[✓] [World Lore] - The Deepsteels: Ch 1 - Daemonsteel

[Elennanore 2759]

Spoiler

 

 

The Deepsteels: Ch 1

Daemonsteel - The Wrath Steel

 

(Art by HouseHopper27)
“Our final hour is nigh here my kin, we fight fer rock and stone! ARUUUUUUUU!” - A Dwarf in the Deep

In times of old in the depths beneath, the most arduous of mortal men found their ways into the bowels of the earth. Amongst horrors of ancient ilk and elder kin of ancient old, in a world deep beneath the world above, they found treasures of untold wonder. Metal to shatter stone, weaponry of carnage carving, and relics of grand wizardry. In the depths of chthon they found the Deepsteels, and of these metals they first were shown the Daemonsteel.

 

Daemite Ore

       Daemite is a hard, opaque, and dull gray-crimson crystal that is of continuous consistency that is mostly commonly found in cuboid formations. This naturally forming crystal is quite brittle, akin to flint and easily snaps or shatters under forge. The daemite crystals themselves are of an outstanding purity, due to daemite’s incorruptible nature - having few, if any alchemical reactions, especially those of a nature that cause materials to corrode; similar to how iron rusts or how copper forms a patina. However, this would imply natural forms of corrosion, and does not include more fringe types of corrosion, such as acids produced by an alchemist. Something of note is that daemite may sometimes be found in ferrum ore deposits in trace amounts, though rarely. This would be unnoticeable to the naked eye most of the time.

Harvesting Method

       Harvesting daemite requires a miner to be observant of their surroundings since these crystals are known to cause sparks when struck; sparks in a cave system with vapors or gasses in the air are known to cause subterranean explosions. These sparks are of so little quantity and size that they are incapable of burning a person, but may leave a dull oil-splatter like pain in the area of skin struck. Daemite is quite brittle, though, it does not particularly matter if it is struck directly and broken into a bunch of small shards and dust, or collected as whole crystals.

 

       Daemite is found deep beneath the earth in most cases, in large veins typically located in hot, damp cave systems and is by no means uncommon. The ambient moisture in the air is what causes daemite crystals to grow, due to the daemite being diffused into the air as a vapor. This process may be observed in real time over the course of weeks with a proper set-up. However, daemite may also be found on the surface in areas of tectonic activity. This results in daemite being found in small pockets across a wide range of areas. Since daemite does not corrode, once it has found itself nestled somewhere on the surface, it will remain there until some other unseen force disturbs it.

Applications of Daemite

Daemite, being a rather unremarkable crystal with little to few uses outside of alchemy and being a cute oddity, does not have any particular noteworthiness - with the exception of  being a fairly capable flux for all sorts of metals, especially when used in conjugation with ferrum.

 

Alchemical Properties -
Earth | Endurance x 1
Earth | Lethargy x 2

Refining Method of Daemonsteel

      To forge daemonsteel one must have a furnace which is capable of at least reaching the forging point of ferrum. The exact metallurgical process pertaining to the creation of daemonsteel is nearly identical to the process of making steel. The method in which the smith chooses to create daemonsteel is up to their discretion. However, the smith must use a crucible that can withstand the extreme temperatures of daemonsteel and use crushed daemite as their flux instead of other fluxes. Daemite is a more robust flux than others, and will cause a forge to heat up to higher temperatures than what is normally feasible. This will quickly and readily heat ferrum to its melting point within a span of thirty seconds - this can be dangerous for inexperienced smiths if they do not know how to properly handle molten metals. As the flux is added, the ferrum will slowly be infused with the powdered crystal, resulting in the creation of molten daemonsteel. This results in the metal now having a much higher forging point than what ferrum typically has, around 2,730°F (1,498°C) and a melting point 3,340°F (1,837°C); this in turn results in the once liquid-ferrum turning back into a malleable solid.

