Iron

 Game Stats

• +1 damage
• by armor

Description

"Iron" is the colloquial name given to low-grade steel.  It is an alloy of iron and carbon rather than pure elemental iron.

"Iron" is produced by heaing a bar of iron in a coal fire until it is hot enough and malleable enough to be worked into a useful implement.  The iron is heated, hammered, folded over itself, and rehammered many times.  This process eliminates the worst of the impurities in the metal and evenly distributes those that are left.  As the metal is repeatedly thrust into the heart of a coal fire, carbon from the coal works its way into the object.  The addition of carbon in the right amounts produces an alloy that is hard yet not brittle, perfect for use in arms and armor.

The alloy thus produced is generally considered superior to bronze for martial applications, although the knowledge of ironworking is not universal in the lands of the Circle.  To make a useful weapon, the alloy must be quenched (heated and rapidly cooled) and then tempered (slowly reheated), which is a process that requires great skill and experience on the part of the blacksmith.

The term "iron" is sometimes used to refer to the base metal used to produce thaumic iron.  Although both metals come from the same ore, "iron" in the sense used in this article contains too many impurities (carbon and other elements) to be used in the production of thaumic iron.  Thaumic iron is produced by melting iron ore and removing the impurities which float to the surface, leaving the remaining metal as close to pure iron as possible.  Such a metal is actually significantly softer than bronze and thus unsuitable for use in weapons without further treatment (which would produce the "iron" to which this article refers).  As a pure element, however, it is also an ideal candidate for thaumic radiation.

Price

In primitive cultures where the knowledge of iron is rare or absent entirely, iron implements can fetch a high price.  In more technologically advanced societies it is considered the baseline metal for weapons and armor.  In such cultures iron weapons and armor, while expensive by nature, may be cheaper than less effective but more exotic bronze equipment.