Iron Snail Steel

Located at the summit of Mount Ki'Inoro, Iron Snails can be found eating the rocks formed by long-since cooled lava flows. The snails are known, and instantly recogniseable, for their shiny metal shells, that grows in layers using the minerals their body extracts from the rocks that they eat. 
It was discovered, quite by who is uncertain, that the metal these snails grow on their shells is exceedingly strong; stronger even than elven or dwarven steels. As the snail grows in size (some have been seen to be the size of a boulder), the outer layer of the shell falls away in a sheet, replaced by another, newer layer underneath, and so on and so on, often falling into a lava flow where it is melted down, only to become the cooled laval rocks that the snails will inevitably consume.
The location of this wonder-material is exceptionally difficult to access. Not only is it considered a site of great religious significance among the Ki'Inori, who themselves are wary of outsiders, Mount Ki'Inoro is a constantly active volcano, with frequent tremors, shifting lava flows and unpredictable eruptions. The snails themselves also pose a threat - while they have never had a need to defend against predators, they are also less aware of their surroundings. Their ability to cling to rocks at any angle and their voracious need to consume rocks at a constant pace means they would not think twice about knocking another living creature off balance, at best breaking bones on the uneven ground, and at worst: falling into the volcano to be killed instantly. 
This unique combination of risks puts the price for this metal so high, that it is almost exclusively only available via the illegal markets that pop up at Faestival.

Type

Metal