Astral metal
A piece of the world outside ours. From where there is seemingly nothing comes something so peculiar and valuable that it can cause conflict between blood brothers. It can be found by a child and brought home into their house but then never removed again, even by a giants strength.
Astral metal, named based on its occurrence of falling in from the great astral sea, is a seemingly impossible metal as it can seemingly change its properties without external influence. The main reason for the great interest in the metal is because of its shifting weight which can be lighter than aluminium before it becomes heavier than gold. A weapons that can be swung at great speed and ease or a projectile fired with minimal effort suddenly turning into a unblockable strike or deadly shot is invaluable. Although it has great potential, refinement is both complex and exhausting.
History & Usage
Manufacturing & Products
The metal is commonly used to create immovable rods that can easily turn from it's lightest state to its heavies by the push of a button. This process does however come with a few up- and downsides. The alterations in the process causes the metal to adhere by principles relating mass, force and speed, causing it to come to a stop if it is moving. The other thing is that when it becomes heavy it ignores gravitational forces, reaming in whatever position it became heavy and developing a frictional force against all of its surroundings. Although it can be moved in this state it requires an immense strength.
The second common use is in weapons like swords and hammers where it is instead altered to be able to perform far smaller changes in weight but instead be able to keep its velocity during the change. This is also the use case for some smithing hammers although they are rare due to the cost of the metal. Arrows have on occasion been made but a poorly placed shot would bury it to deep to easily recover.
While applications of weight and gravitational manipulation upon the metal are the common kind, some methods involve exerting the property onto the surrounding area. Some shields are capable of stopping arrows mid flight by increasing their weight at the loss of speed, causing them to fall to the ground early. Rare pieces of armour are even capable of reducing the weight of the wearer allowing them swift movement in sturdy plate armour.
