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[✓] [World Lore] Ikurnamon - Elven Ironwood


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[World Lore] Ikurnamon - Elven Ironwood

 


 

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Ikurnamon, (from elvish: Ikurn’Amonn, meaning ‘Iron Wood’) is a special type of wood whose cultivation was a secret only known to the ancient Seeds of the Wood Elves for centuries. It is harvested from its namesake, the Ironwood Tree.

 

Origins

Spoiler

 

The cultivation of Ironwood trees and harvesting of their Ikurnamon began in the early days of the Era of the Seeds, where the wood elven race was young and had recently made their exodus from the rest of elf-kind to live nomadic lives in the deep forests.

 

With no reliable access to forges and metals, the wood elves of the Seeds turned to the trees to provide them with the tools they needed to survive. Being creatures of long life, the wood elves learned to selectively breed the trees around them. These tree-farms, as they were, were known as Ame’lie and was among the most unique and definitive art of the ancient wood elves. The ‘ame saved and planted the seeds of trees with the most favourable traits. It took centuries, but eventually the Mali’ame were capable of growing trees with wood soft and malleable enough to wear, or hard enough to use as weaponry. Ironwood trees were the latter of these.

 

Any Wood Elf seed capable of holding its own needed access to Ironwood trees and the Ikurnamon they provided. Many different wondrous trees were cultivated in the Ame’lie of the ancient Wood Elf tribes, but Ironwood was the most common and vital. Ironwood was as hard as steel when tempered and treated right. It was essential to creating arrowheads, spear-tips, knives, hooks and other things which were also essential to nomadic seed life. The Seeds were very territorial about their Ironwood, in fact, it was not unheard of for Seeds to raid and skirmish with one another to either defend, or steal Ironwood seeds or take over and Ironwood grove.

 

Ikurnamon was a difficult wood to work with. If not tempered right, it was brittle and could easily splinter. In order to turn it into proper weapons or tools, the right craftsman was needed. Wood Elves devoted their entire lives to the cultivation and crafting of ironwood. Some masters were legendary, creating tools with ironwood beyond beauty. They were so well known that Elves from other seeds traveled miles across thick forest to seek their skills.

 

Ironwood cultivation declined during Garthon’s great war of unity. The Seeds became embroiled in a fierce civil war which raged for a decade or more. During this time, raids were conducted. Ame’lie were burned and sacked. Ironwood trees were destroyed to stifle the enemy’s weapons supply. When the war ended, the Seeds all migrated and formed the city of Laurelin in the new Malinor. Much of Seed culture and practice faded away.

 

The cultivation of Ironwood was lost to time.

 

 

 

 Raw Ikurnamon Properties

 

Raw Ikurnamon is simply wood, either still living and attached to the Ironwood tree or pieces that have been broken off or chopped down. In its raw state the Ikurnamon can take on a hue that is either rose brown, ashy gray or faintly pearly silver that depends on the tree it was taken from. Its trunk and branches are typically wavy and twisted, intertwining into a gnarled mess. The trees require more sunlight than anything, and too much precipitation will stunt the trees growth. Wood from the Ironwood tree does not burn well in its raw state, burning hot for several moments before dying down and producing more smoke than anything else. 

 

 

Raw Ikurnamon Applications

 

Anything you would do with regular wood.


 

Raw Ikurnamon Redlines

 

-Seriously. It’s just wood. It is roughly as heavy as any other type of wood and does nothing normal wood wouldn’t in this raw form.

 

 

Harvesting Method

 

The wood of the Ikurnamon tree can be harvested in just about any way one can think of removing wood from a tree. The most common method is obviously chopping or foraging for falling limbs, but it could really even be blown into chunks with boomsteel or blasted with eldritch energy if someone wanted to get fancy with it. It is considered tradition that only pieces that have fallen naturally be harvested and worked with, however this is by no means required.

 

 

Tempered Ikurnamon (Refined Form)

 

http://img08.deviantart.net/4f50/i/2015/212/2/3/nature_sword_design_by_infinitydevin-d93lryy.jpg

 

While the untempered branches and logs of the Ikurnamon tree are naught more than just wood, any who possess the knowledge of tempering the wood may turn that very mundane wood into something of legend. 

 

First the bark of the tree must be peeled off, being far too brittle, thick and unwilling to accept the tempered properties of the wood itself. Should the bark not be removed the wood will not be able to heat correctly and in turn will not adapt its refined properties. One must be careful to not remove too much wood alongside the bark or they may be left with too little wood to work with.

