Cold Iron

"Gold is for the mistress - silver for the maid -

Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade!

'Good!' said the Clanlord, sitting in his hall,

'But Iron - Cold Iron - is master of them all.'"

Classical Talish poem 'Cold Iron', c. 9 R.V.

Cold Iron is an ancient metal that appeared a thousand years ago at the height of the Conquest. It is incredibly harmful towards Fey, causing both physical and spiritual damage. Wielded by the Tiefling nobility and the eventual The Seven Saints, Cold Iron weapons were used to carve through Fey forces and turn the tide of the Conquest in their favor. The methods to shape, melt, or create it have been forgotten, leaving behind only a small amount of artifacts of its make. Some of these have been lost to history, while others are held in Tiefling hands.

Cultural Significance

Cold Iron is considered the height of ancient Tiefling artifice. While its methods of forging have been lost, all of the relics comprised of it hold great significance as functional tools and protective talismans. The few Cold Iron relics having belonged to the Seven Saints, known as the Saints' Vestiges, are guarded constantly and used only in the most dire scenarios. The only exception to this rule is a weapon known as Gaolbreaker: it is the largest piece of Cold Iron ever found and is considered an object of great significance for the perpetual legacy of the League of Clans. It is meant to be handed down between Ministers, Highlords, and other key Tief nobility as the years pass on. It is currently meant to be held by Cathal Rigain.
The loss of Cold Iron's forging is a subject of some contention. While the Tieflings mourn this knowledge, the Dwarves hungrily search for it. They often claim the creation of Cold Iron as a gift from Germagh, but these ideas are highly disputed by the League of Clans and The Spire.

Magical Properties

Cold Iron does not have any magical properties specifically. It is a part of a heretofore unidentified magical school that eludes classification due to difficulty of study and strange interactions with other magic. In fact, it almost exists as an antithesis to most forms of magic, especially Fey. Experimentation has recorded Cold Iron cloaking Western magic and actively repelling Fey magic, creating violent effects. Ancient Cold Iron charms are believed to have the ability to cloak individuals from any form of divination.

Effect on Fey

Cold Iron is, in a way, toxic to any Fey that make contact with it. Upon being touched with the metal to their bare skin, Fey flesh at the point of contact begins to burn and sizzle, leaving long red and silver withered scars behind if the encounter is even survived. The few Fey who have survived encounters with Cold Iron are often changed forever at a mental level as well, plagued by strange dreams and hauntings of the metal's touch and its wielder. Not even those of partial Fey descendance are they are spared, as they are often affected on a great psychological level.

Material Type
Metal
Metal Classification
Unknown - Forging methods lost
Usage
Weaponry, charms, armor, holy relics
Notable Relics
Gaolbreaker
The Shackles of Devotion
Axe of Bolg
Caladbell
Suniron Gemheart
Pauldron of the Bone Lord
Twin Wings