Blackstone

Written by Salen

Blackstone is a mineral deposit found under the mountains in the Shards. It was discovered by dwarven slave miners centuries ago and eventually used in the making of the great stone ships. These deposits aren't small either, being very large when discovered and they try to take out as large a piece as they can now a days. The ebony colored stone weighs about half of what granite does and feels warm to the touch even if cooled.

Not for Everyone

Originally used in the manufacturing of shields and armors, Blackstone was found too brittle when used as a weapon. If not kept at a certain thickness it started to weaken, there by rendering it's usefulness slightly. Even the armor and shields have faded away as the years went by as they were too bulky and cumbersome to use effectively. Once it was found to be extremely buoyant, the warlords sanctioned it for their use only and limited its sale to the general populace.

The Shipwrights

In SF 91 an orcish shipwright used some discarded armor to reinforce his Slave Runner's hull and found that it sealed together really well with iron. Word spread quickly among the boat masters and soon the warlord Toth IV came to inspect the boat. The shipwright was offered a job building ships for the nation on the spot and the rest is history. Taking about three years to craft one Stone ship hull, it was still a great stride in the warlords armory. Unfortunately spies informed the other warlords and the race was on to mine Blackstone.

Properties

Material Characteristics

This dense black stone is more akin to a gem then actual rock. It is ebony in color and is often mistaken for obsidian

Physical & Chemical Properties

The stone, even when cooled, is warm to the touch. This does not affect anyone touching it, and no one can figure out why it is so warm.

Geology & Geography

Blackstone is found deep under the mountains in the Shards and is thought to be a by product of Starfall. Whether it is from the stars that actually fell from the black night sky or not is still up for speculation.

History & Usage

Discovery

Blackstone was first discovered in the year SF 70 by dwarven slave miners.

Everyday use

It's common use is in the Orcish Stone Ship that the warlords use for war. It's also used in making durable shields and some armors.

Type

Stone

Color

Deep ebony, with a shine to its surface.

Melting / Freezing Point

The stone actually melts at 2200 degrees fahrenheit

Related Species

• Orcs

The Process

To shape the hull of a ship the shipwrights chisel and wedge apart large curved pieces of Blackstone. These are then lowered down into a shallow water holding brace where liquid Blackstone is then poured onto the seams of the pieces, fusing them together. Where iron was found as a useful metal to fuse them together, once the shipwrights found it's melting point, they found that it bonds with it self perfectly. This bond is so strong that it takes more force to break it apart then to mine it in the first place. Rumors as to why the stone is always warm speculate that this is why.