Starsteel
The silvery alloy known as starsteel was created by the Isutan people and widely used across The Eastern Provinces.
Properties #
Material Characteristics #
Starsteel was an extremely reflective silver metal alloy. Even when unpolished, starsteel could be as reflective as a mirror. This is where it got its name--it reflected light so well that even small pieces of the metal shone like stars.
Physical & Chemical Properties #
Starsteel was exceptionally strong, capable to enduring forces and stress that would break lesser metals. Starsteel was widely considered to be the manufactured equivalent of fire iron. Starsteel was incredibly light, leading to the unique problem of lack of mass behind weapons forged from this metal.
Starsteel was also very resistant to corrosion and extremely hydrophobic.
Metaphysical Properties #
While starsteel wasn't magical, it had the unique property of absorbing the magical properties of other things extremely well. Starsteel was a necessary ingredient for the creation of Djinnblades.
History & Usage #
Discovery #
Early starsteel was created by the Isutan people of the Eastern Provinces during the bloody conflict that raged between them for many years before the Demon Wars. Early starsteel was far weaker due to imperfections, but still one of the most impressive metals of its time. When the Ganpoumi Fi began trade with the Kingdom of Corgath, the quality of starsteel skyrocketed as more ample resources were supplied by the foreign mining towns.
Implementation #
The primary use of this reflective metal was in armour and weapons. When the Songkram Empire assumed control over The Eastern Provinces, laws were set in place to forbid the common folk from owning starsteel without special permits.
Nakai during the reign of the Ganpoumi Fi and the Songkram were both known to wear plate and mail forged from the metal, as well as wield weapons crafted from it. Starsteel armour was almost always painted to prevent it from being too reflective. During the earliest Isutan civil wars, polished starsteel armour were experimented with on the battlefield. It was hypothesized that it would cause the enemy to get blinded, but it led to many allies blinding themselves instead. The armour would also be painted to avoid giving away the locations of troops.
Cultural Significance #
Starsteel was exceptional, but many other kingdoms across Legere found starsteel's manufacturing process to be too demanding to be used. The Songkram and Ganpoumi Fi both kept up the production of starsteel as it was not only an exceptional material, but also a key part of Isutan heritage. Starsteel metalworkers were highly respected and praised, for the process of creating it was no small feat.
Starsteel's use in weapons and armour for decades elevated it and its craftsmen to such a high level of reverence that more mundane tools made of starsteel was seen as disrespectful and offensive to the power that be. For example, starsteel farm tools for shovelling manure or reaping crops would invite misfortune upon the owner.
Laws, Trade, & Market #
While the Ganpoumi Fi didn't restrict the distribution or usage of starsteel at all (it was used in sculptures, jewellery, ku, etc), the Songkram Empire completely outlawed the flow of starsteel to anywhere but their military. Exceptions were made to certain lancers or Mabosa who were in good standing with the government.
The Songkram wished to ensure that every Nakai was fully outfitted with starsteel equipment, and also wanted to prevent starsteel from getting into the hands of any Ganpoumi Fi sympathizers or surviving members. Under the Songkram's laws, non-military personnel or non-approved metalsmiths caught owning or creating starsteel in any quantity were subjected to capital punishment. While this seemed like overkill, the law successfully decreased the private ownership of starsteel to practically zero between 268 to 333 DHT.
Manufacturing #
Starsteel alloy was created from over 30 different components in varying quantities. It had to undergo an extensive, expensive process over the course of several days. It could take an entire lifetime just to master the art of creating starsteel ingots.
The first step involved smelting the associated ores into 4 sub-alloys. These sub-alloys would then be smelted together to produce pure starsteel. In earlier processes, all 30 ingredients were mixed together to directly yield starsteel, but a secondary step introduced towards the beginning of the Eastern Civil War aided starsteel craftsmen in removing impurities or correcting mistakes in mixing.
Storage #
Starsteel was usually stored in the form of octagonal prism-shaped pellets, large enough to contain enough material to forge a standard kizaraka. During the Songkram's rule, these pellets would also be stamped with a seal to signify its legitimacy and show it was created with the approval of the government.