Elven Ironwood / Ikurnamon

Elven Ironwood is an art that has been lost and will take lots of time and tree cultivation to fully rediscover. Ikurnamon (Elvish for 'Iron Wood') is a special type of wood whose harvesting was a secret and was only known to the ancient Seeds of the Wood Elves for centuries. It's garnered from the Ironwood Tree, its namesake.

Origins

The cultivation of Ironwood trees and the accumulation of their Ikurnamon began in the Era of the Seeds - where the wood elven race was new and had only recently made their exodus from the rest of their elven-kin to live that of a nomadic lifestyle in the deep forests. The wood elves of the Seeds had no option but to rely on the trees to provide them with the resources they needed to survive. Ikurnamon was very challenging to work with, as if it wasn't tempered right, then it was brittle and could easily splinter. In order for the wood elves to turn it into proper tools or weaponry, they needed an adept craftsman. Some even devoted their whole lives to the cultivation and the crafting of ironwood. Despite this, the cultivation of ironwood declined during Garthon's great war of unity. The seeds enacted in a devastating civil war which went on for a decade, if not longer. During this, raids were conducted. Ironwood trees were destroyed to extinguish the enemy's weapon supply. The Seeds all migrated and formed the city of Laurelin in New Malinor when the war came to an end. Much of their culture and practice faded away. The cultivation of ironwood was lost in time.

Properties

Ikurnamon has but two forms, those being tempered and untempered. Ironwood in its untempted form is the crude, unworked form of the wood. When it's been tempered, that means that it's been treated to deem it suitable for use as tools or weaponry.

Untempered Ironwood

• Varied hues, it can be rose brown to dark grey, to a silvery color
• Rough, coarse texture
• Brittle
• Often times knotted
• Doesn't burn well

Tempered Ironwood

• The same hardness as steel
• Only a small bit lighter than iron
• Polished texture
• Fireproof

Tempering/Crafting

Crafting Ikurnamon, and tempering it into various byproducts is an art by itself - which can take years of practice to perfect. The steps can be found below.

Harvesting

The craftsman must extract a good chunk of the Ikurnamon from an Ironwood tree. As per tradition, the first pick of the wood would be any parts that have fallen off out of respect for the tree. Living wood is generally easier to temper, though - and the outcome of this is that the branches of the tree are most often used.

Varnishing

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Reviewed by LM: ~~~~ __