Popular - Metals

Copper

Copper is one of the more common metals, used largely for cookware and large bells. Wealthy individuals are known to decorate their roofs with it, due to the striking color it takes on when oxidized. It is also favored for statues for the same reason.
Even though many of its more practical uses have since been replaced by their iron versions, it is still used because of its lower cost, and because it is easier to work.

Uses: Cookware, bells, roofs, statues.
Special Properties: Oxidizes into a distinct green-blue hue.
Alloyed Into: Bronze (with tin).

Tin

Tin is relatively common, but rarely used in its pure form due to its softness. Instead, it is alloyed with other metals to create more useful materials.
The two most common of these alloys are: Bronze (tin + copper), as well as Pewter.

Bronze

Bronze was the first metal used for weapons. It casts easily into molds and can be shaped and sharpened with relative ease. However, in comparison with steel, it dulls quickly and bends easily when cast too long, making it impossible to craft longswords with it, for example. This is why most Bronze Age-era swords were relatively short, and most armies used spears, a trend that continues to this day, despite the superior strength of steel.

Common Uses: Early weapons, cookware, and artistic decoration.
Properties: Easy to shape and cast, but not very strong or flexible.
Historical Note: Obsolete for modern weapons, still used for other things.

Iron

Iron, since its discovery, has become the most widely used metal for construction, tools, and weapons, the latter more in its carbonized form.

Common Uses: Tools, nails, hinges, reinforcements, horseshoes, ploughs, cast iron pots, weapons.
Value: Its widespread availability has kept its value relatively low, but not as low as copper, especially in the less well-connected parts of the continent.

Steel

Steel (carbonated iron) is the standard for modern weaponry. Although harder to produce than bronze, it retains its edge for far longer and is more durable. Forgecasting—an invention by mage-smiths—further improved its quality and consistency among more expensive crafts.

Common Uses: Weapons, armor, reinforced tools, and construction.
Properties: Hard, durable, holds edge well, versatile.
Production: Requires higher temperatures and smithing skill than bronze, improved by magical methods

Mithril

Mithril is a rare and coveted metal that once defied smiths due to its high melting point. Only with improved forges did its true potential become apparent. It is a relatively light metal, superior to steel in every way, the only real downside, and the reason it hasn't been adopted exclusively, being its rarity and hight cost.

Properties

~30% lighter than steel.
Tougher and harder than steel.
Pearly white, with a metallic shine when polished.

Uses: High-end weapons, armor, luxury items, and jewelry.
Notes: Rare and expensive, considered a prestige metal, reserved for elite warriors and nobility.

Jet

Jet is the heaviest and hardest of the common metals, with the highest melting point. Found in mountain ranges—especially the Black Mountains—it was first mastered by Orcish smiths.

Properties

Jet is known for its weight, being approximately equal in weight to lead. It is very hard, like glass, but brittle without proper tempering.
When tempered, it becomes an excellent shock absorber.
It is very black, reflecting almost no light at all.

Uses: Specialized weapons, pommels, and magical infusion.
Limitations: Too heavy for common weapons and armor.
Magical Affinity: Highly receptive to enchantment.

Lead

Lead was once popular in ancient infrastructure and cosmetics, but has fallen out of favor due to its toxic nature.

Historic Uses: Aqueducts, pipes, cosmetics.
Modern Uses: Sling bullets, weights, and roof waterproofing.
Notes: It is still used in some paints, but no longer in water infrastructure.

Mercury

Mercury is a liquid metal known for its toxicity and magical properties. Its mana absorption properties makes it usefull for magical shielding, and preventing mages from doing magic.

Uses: Mining of silver and gold, magical inhibitors.
Magical Traits: Excellent mana absorption.
Compounds: Cinnabar is used as a pigment.

Silver

Silver is a precious metal associated with beauty and magic. It has historically always been popular among the nobility for its shine and beauty, and it is still a common component of jewelry.

Common Uses: Coins, jewelry, luxury tableware, mirrors
Properties: Bright, reflective, unreactive.
Folk Belief: It is said to ward off disease and monsters, specifically vampires, werewolves. This is considered a superstition and is not based in reality.

Gold

The rarest and most valuable of common metals, gold is symbolic of wealth and arcane refinement. Gold is also able to detect magical energy, for the creation of manometers, which are able to detect peoples magical potential, as well as other disturbances in the worlds mana field.

Common Uses: Jewelry, magical instruments (manometers).
Properties: Soft, workable, highly conductive, can be drawn very thin.
Magical Uses: Common in arcane mechanisms and tools.

Alloys

Differnt metals can be combined to enhance their properties, some of these alloys are more important or widely used than others.

Mithrilite

This alloy was made in an attempt to combine the best of both Jet and Mithril. This alloy never saw widespread use, because it proved unnusefull, but some rare artifacts, especially daggers, knives, and swords, can still be found of this alloy.
The Alloy retains much of its Mithril properties, but is heavier. This is why pure mithril is generally considered a superior material for the creation of weapons.

Composition: Ranges from 60%-90% mithril, the remaining volume being Jet.
Properties: Largely retains its Mithril properties, but it is heavier, and has a higher melting point, the Jet also makes it a better Thermal insulator. The magical properties of Jet have not been carried over.
Appearance: The added Jet gives the Mithril a grey tint. The more Jet, the darker the alloy.
Uses: It is no longer produced, and doesnt have any practical uses other than easthetic ones.

Black Gold

This dark golden alloy was discovered rather recently, and while it is currently mostly used for decorative uses, the magical societies of the world believe that it should have many magical applications.

Composition: Typically 60% gold, 40% Jet.
Properties: Heavier and harder than gold, but malleable; bends rather than breaks.
Appearance: Varies from shiny gold to dark, near-black, depending on the ratio of metals.
Uses: Luxury jewelry, ceremonial objects, magical experimentation.

Pewter

A common alloy made primarily of tin and other base metals. It is used for many cheap types of cookware, as an alternative to copper or bronze. It was historically made with tin and lead, but that lead had since been replaced with less toxic metals such as copper

Uses: Tableware, candlesticks, common household goods
Properties: Cheap, castable, suitable for everyday use