Stone Skin
Stone Skin was a form of lightweight armor developed by the Bekiskapan during the Earth-665 iteration of reality. This clay-based body paint rendered the wearer impervious to most physical attacks, but the recipe was a closely guarded state secret. As such, following the disappearance of the last Bekiskapan during the First Age of Eden, the scientific knowledge necessary to recreate Stone Skin has been lost to history.
Utility
Stone Skin renders the wearer completely impervious to cutting, slashing, and piercing attacks. The damage caused by blunt force trauma is also significantly reduced. And all of this is made possible without any sacrifice in mobility or speed.
That said, the wearer of Stone Skin is not completely invulnerable. Eyes and orifices remain weak points, as do nipples. And though the effectiveness of blunt force trauma is reduced while wearing Stone Skin, deaths by strangulation and crushing were not unheard of in the warrior culture of the Bekiskapan.
The removal process for Stone Skin was its greatest downside. In fact, it has been said that rediscovering the recipe for the body paint would only be step one in recreating the utility of Stone Skin. The other part would be figuring out what tools and techniques they used to take the shit off after battle.
Manufacturing
The ability to create Stone Skin disappeared with the Bekiskapan who invented the technology. And yet, the recipe appears to have been relatively simple. The main ingredients were:
- A combination of clay, chalk, and ash from within ten miles of the intended wearer’s birthplace
- Water from a river rich in temporal magic
What scholars have not been able to ascertain is how the raw materials were mixed and prepared. And that process, the manufacturing process, appears to have been crucial to creating and maintaining the armor’s integrity.
Social Impact
The development of Stone Skin contributed directly to the successes of the Bekiskapan on the battlefield. Their conquest of the Afro-Eurasian landmass during the Earth-665 iteration of reality would not have been possible without this technological innovation.
In Eden, after a Calamity brought the universe to an end, the fearless Bekiskapan and their Stone Skin became the heroes of the First Age. They were instrumental in the defeat of the Monster Hordes, especially during the Battle of Frankburg Bridge, and their impact on the culture of this post-apocalyptic paradise has been immeasurable. From the worldwide worship of larger-than-life heroes to the development of Aünapan culture during the Fourth Age, the legacy of the Bekiskapan and their Stone Skin can still be felt to this day.
That's so cool. I love that there's a magical component to it.
Thank you! Yeah, I wanted something that walked that line between magic and technology. I'm glad it worked!