Soulsteel

The blade is a wonder. A marvel. A horror. In silence it can be heard.  A high pitched keening.  The blade is black as tar. Cold as ice. But if you look, stare at it, you can see a shimmer of movement.  You watch and see it writhes inside. Flickering impressions of faces, hands, arms, legs, feet, chests, buttocks, backs. Sometimes tails. Claws, Fangs, inhuman ears pressed against the outside from within.

Soulsteel is one of the great magical metals. The others are  Pyropos -the coppery red metal of Kobold making.  Orichalcum - the golden astral metal that devours essence.  The Moonsilver, which changes under the user's will and Starmetal.  Soulsteel devours ectoplasm and destroys spirits. That which is slain by Soulsteel is utterly and competely gone from the worlds of flesh and spirit.  The making of it is a deep secret of the dead smithies of the underworld, though it is clearly composed of souls and underworld iron.

The unholy metal is considered unclean by the State Church, but that doesn't stop the Emperor from gathering it where ever it might be found.  The Church via the Witchhunters and the Emperor though the Monitors scour the empire for rumors of Soulsteel weapons and armors. Shaped weapons and armor are worth fortunes and the raw ingots beyond price. This is the secret weapon of The Harrower . The Deathlord reaches out via his agents offering power and magic to those who will hold back others from striking at it. It buys horses, cattle and supply moved by secret ways and stealthy deals. It gains favor in lands and from Houses far from The Harrowland  and it's undead fleets. In this way it also gains clawholds in lands untouched by the fear of the Underworld and it's hunger for life.

Properties

Origin & Source

The only sources of raw Soulsteel are the deathlords and smithies of the Underworld where the material is made. Small  quantities may be found in ancient Crypts, lost treasuries or personal collections. In the Mortal world around the Inner Sea, The Harrower's agents buy sympathy and support from nobles, merchants and the influential who dwell far from it's lands, Inland from the sea and shores harried by it's undead pirate fleet. The coin is that buys the forebearance and opposition to  outright war, is Soulsteel. A gift of armor or shield. One weapon a year.  Plus a supply of Dark Iron of the underworld which can be shaped and formed and when mixed with fresh blood resists fading and withering in the sun.

History & Usage

Everyday use

The Deathlords save the Soulsteel for themselves and their favored minions. The Dead in the great Necropolis have smithies that know the secrets of crafting Soulsteel. Elite units of the Necropolis guard carry weapons or are garbed in Soulsteel.  They and the torturers carry manacles and chains of Soulsteel which bar escape by dematerialization or transformation - changing shape to hold what is chained.  So too the Ghenid ghosts.  Only a few have the secrets which they guard and value above all other possessions and assure them favored places in the Demon Queen's tents.  In the living  world Soulsteel destroys spirits when used against them.  It is magical and unbreakable and carries an aura of fear and awe such that any fighter against supernatural desires it. Necromancers crave it for their works and for study. The powerful crave it as a display of their power. The collector wants it for the rarity and novelty.

Reusability & Recycling

Raw ingots are highly sought because they alone may be shaped by smithies and metal workers.  Once a finished shape is taken under the maker's will, it is locked and though bent or broken is restored in the darkness of Night. Even if the parts are separated, the sundered join with the greatest part where ever it lies and restores the made form.  It is said that Dragon fire and volcanoes can destroy Soulsteel.  This may be true, or it may only be that it becomes impossible to recover from the new owner.

Distribution

Trade & Market

In the Mortal World, only the Harrower sells or trades in any quantity.  Some may possess an item or two. Rare indeed is a House or kingdom with more than a dozen items kept closely guarded.  The agents and emissaries of the Harrower buy sympathy and loyalty from those who are unfamiliar with it and it's methods.  Many can look away, or turn a deaf ear when the evil is distant and doesn't touch them, much.

Type

Metaphysical

Value

Raw ingots are priceless. The shaped items of Soulsteel are worth small fortunes.

Odor

The metal smells old. Dry and musty.

Taste

What madness leads one to lick it? The tongue freezes to it and comes away leaving flesh. It is cold and dust and pain.

Color

Black with an oily sheen. Faint swirling motions can be seen when examined closely. These resolve into screaming souls pressed momentarily against the surface before being swept back into the metal.