Darksteel

Extremely rare and sought after, Darksteel is an oddity many can not explain. In its rawest form, it is almost impossible to forge and work with, be it through magical alterations or outright dwarven smithing; requiring a 'key' to understand its properties and to be able to forge it almost instantly. In short, it is nearly indestructible, and yet despite this massive strength it is rarely used in modern armors or weapons.

The reason for such is three fold, the first being that the ore itself is extremely rare. All known instances of Darksteel can be traced back to various meteorite landings in both Liadain and Epressa, able to survive the perilous fall without a scratch. This solid metal is often worshiped as a result, seen as a gift from the gods for its descent into our world, proven only deeper by its impregnable nature.

Second is its unruly weight, standing denser than any known metal in existence. While one would never want to wear lead as plate armor for much the same reason, Darksteel weighs well over five times the weight of equivalent steel; meaning that a normal full suit of plate may weigh 56lbs and be a burden for the untrained, Darksteel plate would weigh nearly 315lb to compete, making it completely unusable for the average person, only increasing in weight as someone increased in size.

Third, the difficulty of forging the material makes it nearly impossible to actually get a set out piece of equipment from it. The ability to forge Darksteel is considered the pinnacle of smithing, as it requires such an extreme precision to actively alter, one can spend centuries attempting to unlock its secrets to understand it. Very much so, the metal only loses its strength with a mixture of fire laden with a carefully crafted fire salt, and must be cast forged rather than hammered in place; meaning it can make only a limited amount of items, and can never be sharpened into something like a sword or sharp utensil; though some have been known to make crude splitter mauls, maces, and hammers from the metal.

Last, the metal has a significant ability to absorb and hold magic. This makes it a prime utility for many rune mages, but it too suffers this in its acceptance of foreign magics. Fire magic, for instance, will almost draw the heat into the armor and hold it; cooking whatever poor sod was inside at the time. This applies to many forms of magic, and doubly counts the metal out from most armor applications.

It should also be noted that the metal's nigh-invulnerable nature has absolutely no give. For better or for worse, should it be hit with a heavy object with noticeable mass, it would send every ounce of that energy through to whatever was on the other side; meaning that a shield of Darksteel may not shatter when hit with a hammer, but it will not send every ounce of that force directly into the forearm of its wielder.

References -

• The First of Many - Grimm, a notable smith, gives a young elf a darksteel maul to cut down a tree that grows its own metal; chosen for its ability to 'cut' through the trees natural defense.