Alloying Metals

Y'know, if it wasn't an heirloom I'd recommend taking that iron weight you call a sword and smelting it down so it could be made into good quality steel. I guarantee anything I could turn it into would be more suited to withstand punishment. Sentimental attachment doesn't keep it from snapping if it hits something too hard!

— Anonymous forgemaster

For untold eras, people have been using mixtures of metals to create tools, weapons, and armor. First came bronze, then various types of iron alloys, before steel and mithril became the more commonplace alloys in the world. Metalsmiths toil long hours at foundries across the world to create enough metal to keep civilization expanding and able to replace broken or worn objects. For as important as these alloys are to the world, it is often taken for granted exactly how much effort has gone into reaching the current state of the world. Scholars are quick to note the pre-Imperium era seems fraught with trouble and records of unreliable metal. A selection of the alloys currently in use on Erisdaire follows. There are still many more, as every forgemaster has been known to experiment with new mixtures from time to time, but these are the ones widely accepted to be useful throughout the continent.

Bronze

The oldest alloy still used in modern times, bronze is a mixture of copper and tin. The mixture was harder than any other metal easily worked with at the time, which made it considerably useful. A secondary quality, one which remains unmatched outside of modern mithril, is the resistance to corrosive reactions over time. Thus an object cast or forged from bronze will last longer over time, with a side-effect of not producing sparks when struck against another material. In recent times bronze is still used for a number of highly specialized purposes. More commonly, the ease of creating it in modern forges leads to it being a useful test given to apprentices to see if they are ready to move on to more difficult tasks.

Bronze is still used to make fittings and nails for ships, since it is considerably resistant to corrosion from being submerged. It is also used to cast bells, as it has a more pleasing tone than other metals which may have been used. A few places still make polished bronze mirrors and tableware, usually objects made from apprentices being taught the basics of metalwork. The kingdom of Galendale still uses bronze weapons and armor for ceremonial uses, and dwarven miners are known to keep sets of bronze tools around in case volatile gases are found in mines. Adventurers sometimes keep bronze weapons on hand should they be expecting to face adversaries with the ability to corrode regular steel weapons, should they not be able to afford mithril.

Bronze takes very well to enchantment, which makes its use in ceremonial weapons less laughable to those who are aware of this. Magically-reinforced bronze weapons can reliably replace steel, and there is a secondary affinity for bronze weapons to use fire or lightning enchantments. Light-producing effects are also fairly popular, as many magical lanterns use a bronze sphere as the core of the object.

Steel

There is no thing I trust greater than good steel in skilled hands.

— Anonymous

Steel is the current alloy of choice for the Rhyliss Empire and many major kingdoms on Erisdaire, owing to how simple it is to be made through advancements in metalworking. Simple, but time-consuming, requiring many steps in the process. Iron ore is melted down and impurities removed while charcoal is used to infuse carbon into the mixture. This winds up giving the iron more flexibility as opposed to more pure wrought iron. A number of other metals have been added to steel over the ages, and each culture has their own recipes - resulting in a quiet competitiveness over which is "better" despite retaining very similar qualities in the end. Four types of steel are currently the fore-runners in the common folks' minds, with a fifth type of steel valued rather greatly.

Imperial Steel: Imperial steel is one of the few things which made the Rhyliss Empire grow steadily in its early centuries, as it was developed as an edge over other powers still using primarily iron or bronze arms and armor. While steel did exist pre-Imperium, the secrets of making it were very carefully kept and few places could produce high quantities. That is, until the Empire constructed the first major foundry at Adrus Tor. Today, the foundries across the Empire turn out many shipments of steel in a year, and thus one is almost always guaranteed to be able to acquire it for a fair price. Connoisseurs may fault it for being 'too common', but Imperial Steel is widely accepted to be serviceable and available for anyone with the silver to pay for it. The primary foundry for making Imperial Steel is at Farrohol, in the Vinland province, while secondary foundries exist in the Sanguine and Heartland provinces.

Mystic Steel: In the eastern reaches of Erisdaire, Myrisic has developed a method of making steel which relies on a great amount of magical assistance to sustain a stable temperature. Further magic is employed to ensure each batch of steel is as close to the previous one, allowing the quality to be consistent. However, this results in what many describe as a 'bland' appearance on top of having a trace amount of magic left clinging to the metal for many years. Even so, the so-called 'mystic steel' is widely available east of the Empire's borders, and performs much the same as Imperial steel.

Elven Steel: Elves have worked with an iron alloy similar to steel for ages before humans developed it, but they had always shown a reluctance to teach humans about how to make it. There was a great fear it would become used for weapons, strife, and perhaps even be turned against the ones who taught the secret. With the rise of the Imperium, the elves have been proven right yet are less reluctant to share their steel. (They have, however, steadfastly refused to teach Imperial forgemasters how to make mithril; the few human smiths who know how are honor-bound not to share it except to an apprentice, and pass that binding down.) Elven steel is slightly lighter, prone to more flexible and bright appearances. The smiths who make it also tend to be willing to add minor enchantments to it, which are usually not inherent to the material itself.

