buildings, by making alloys and amalgams of it.

Refinement

The ore needs to be smelted at really high temperatures to be usable, removing the impurities that would otherwise make it brittle, or lose the strong properties of it.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Kyrrha's Traders sell wares made out of grimsteel, like swords, or kitchenwear fairly commonly, as well as sometimes some purified bars.

Type

Metal

Value

5 GP / purified bar (bar size is the same as a 400 troy ounce gold bar)

Color

Black

Density

75,000 kg/m3 approx.

Common State

solid (metal)