On Heavy Armor (Smithing 3)

by Gaeric, Castle Smith

I am a smith, and not a writer; yet here are my words, as bidden by those I work with. Were it not for the terror of the war, I would not have written, but thought it prudent to pen my knowledge to paper, for if such a war were to happen again, we would be able to persevere. Such has the Fire Lord given.

My speciality is heavy armor. That is what a smith does. Those who make light armor are tailors.

Heavy armor must be designed to take a lot of punishment. It will receive direct blows from all sorts of weapons whilst protecting its wearer. Leather strips are used to make the straps and bindings in all armor.

Iron and steel are easy to work. Just heat them up and pound them into shape. Any smith worth their salt should know how to work with those, for they are what make our ploughs break through hardy Vengard soil and our swords sharp against the night. The heat of the forge is not that critical. Avoid filing off any of the metal. Always try to conserve the metal and work it back into shape.

Sky iron is harvested from fallen stars. It has innate magical properties and is thus quite expensive. It must be used carefully. Most often this material is made into jewelry and then enchanted. It is quite forgiving for a smith as it is malleable. The correct temperature is key as otherwise it may break when molded, but once you find the sweet spot, then it will almost be easier to deal with than steel.

Red steel is the heart of Vengard and the single most important metal in all of the realm. I have forged close to thousands of pieces of equipment with it during the war. It holds a special place in my heart. It is an alloy of steel and the glowing magickal ore found deep within the earth's caves. It must be used with extreme caution, as it is brittle - it can break with one wrong blow. You must be gentle and patient when using it.

Once you complete your task, you will find something beyond comprehension. The metal is so strong and durable that there are no known recorded cases of it breaking or rusting. There is a known proverb about red steel: “When the steel that runs red shall break, then cracks will scatter throughout the kingdom.”

Solid mercury is a creation of magic rather than smithing and thus has no place in this book.

I can only tell you tales about moonsilver. I have never seen it myself, or know anyone that has. The stories say that it should be worked on at night, ideally under a full or new moon and never under an eclipse. According to all the tales, it is the most magnificent and powerful ore in all the land.

I hope you have found my words enlightening. I cannot teach you all there is to smithing in a book. You will have to learn much yourself with practice and with a capable tutor. The art of the smith is a proud and honorable tradition and I hope you will continue it with your own works. Godspeed.