These rare trees are native to north-western Arros and are considered very special and unique because of the fact that they produce fruits that contain iron metal, which can be collected, melted and forged just like regular iron.
Mythical origins
According to Vecan legend, priests from the Circle of earth and fire(One of the 7 circles of faith) got together to create an Ironwood sapling. To do this, they combined a normal tree sapling, possibly oak, spruce or maple. This Sapling was combined with an iron nugget and fuzed to it by Metalmage using an unknown method. Once the tree grew and became able to bare fruits, they were discovered to be made of solid iron.
Unknowns of its creation
The mystery around the method by which the first ironwood sapling was created has lead to various theories. Some vecan priests say the mages were aided by the Great Spirit Themselves, while others say human sacrifices were needed to fuse the metal, as point to the unique deep red colour of these trees. Whatever the case may be, the process has never been successfuly replicated. Each time it was attempted, the sapling died off quickly, within hours.
Uses
Ironwood
This wood is heavy and very solid and is used in buidling contruction. Vecan temples in Rumalia are usualy built with this wood, both for practical reasons, and religious one, as many consider the wood to be holy since the Great Spirit may have contributed to its creation.
Fruits
Ironwood fruits are made of two parts. An outer shell made of hard wood that surounds a ball of soft-ish iron metal. This small metal ball is a seed, and can be planted in the groud to get a new ironwood tree. The seed can also be collected and melted down into seed iron. Intense heat renders the seed sterile and it will begin melting at a slightly lover point than regular iron. Once melted, seed iron is undiscushanble from regular iron and can be worked just like regular iron and can be mixed together without issue. The only distinghuishing feature of seed iron is the slight green tinge of its surface.
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