Dwarven Steel: Much like the elves, dwarves have made steel for a time before humanity began to widely use it; the difference is, dwarves did teach a few human smiths about the method and perhaps are responsible for some of the early breakthroughs. Despite that, dwarvenkind has proven remarkably uninterested in the importance of these details and is more interested on retaining the secrets of mithril. Dwarven steel is known for being able to handle higher temperatures before becoming damaged (or brittle), though not significantly so. It often has a more red-orange hue to the mix, though many dwarves are quick to note it is purely cosmetic and a cultural preference. The notable qualities of dwarven steel is more in the culture than the material itself. Dwarves are very thorough and do not sell objects they are not completely certain of being capable of the task they are intended for. For this reason alone, 'dwarven steel' tends to draw people who want to be likewise certain their new purchase isn't going to be flawed in some fashion.

Ravalian Steel: The origin of Ravalian steel is not widely known, even the origins of the name has been lost in the pre-Imperium chaos. But it is one of the more striking remnants of that era, taking the form of intricately patterned steel. It is flexible compared to modern steel, while also withstanding rather rigorous use. Despite the exact method having been lost to time, some mastersmiths have been experimenting and come fairly close to what might be the same method - though, naturally, not the same original material. Ravalian steel is prized almost as much as orichalcum as ancient heirlooms go, but it is almost exclusively present in the form of tools and weapons, not armor.

Mithril

See also: Mithril
Mithril is a very special metal, as it was developed during the time human tribes were working with bronze, and when they were moving on to steel the process was being perfected by dwarves and elves. Humanity has not mastered this, but it is less due to a lack of ingenuity than not really finding it necessary with elves and dwarves producing it. The two different alloy types are only slightly different beyond superficial qualities, and are often a question of aesthetics over function.

Elven Mithril: Elven mithril is distinguishable by a faint pale green coloration to the metal, though in some cases there are additional steps included in its creation to enhance this. Primarily one will find elven mithril used in small weapons and armor which uses small pieces of metal, as well as structural components.

Dwarven Mithril: Dwarven mithril holds a faint blue color when polished, and unlike elven mithril it is rarely altered to accent this. Dwarves craft tools and protective wear from mithril, which means mithril mail of fine links remains one of the more common armors which can be found. It's also considerably more common in dwarven settlements as structural reinforcement for defensive purposes, and in a few cases it has been used for reinforcing underground caverns.

Orichalcum

See also: Orichalcum

You know, apprentice, instead of continuing to try decoding orichalcum, maybe you should focus on your steelwork so you can make passable steel. Then again I'm not sure either of these things will happen before my daughter passes from old age..

— Master Wycroft, Farro forgemaster

Orichalcum is an ancient relic from an era long past, and none currently possess the means to create any longer. Even for its time it was scarce outside of those wealthy enough to afford it, which means numerous objects of questionable use were left behind. It's not uncommon to find orichalcum buttons, symbols of office, or jewelry for sale in curiosity stores. Weapons and armor crafted of orichalcum exist, but are either heirloom objects or jealously guarded due to how easily the metal resists damage.

While the source of orichalcum is not known, there are some known details which are puzzling. Dwarves and elves do not know of it, and have no record of ever constructing anything from the metal. With it being a purely human development in metal, it thus has made scholars exceedingly curious as to why knowledge of how to make it has completely vanished from the world.

Red Bronze: Attempts to recreate orichalcum have led to something completely different, a type of bronze which is capable of reaching a comparable hardness to steel. However, the process has proven difficult to execute even with the aid of magic. With the resulting metal lacking all the hallmarks of orichalcum, and being sub-par to most steels, the only benefit is how red bronze seems to more readily accept enchantments than bronze or regular steel.

Electrum

A lesser-used metal alloy, electrum is a mixture of near-equal parts silver and gold popularly used for jewelry in the earlier centuries of the Imperium. It has since fallen out of style, though some crafters still make it if requested. Origins of the metal have been hard to pin down, though there has been success as opposed to discovering the origins of orichalcum. Pre-Imperium, the overall supply of pure silver and gold was much smaller than current mines have produced, meaning many kingdoms would create electrum coins instead of gold coins. Similarly, this was popular for jewelry since it often possessed a fairly striking appearance in comparison to the two major components. It stopped being used for coinage when there had been enough metalcraft advancement to extract silver and gold with fewer troubles, though ancient ruins may still have treasure consisting of electrum as opposed to silver and gold.

Table of Contents

1. Bronze
2. Steel
3. Mithril
4. Orichalcum
5. Electrum

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• Adamantine