Materials »
You'll find weapons made of all kind of material in your local institues, chose for their magical properties
|| ADAMAS ||
Adamas is the heavenly metal granted to the Shadowhunter for their use by the Angel Raziel. The metal is silver-white and translucent, and glows slightly (although this glow may not be visible in broad daylight). It generally feels smooth on the touch, like glass but notably warmer and heavier. It is the hardest susbtance the Nephilim know of, and cannot be worked by mundane means. The Iron Sisters use seraphic Marks unknown to non-Sisters to shape the metal; to craft weapns and steles from it, the Sisters use forges that take their fire from the heart of a volcano.
|| IRON ||
This element is toxic to faeries. You will often encounter the term "cold iron" in reference to the fey; this is just regular iron. The term "cold iron" refers to the fact that it is cold to the touch, which was at one time believed to be associated with its magical properties. Iron takes enchantment and blessing very well. It's generally believed that it is the large quantity of iron in human blood that causes its affinity for enchantment. It is especially worth mentioning that meteoric iron, the nickel-iron alloy that makes up many meteors, is a particulary good conductor of magical energy.
|| STEEL ||
This type of iron alloy is usually not toxi to faeries. It is the purity of iron that grants its power over the fey. Steel does, however, hold a sharpened edge very well, and thus the Shadowhunter will normally spend a large amount of time training with steel weaponry to learn how to put one of those sharpened edges through a demon.
|| SILVER ||
Silver is a metal with which all Nephilim are intimately familiar. Using a weapon made of silver is one of the only ways to permanently injure a Werewolf, who will heal from a wound made by any other material. The element is toxic to Vampires and causes them to experience pain, headaches, nauseas, and so on, though it will not kill them. Silver is a potent conductor of magical energies, behind only gold and adamas, and as a result the fey also use a large amount of it in both arms and armor, andalso in their decorative arts. Shadowhunters have the unenviable task of learning to wield both steel and silver weapons, which differ noticeably in weight, and the Shadowhunter must in fact learn to switch between them quickly.
|| GOLD ||
The metal is poisonous to demons. It is also an excellent conductor of magical energies, although it is rarely used to make weapons or tools, since in its pure from it is one of them ost soft and pliant metal. Interestingly, it had both strongly positive and strongly negative associations in religious rituals. On the one hand its rarity, resistance to corrosion, and beauty has caused it to be used to symbolize high esteem, power, and the light of Heaven. On the other hand its expense and rarity has made it a symbol of greed and of the profanity of material wealth as opposed to the sacredness of spiritual wealth. Thus, one will find gold used in sacred and powerful religious decoration and also in some of the darkest of demonic rituals.
|| ELECTRUM ||
Electrum is an alloy of gold and silver that can be found naturally in the earth. It had been known and used since thetime of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Its lacks of purity means that it is rarely used in specific rituals, but it is considered a good conductor of magic. It combines by mystical abilities of both silver and gold, in lesser strenght than either pure metal but at significantly less expense than pure gold and without some of the disadvantages.
|| COPPER ||
This element is used mostly as an intensifier for other materials. It is thought to help bring the abilities of othermetals into better alignment with the wielder, and thus is often used decoratively, or to form hilts or handles of silver weapons, for instance.
|| DEMON-METAL ||
Demon-Metal is a noble metal that is believe to originate in the Void, and cannot be found naturally in our universe. It is black in appearance but it believed to be transparent and glowing with black demonic power. It is something like the demonic equivalent of adamas in that it creates wounds that cannot be easily healed by seraphic Marks and requires much more involved medical attention. You will find it sometimes used to forge weapons or armor wielded or worn by demons themselves. It is incredibly rare to find it inthe hands of Downworlders or humans.
|| ROWAN ||
The European rowan tree has long been known to have magical protective properties. It has been used in Europe to ward off melevolent spirit and enchantments for thousands of years. These properties, along with the tree's density and strenght, have made it a common choice for the staves of druids and other priests, and it is commonly used in the construction of Institutes and for arrow wielded by Nephilim.
|| ASH ||
The wood of Yggdrasil, the world-tree of Norse mythology, is believed to be the source of the so-called Mead of Poetry, the mythological beverage that would magically transform the drinker into a scholar. It has properties similiar tothat of rowan but its notably easier to work. It is also often used in a similiar way to iron - it is believed to have a similiar affinity with humans.
|| OAK ||
The oak tree is often considered the "most mundane" of woods, and from this very fact it draws its power. It has great strenght and hardness and is therefore frequently the material of choice for wooden weapons. Stakes for vampire slaying, for instance, are traditionally crafted our of oak, which is believed to help guide the wielder's hand to the source of demonic magic, in ordert to eliminate it.
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