Naq-Alrama Steel is a magical metal alloy forged by the desert tribes of Chandrar.
Properties[edit | edit source]
Naq-Alrama is a heavy metal. One longsword can weigh as much as 15 pounds.[1] Parts of its composition include Adamantium and Serraleun (Aluminium).[2]
Naq-Alrama is a magical alloy that can easily hold enchantments, and can cut magic like water. This allows it to pierce magical enchantments[1] and harm Djinnis.[3]
It is near-indestructible and does not bend, even under the weight of an Oliphant. To break it at all, one needs the force to shatter it completely. This is why when it does break, the entire piece explodes.[1] However it wears down faster than Adamantium or Mithril, and so unlike items made from these materials, Naq-Alrama products tend not to survive the passing of the ages.[4]
Even failed ingots of Naq-Alrama are as hard as diamonds, but they have no toughness, making them incredibly brittle. It can still destroy magic, but is destroyed by magic in turn, the two vaporising each other.[3]
Forging Process[edit | edit source]
Naq-Alrama Steel has a very complicated forging process. It is said to be twice as tricky to smith as Mithril, needing a [Blacksmith] over level 40 to work the metal,[5] and requires hundreds of steps.[6]
(Usually a Level 50 or higher [Blacksmith] is needed to work Adamantium but in this case the Adamantium components are small enough to not have this requirement. Also it could be that tribal knowledge is involved in this level change)
Forging the ingots to shape takes two months, and it must be perfect. No air must make its way inside or the ingot will be ruined,[6] and it cannot be exposed to sunlight as the unworked metal hardens when exposed to it, rendering it untreatable and ruining the process.[1]
Every portion of Naq-Alrama is meticulously calculated by the smith and their assistants. Shaping the metal takes weeks of work until the final forge. The metal is worked on almost entirely in complete darkness or under moonlight, save for steps that require certain shades of light.
The metal is softened and purified in preparation to be forged in the Blue Full Moon's moonlight bath as a proper receptacle. The metal must be worked quickly as it hardens fast even under moonlight. The steel will be repeatedly hammered, softened, and hammered again.[6]
The heat must not fall bellow a certain threshold, and no magical fires are to be used.[7] It is possible that Clan Tannousin's technique is used, heating the metal using a rune furnace within a vacuum created by their Shaman magic so that the metal is not burned and gains impurities.[8]
At some later stage, the metal is worked in the radiance of the sun's zenith.[6] After folding the metal, powder and an oil mixture must be applied before quenching the blade in light-bathed waters.[7]
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Naq-Alrama steel is one of the only mineral-based substances that Truestone cannot turn into.[9]