 

The craftsman must then shape and carve the wood into the approximate shape they wish for the final piece to take. They cannot be too precise as the final stages of the tempering process require further shaping and will cause the wood to shrink ever so slightly. 

 

Much like metals, ironwood is easiest to shape when it is hot. This is the hardest step of tempering Ironwood. Under too hot a fire, the wood will simply burn up like wood does. Under a fire that isn’t hot enough the wood will simply never begin to undergo its transition toward malleability. This is not to say that when the wood is heated properly it may be twisted into unnatural forms well beyond the capabilities of it’s normal form. But it will be slightly softer and springy, allowing the craftsmen some wiggle room in the crafting process. 

 

Once the wood has reached the proper temperature and has become malleable it is time for the craftsman to finalize the shape of whatever they are creating. Once the wood rehardens it shall be unable to be properly reheated or else it will begin to crack and splinter, so it is of the utmost importance that the craftsman acts decisively and does not allow the wood to cool down too much before they are finished. 

 

Once the wood has been properly heated and has cooled down it shall become Tempered Ikurnamon. The Ironwood is as hard as Iron albeit slightly lighter given that it is wood and not metal. The texture is smooth and polished, any structural impurities would have been worked out in the heating process, though aesthetic impurities such as knots in the wood may remain depending on how the craftsman works the wood.

 

However before the process is complete some steps need to be taken to ensure the product doesn’t rot over time. The ironwood appliance is soaked in a special chemical mixture which both prevents natural rot and makes the wood resistant to fire. It must soak in the substance for a week before it can be removed. At this point, the ironwood tool is completely done and free to use.

 

This chemical mixture includes alchemical components, consisting of -  [1] Earth Sign, [1] Air Sign, [4] Vigor Symbols, [2] Endurance Symbols, [2] Balance Symbols and [3] Agility Symbols.

 

 

Tempered Ikurnamon Redlines

 

-The wood must be heated over the coals of a fire which burn at approximately 2000 degrees fahrenheit. 

-Once the wood has been heated and cooled it is unable to be reheated or else it will crack and splinter.

-Tempered Ironwood has the same strength as Iron and can be made equally as sharp.

-Crafts of Ikurnamon are not ST Signed, but requires teaching to craft IRP.

-Ikurnamon does not require an Alchemy FA to create, nor does it's chemical mixture.

-Tempered Ironwood weighs 75% of an equivalent amount of Iron.

-Tempered Ironwood cannot be used in place of Iron or Steel when creating alloys such as Slayersteel. 

-The bark must be removed from the wood or else it will not properly absorb the heat.

-Ironwood cannot be used to create fireproof structures such as walls or houses.

-The chemical creation cannot be used on non-tempered ironwood items and exists only as a way of creating a skill that must be passed from craftsman to craftsman.

-Tempered Ikurnamon is vulnerable to damage from alchemical oils and treatments as much as any normal blade. 

-The Chemical mixture consists of - [1] Earth Sign, [1] Air Sign, [4] Vigor Symbols, [2] Endurance Symbols, [2] Balance Symbols and [3] Agility Symbols.

 

Tempered Ikurnamon Applications

 

Tempered Ironwood has many practical applications, predominantly formed by its use by the Mali’Ame seeds. The Iron-like strength allows for weapons and tools to be created with it, and the unique smoothness and colors of the wood are sought after by those with a taste for fine jewelry and other ornate items. 

 

 

Credits

Spoiler

All credit goes to Leo who wrote the original lore and who gave me his blessing to update it and make it ‘loregames compliant’.

 

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A few nice tweaks from the original lore, but is still well rooted. I like.

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2 hours ago, BrandNewKitten said:

Can’t read any of this font on mobile devices. 


Yes I see that now. Weird, it’s comic sans and looks totally normal in browser. 

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5 hours ago, Sykogenic said:


Yes I see that now. Weird, it’s comic sans and looks totally normal in browser. 


i love comic sans. Thank you for changing it. I’ll read and edit this comment with actual feedback after I sleep!

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This Lore has been accepted. Moved to Implemented Lore, it will be sorted to it's appropriate category soon. Please note that if this is playable lore, such as a magic or CA, you will need to write a guide for this piece. You will be contacted regarding the guide (or implementation if it isn’t needed) shortly.

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