Chitin

 Game Stats

• by armor

Description

Sea worm chitin, sometimes referred to simply as "chitin" in the context of armor, is more properly the outer layers of the sea worm.  The sea worm's exoskeleton is mix of chitin locked in a hardened proteinaceous matrix, much like that of an insect or arthropod.  Beneath the exoskeleton is a honeycomb layer of pure chitin in its tough, elastic natural form.

It is the unique combination of "hard" and "soft" chitin that makes the flesh of the sea worm so valued as armor.  The outer layer provides a smooth, hard surface to deflect and diffuse the impact of blows, while the inner layer provides a natural cushion.  This combination creates a composite armor package that is effective against all attacks, particularly bludgeoning attacks.

Price

The cost of sea worm chitin varies widely by geographical region.  Almost all chitin products come ultimately from the Osankari, who alone of the sentient races in the Circle are able to hunt the sea worm in its natural habitat without magical assistance.  Sea worm chitin need not be taken from the corpse of a newly slain sea worm, as sea worm molts often have enough soft chitin still attached to be usable.  However, sea worm chitin naturally degrades once molted or when the worm is killed, so freshly harvested samples are considered to be of higher quality.  Once harvested, the material must be alchemically treated to preserve it from any further decay, and then the tough material must be fashioned into wearable armor.  The finished armor must then be exported to its final market.

The cost of export is high, since sea worm chitin is a bulky armor material (a chitin breastplate may be up to an inch thick).  It is quite light compared to other armor, with an overall density comparable to a wool garment, but its sheer bulk makes it an expensive item to transport.  The price of sea worm chitin armor is thus proportional to the buyer's distance from the nearest trading outpost.  Chitin armor is relatively common among the Osankari,and costs about as much as iron or steel armor would in most land regions.  In very distant regions chitin can easily cost as much as or more than crystal or glass armor.