Royal Ore

Royal ore refers to the five rarest ores found in Logres; adamantine, mithral, damascus, sinatium, and volsteel. Each ore is highly valuable and worth more than their weight in platinum. The ore is not only valuable for its scarcity, but also for its utilitarian value, as each ore allows the creation of objects with unique properties. Several myths attribute the presence of royal ore on Logres to the Dwarven God Skylled. Most royal ore can only be forged via the deepcore smithing technique.

The Crown of Skylled and the Spider
It is said that in the days when man and Titan walked the earth as siblings, Skylled, God of Ore and Masonry, held court deep within the mountains of Logres. Within the walls of his castle hordes of Giants, Dwarves, Nephilim, and even Skylled himself, worked day in and day out reaping the riches of the earth, each taking great joy in this act. Skylled's vaults overflowed with fine metals and ores, and the greatest artisans the world has ever known flocked to the halls of Skylled's fortress. People rejoiced as the sounds of hammers and picks striking ore and stone rang out across the castle, and all was merry. One day, out of the dark beneath the mountain, a spider found its way into Skylled's fortress. Skylled, accepting all into his abode, welcomed the spider as a friend, and offered her a place at his table and a chisel at his wall. The spider refused, and speaking aloud so all could hear her voice, told Skylled she could only accept hospitality from the Lord of this fine castle himself, whoever he may be. Skylled, bemused, assured the spider that it was he who was master of these halls. The spider laughed at Skylled's claim, exclaiming that the dust in his beard and the calluses on his hands gave him away for a peasant. "Besides", said the spider, "You wear no crown. Surely the Lord of such a wealthy castle would have the finest crown in the world". With that, the Spider scurried out the halls, and back into the dark.

Skylled was enraged by the spider's gall, and called a meeting of his finest artisans to design him a crown fit for a God. The mines in Skylled's castle sang with the din of shattering stone as Skylled's subjects raced to find gems worthy of Skylled's crown. Gathering the finest and most precious of elements, Skylled went to his brother Voltan, God of the forge, and asked him to forge a helm like no other. Working together, Skylled and Voltan heated and hammered the stones into three gems the likes of which the world had never seen. These gems were mithral, adamantine, and sinatium. Taking the leftover materials, Voltan heated and cooled them for a thousand days and a thousand nights, combining them to form the prize gem of the crown, a lump of pure volsteel. Finally, gathering the coals from his forge, Voltan crafted the coals into the body of the crown, creating damascus.

Once cooled, Skylled immediately dawned the crown and conjured a grand feast in his hall for all to celebrate. They feasted for many days, and when all was done, Skylled lay down to rest, for the food and work had left him quite lethargic. Slinking out from one of the dark corners of the room, the spider, having watched the scene from above, made its way towards Skylled's throne. Using nefarious magic, the spider plucked the crown from Skylled's head, laughing to itself all the wile, and replaced it with a weightless illusion. The spider scurried off into the dark, carrying the crown with it. When Skylled awoke, he found his crown was missing, the ghostly image in its place. Not wanting to be an object of ridicule, Skylled pretended all was well, keeping the illusion so that none may know his shame, and made off after the spider. Skylled found the spider hiding in the dark, and, taking his warpick in his hand, squashed the spider flat. Concealed under its cloak, however, the spider still held Skylled's crown, and under the force of Skylled's mighty blow the crown shattered into hundreds of thousands of pieces, lost into the darkness under Skylled's mountain. Skylled returned to his castle in anger, ever maintaining the illusory crown to hide his shame. To this day, if one is very lucky, one might still find a piece of Skylled's royal crown, locked beneath the earth under the mountains of Logres.

Magical Properties
Each kind of royal ore has its own unique and much sought after property.

Adamantine
Adamantine is a dark silver highly reflective metal found deep within the ground. It is the strongest metal ever created, with legends claiming it is stronger than even dragon bone. Adamantine armor is legendary in its defensive capabilities and durability. Armor made of adamantine can endure incredibly powerful strikes without beding or breaking, and weapons of adamantine rarely lose their edge. Adamantine requires heat of up to 6000 °C, nearly twice the temperature of tungsten.This temperature can normally only be achieved by forges that sit close to the mantle of the planet or near a volcano, and some legends claim that dragon fire can melt adamantine. Adamantine is the second most scarce royal ore after volsteel, and most objects that are made of adamantine are actually just galvanized in a coat of adamantine.

Damascus
Damascus is a precious stone easily mistaken for obsidian found under volcanos. Damascus is used by cleric smiths to create objects suitable for channeling divine magic. Damascus is used heavily in the creation of holy symbols and weapons, and several religious orders claim damascus chains can hold demons and devils regardless of their strength. Damascus is the most common royal ore, though it is by no means abundant. Damascus is one of the most expensive ores as it is in heavy demand.

Mithral
mithral is a sky blue metal found near underground lakes and deep under colossal archtrees. mithral ore is porous and light, smelling faintly of cedar wood. mithral is one of the hardest metals on the planet, rivaling steel in its durability, but is twelve times lighter than steel. It is most often used to create heavy armors that move silently and weigh next to nothing. Lanciels were the first people to discover mithral, and several old Lanciel bloodlines still keep heirlooms of mithral armor and weapons. Mithral is the second most common royal ore.

Sinatium
Sinatium is a pure white stone similar to granite found near large deposits of calcium under mountains. Sinatium has the same weight as marble and is as durable as granite and has a faint white glow. Sinatium is resistant to magic, and is used in the creation of objects meant to withstand arcane forces. Several ancient castles dating to the Age of Heroes and beyond have sections of sinatium reinforced walls from when the ore was more abundant. Sinatium is not often used in weapons and arms, but the few shields and armors that are made of sinatium are said to be highly resistant to magical attack. Sinatium is the third rarest royal ore.

Volsteel
Volsteel is a incredibly rare metal that comes in many colors. When mined, the ore is a dark red with a faint rainbow sheen to it. Volsteel smells faintly of fire and is constantly warm to the touch. Volsteel is greatly sought after for its ability to retain magical enchantments. Almost all objects that are permanently enchanted have some element of volsteel to their make. Upon enchantment, volsteel takes on a different color depending on the magic imbued within it. No documented object has ever been found to be 100% volsteel, most magical items either being galvanized in it or containing volsteel cores. Volsteel is by far the rarest royal ore.