 

      Since daemonsteel has just been created in your smithy, you will now have to go through the long and arduous task of actually forging the metal into whatever shape you desire. A large quantity of coal, charcoal, or coal coke will be needed to keep your forge heated at a high enough temperature to keep your daemonsteel malleable. From here on, daemite will need to be added occasionally as flux to wash out impurities garnered from using more carbon-rich fuels such as charcoal or coal; coal coke will result in negligible amounts of impurities in the steel, not requiring daemite to be added again. This process is typically a long and tedious one - requiring a lot of time and dedication, and some mild experience when it comes to gauging how much daemite should be added as the daemonsteel is shaped. Though, again, this is eased by using the appropriate fuel.

 

Points of Note -

• If you’re starting off with ingots ore, you will need to remove a lot of slag from your metal - if you’re using refined ferrum ingots, not so much if at all.
• Since you’re using daemite, a flux that burns a lot hotter and prevents oxidation and carbonization, the air will become quite irritable to breathe, but not unbearably so.
• Due to daemonsteel’s unique properties, the forging process may become more lengthy due to the metal cooling down and heating up relatively slow. Rule of thumb, daemonsteel will retain ‘heat’ for three times the length it was exposed.
• Three minutes = nine minutes, etc.
• A handful of daemite is what's required to make daemonsteel akin to a low-carbon steel, two handfuls for something akin to a high-carbon steel. Either results in an ingot of five lbs (2.2kg).
  • Low-carbon steels = softer steels
  • High-carbon steel = harder steels

Daemonsteel & Applications

      A rather dull, matte ash-gray metal, with few other discernible differences to steel. Daemonsteel is a ferrous alloy containing daemite and is an exceptional metal for industrial equipment such as chains, crucibles, gears and even weapons. It functions in a nature similar to carbon-steels, either being on the lower end or higher end of carbon steels depending on the amount of daemite added during the forging process. Though, its industrial uses are linked more to its high thermal capacity(its capability to absorb heat) and its higher forging/melting points, allowing the steel to be used in hotter environments. Functionally, the differences between steel and daemonsteel are almost completely negligible on a mechanical level. Daemonsteel and steel weigh just about the same, they are of the same hardness, the same durability; if made to be similar, and Daemonsteel still does rust(due to being made of iron). Obviously, a high carbon steel is different to daemonsteel that is made with only a little amount of daemite, thus making the daemonsteel more akin to low carbon steel. However, a distinct difference between steel and daemonsteel is that daemonsteel does not become brittle when it becomes cold, if anything, it remains just as brittle as it would normally be at room temperature, at any temperature.

 

Extra - Wroth

       Daemonsteel gets its name due to the ‘wrathful’ nature of the steel. Any heat applied to the steel is held onto for a time three times the amount it was applied for. If a daemonsteel ax was tucked into the smoldering coals of a campfire for three minutes, it would remain that temperature for at least nine minutes. If it was tucked into the roaring flames of a furnace for nine minutes, it would remain that temperature for at least twenty-seven minutes. This unique property applies to the cold as well. If you dunk a daemonsteel ax into a bucket of ice-water for three minutes, it would remain that temperature for nine minutes. Et Cetera.

 

      As daemonsteel heats up, the metal would slowly begin to change color on its surface to a purple, steely-blue, staying at this color if only at the temperature of a campfire. Any hotter and the daemonsteel will start to become a dull glowing orange. This also applies when daemonsteel is getting colder, slowly becoming a darker gray with hues of purple.

 

Daemite Redlines

• Daemite may be used as flux for a variety of other smithing methods, typically producing more heat than more standard fluxes. This is by no means a way to light a line of daemite flux and melt steel on the spot, it is for crafting RP.
• If one wanted, daemite crystals could potentially be used akin to flint and steel.
• Just how crystals are grown in real life, should be plausible with the extent of LotC alchemy. Simple note, law of equivalent exchange, if you use a pinch full of daemite, you will grow a pinch full of daemite, nothing less, nothing more.

