Kraken Ink Leather
The secrets to making this leather are held close by the chivalric Order of the Waves in Nemel. The skins of local aquatic mammals, such as whales and seals, are brine cured with Water Magic and then soaked in ink obtained from any of the cephalopod variety of Kraken. During the liming process Kraken ink is added to the limewater and futher infused into the collagen with Water Magic. Following the deliming, bating, and pickling, the hides are tanned with tannins and more ink. This process leaves all Kraken leather with its distinctive blue-black color with a pattern of concentric circles from the pulse of the Water Magic.
This process makes the leather nearly as tough as the chain and plate worn by Order of the Frost and Order of the Stones respectively. While the leather weighs as much as regular leather out of the water, in water it is nearly weightless while still retaining all of its protective qualities.
One of the most difficult parts of the creation is procuring the ink. Krakens can at times be found in the open ocean, but any of them are few and far between, never mind the cephalopod species. Summoning a Kraken from the Elemental Water Plane is more likely to have the desired results, but finding a caster with the prerequisite Spatial Magic skills to successfully wrangle the reluctant creature to this plane is not an easy feat in and of itself, never mind the power needed to harvest it.
In addition to crafting Ocean Armor with this leather, the Order also uses it to for their Hippocamp bridles and saddles.
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