Saurium
A mysterious, powerful magic metal used by the subterranean naga in their greatest weapons and armour. Famous for being invulnerable to melting by heat.
Properties #
Material Characteristics #
Saurium appeared as a shiny orange metal. The surface of the metal was rough and porous until refined into ingots.
Physical & Chemical Properties #
Saurium was unique in that it was as tough and flexible as fire iron, but exposure to acids made it extremely malleable. Even low-acidity substances like certain citrus juice can make saurium bendable and soft like cold butter. When exposed to highly acidic mixtures, saurium become as soft as soaked paper.
Saurium was capable of poisoning carnites and other denizens born of the Festerplains, to a minor extent. It has been noted that saurium induced some level or irritation in such such creatures.
Life & Expiration #
Saurium corroded easily, but mainly from exposure to water that had been slightly acidified. Saurium was usually coated in a thin layer of wax to help protect the metal from taking damage. Saurium weapons were often stored in barrels filled with oil.
Geology & Geography #
This amber metal was found underground but relatively near the surface of Legere's crust. It was more commonly found underneath oceans. Saurium veins were usually circular, with several medium-sized nuggets making up a ring-like pattern.
History & Usage #
Discovery #
The naga raised acid cows for years and years in their underground havens. The acid from these animals had been employed extensively in their few skirmishes with the surface world, as naga quickly learned that duns and humans lacked the resistance to acid that they enjoyed. One day, a Hissgession farmer noticed that a lump of saurium had been unearthed by his livestock as they licked their acidic emesis off of the cavern wall. To his surprise, the metal had become soft and was being manipulated by the creature's tongue like it was a stretchy taffy.
Saurium had been discovered by the naga in 280 PBD, who easily recognized the metal's hardness, but no forge of theirs could produce a heat powerful enough to melt it. Some naga believed the metal to be fire iron, but that was quickly dismissed due to the orange colour that made the metal stand out greatly. Saurium was widely regarded as a useless metal, since even the few surface dwelling metalsmiths the naga dared to commune with failed to shape the metal. It wasn't until 250 PBD when that one farmer, unnamed to this day, discovered the metal's weakness to acid.
Only the Hisgession Kingdom knew about this discovery to begin with, and comically they decided to wage war with all nearby naga kingdoms to try and plunder their saurium for their own use. Until this point, all other naga kingdoms would have still regarded saurium as a useless material, and the Hisgessions could have used deception to convince the others to give them what was widely considered garbage. This would lead to the 5 year His'hilsh War, where the Hisgession Kingdom would fail to steal any of the others' saurium and only succeed to spreading the word about its usefulness (naga weren't known for their wisdom).
Implementation #
Manufacturing #
The exact process of forging saurium equipment is a time-honored tradition by the naga, and a closely-kept secret from the surface world and its inhabitants.
Refinement #
Refinement of raw saurium was quite easy at the surface level. First, as foreign material as possible must be removed from the raw saurium lump. The ore was then be submerged in a container of potent acid, which would eat away at the remaining unwanted stone along the saurium's surface. A constant stirring had to be applied after a few minutes, which would ensure that the interior of the ore was also exposed to the acid, helping to free any embedded debris.
The softened metal was then removed from the first container and transferred into a new vessel with fresh acid. The metal was softened up again before being removed from the acid and shaped into its final form. After being removed from the acidic environment, the metal would begin to rapidly harden--naga metalsmiths had to work quickly to achieve the desired shape of the equipment before it solidified fully. If the metal hardened too soon, the metal would need to be submerged in the acid and reshaped.
In a sense, forging saurium was almost like pottery.
Instead of directly being turned into arms/armour, saurium could be moulded into rectangular ingots for storage and usage at a later date.
Products #
The most well-known uses for saurium was in arms and armour. While fanciful crowns, bracelets and rings were frequently enjoyed by naga kings and queens, the use of saurium in tools of war is considered to be far more important. The naga were a race of aggression, propped up on a bloody history of excessive violence and war--whatever they could use to get an advantage over their foes was excellent.
Tools of War #
Saurium was used by the naga primarily in weaponry and armour, although royalty often incorporated it into jewelry. It was rare enough to avoid having it used in mundane instruments. Oftentimes, high-ranking naga generals or elite naga warriors were seen wearing this distinct orange armour.
The prevalence of acid on the naga battlefield set saurium back in terms of usefulness, which is why it was often used among certain individuals rather than whole armies.
Precious Metal #
Saurium was the naga equivalent of gold, being worth an exceptional amount. It was considered to be the ultimate material a naga could use in their craftsmanship--naga weaponsmiths and armoursmiths would literally spill blood just for the chance to make something from it.
Naga royalty would wear crowns and necklaces of saurium, with the fiery orange metal ensuring they stand out in a room of lesser naga nobles.
Trade & Market #
Saurium ore was really only found in underground markets, although some surface dwellers figured that mining the metal for themselves was a good way to trade for Chimera from naga.
Saurium equipment was rarer in the surface world, but typically more effective because of the decreased prevalence of caustic chemicals in combat.
Law & Regulation #
While it was considered to be useful for weaponry, saurium was not strictly regulated for exclusive military use. Jewelry and other embellishments made of saurium were legal, but naga were prone to altercations that involved stealing saurium from each other in order to sell it or turn it into an actual weapon.