 

Daemonsteel Redlines

• Daemonsteel may remain at the temperature it was heated/cooled to for a maximum of 3 hours.
• Daemonsteel takes 5 to 10 emotes to heat or cool during combat encounters, depending on thickness - swords being the low end and hammers being the high end. Otherwise, it is up to the player's discretion of how many emotes they want to use to heat up a reasonable amount of Daemonsteel.
• Daemonsteel will not produce any meaningful amount of heat from friction, merely becoming warm/staying warm.
• Although heated Daemonsteel is quite hot, it transfers heat poorly. Due to this, Daemonsteel is only capable of searing objects and leaving 2nd degree burns on flesh (1 emote). However, if contact were to be maintained, it would be capable of lighting easily flammable objects such as cloth and thatch on fire, or resulting in 3rd degree burns (approx. 2-3 emotes). Wood would not catch fire from this, but may be left charred.
• Although cooled Daemonsteel is quite cold, it transfers that coolness poorly. Due to this, Daemonsteel is not cold enough to ‘insta-freeze’ objects, but give an unpleasant burning cold sensation, or coolness, damaging flesh (1 emote). However, if contact were to be maintained (approx. 2-3 emotes), it would be capable of causing frostbite and freezing liquids.

 

Refining Redlines of Daemonsteel

• The process of creating Daemonsteel must be studied in-roleplay or taught in-roleplay.
• As daemonsteel is quite freeform, the process the individual smith wants to take is up to them, though they must include the required points.

 

Main Writers - Elennanore & Qaz_the_Great
Feedback Analysis Division - Noob3738
 

Spoiler

            Hello, I just wanted to state a few of my reasons for the direction of this rewrite of daemonsteel. When I first endeavored to overhaul daemonsteel, I wasn't too sure of what direction I wanted to go with the lore, and the direction I did go did not fully pan out to what I wished it to be. It resulted in a rewrite of immense length for a rather simple material with an abundant amount of redlines and nearly 10 pages in length without fully refined ideas. I put some of the blame on ST for their flip-flop behavior when it came to feedback, asking me to further refine an idea and in the next rewrite, abandon the idea completely. With this rewrite, my goal is make daemonsteel fully defined and actually coherent. Much of Squak's lore post on daemonsteel is riddled with logical errors, a lack of clarification, and is overall a rushed piece caused by the Lore Games of Atlas. 

            Daemite is intended to be solution to essentially all of daemonsteel's logical problems. In Squak's rewrite, you were essentially evaporating off iron to create daemonsteel through some otherworldly, arcane method which does not fit the theme of daemonsteel. Likely the most amusing logical fallacies of the OG lore was the section on 'alloying', where it spoke of daemonsteel being able to be alloyed with steel. Now, sure, different types of steel can be alloyed together, but we are in the medieval period I would reckon, and the techniques for modern steels involving all types of elements is something not existent on LotC. Including the fact it was mentioned iron could be alloyed with copper which is also not possible during this time period, considering the technologies and methods for such are far removed from the medieval period. Iron is only ever alloyed with copper when other elements are also added into the mix, including the fact that the majority of alloys containing an iron or copper mix have copper or iron in small quantities of little under 10%. These in most cases are advanced metals used for aircraft and not something that exist on LotC.

 

           On a final note, I would like to say that daemite does not need to be noded like boomsteel, thanhium, azhl, quietus, etc. If anything, if it were to be noded, I would like it to be similar to how common some of herbs are. For example, alabaster leaf being found quite easily along the roads of Elvenesse, but obv this would keep in mind where daemite is found. Daemite has no need of being noded, but it would further add some tactful taste to daemonsteel if it was just slightly less convenient and required some effort, even if minimal.

 

[SoulReapingWolf 2258]

I have some feedback I'll send via PMs regarding some very particular points of the post, but I really enjoyed the read and I hope this is the first of many to come 👌

[J33xt101 314]

I can certainly wrap my mind around it! Looks good.

[ronin_champloo 5951]

without [he who shall not be named], this has a chance of passing

[warlord of filth 7714]

i like u and i like ur post g 

[Kalehart 1062]

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.