Elvish Chain Mail
Elven chain mail is the only form of armor made of the legendary elven alloy, mithril, a light-weight silvery steel of great strength. Even without enchantment, elven chain mail is typically half the weight of its human-forged counterpart.
The elves guard the secret of making elven chain mail with more ferocity than they protect even their own children. In the entire multi-millennia-long history of the elven race, the number of elven armorers who learn the secrets of forging elven steel can be counted on but one hand. Needless to say, these masters of the art tend to be ancient in the extreme, and the choice of an apprentice comes but once every thousand years. This is the highest honor accorded to any single elf, save being chosen by his peers to lead the elven race.
Apprenticeship is not a gift bestowed by the wealthy or powerful, but chosen by magical testing in a secret ceremony. Some outsiders would argue that the training makes the armorer, but tradition holds great sway in elven circles.
Human and dwarven armorers have been able to divine at least some of the secrets of the elven armorers, but not the most important ones. They know, for example, that mithril silver, that part of mithril which gives this purest of metals its glimmer in the moonlight, is somehow alloyed with other materials. The process of alloying has never been duplicated outside of an elven master forge, so most armorers believe some form of magical manipulation is involved in the process somewhere. Furthermore, anyone hoping to forge elven armor must be able to see the magical emanations radiating from it. While this may be done artificially through magic, this task is geared more toward the elves' natural eyesight. D
Drow armorers (described later) work under similar conditions. Naturally, when one has a thousand years to perfect the skills for one's job, just about anything is within grasp. The dwarves call this an unfair advantage, while the humans don't even bother trying anymore. Life is too short, they feel, to waste time on creating something that would be easier stolen or discovered in a dragon's horde.
Elven chain mail is used by elven troops, both cavalry and infantry. It is common among the grey (faerie) elves and advanced elven cultures, but less common among the high elves. It is extremely rare among the wood elves.
Since the material is so strong and valuable, in those rare instances when a suit of elven chain mail is damaged to the point of needing repair, the suit is never discarded, but returned to the armorer for repair or replacement. By the numbers of suits estimated to exist by human military planners and master armorers, best estimates are that it might take upwards of ten years to make just one suit of elven chain. Otherwise, they reason, there would be a lot more of the armor in use by the elves, and many more suits would be found in the lairs and treasure hordes of monsters across the realms.
Magical Elven Chain Mail Ordinary elven chain mail is rare in the extreme, but magical elven chain is so precious a gift that only a handful of suits have been rumored to exist anywhere but in royal elven hands.
In addition to the normal weight and flexibility advantages of elven chain, magical elven chain mail is so weightless that it can be worn under one's normal clothes. It is so comfortable and unrestrictive that it can be worn constantly, even while sleeping. Magical elven chain is so soft to the touch that it can be worn without any padding beneath it. This makes magical elven chain the ideal armor for travelers, excluding only the greatest of knights, who by tradition prefer plated armors over all others.
For rogues especially, a set of magical elven chain mail is a more prized possession than even full plate armor +1. Adventurers have lost their lives over mere rumors of magical elven chain.
The elves guard the secret of making elven chain mail with more ferocity than they protect even their own children. In the entire multi-millennia-long history of the elven race, the number of elven armorers who learn the secrets of forging elven steel can be counted on but one hand. Needless to say, these masters of the art tend to be ancient in the extreme, and the choice of an apprentice comes but once every thousand years. This is the highest honor accorded to any single elf, save being chosen by his peers to lead the elven race.
Apprenticeship is not a gift bestowed by the wealthy or powerful, but chosen by magical testing in a secret ceremony. Some outsiders would argue that the training makes the armorer, but tradition holds great sway in elven circles.
Human and dwarven armorers have been able to divine at least some of the secrets of the elven armorers, but not the most important ones. They know, for example, that mithril silver, that part of mithril which gives this purest of metals its glimmer in the moonlight, is somehow alloyed with other materials. The process of alloying has never been duplicated outside of an elven master forge, so most armorers believe some form of magical manipulation is involved in the process somewhere. Furthermore, anyone hoping to forge elven armor must be able to see the magical emanations radiating from it. While this may be done artificially through magic, this task is geared more toward the elves' natural eyesight. D
Drow armorers (described later) work under similar conditions. Naturally, when one has a thousand years to perfect the skills for one's job, just about anything is within grasp. The dwarves call this an unfair advantage, while the humans don't even bother trying anymore. Life is too short, they feel, to waste time on creating something that would be easier stolen or discovered in a dragon's horde.
Elven chain mail is used by elven troops, both cavalry and infantry. It is common among the grey (faerie) elves and advanced elven cultures, but less common among the high elves. It is extremely rare among the wood elves.
Since the material is so strong and valuable, in those rare instances when a suit of elven chain mail is damaged to the point of needing repair, the suit is never discarded, but returned to the armorer for repair or replacement. By the numbers of suits estimated to exist by human military planners and master armorers, best estimates are that it might take upwards of ten years to make just one suit of elven chain. Otherwise, they reason, there would be a lot more of the armor in use by the elves, and many more suits would be found in the lairs and treasure hordes of monsters across the realms.
Magical Elven Chain Mail Ordinary elven chain mail is rare in the extreme, but magical elven chain is so precious a gift that only a handful of suits have been rumored to exist anywhere but in royal elven hands.
In addition to the normal weight and flexibility advantages of elven chain, magical elven chain mail is so weightless that it can be worn under one's normal clothes. It is so comfortable and unrestrictive that it can be worn constantly, even while sleeping. Magical elven chain is so soft to the touch that it can be worn without any padding beneath it. This makes magical elven chain the ideal armor for travelers, excluding only the greatest of knights, who by tradition prefer plated armors over all others.
For rogues especially, a set of magical elven chain mail is a more prized possession than even full plate armor +1. Adventurers have lost their lives over mere rumors of magical elven chain.
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