Elven Ironwood / Ikurnamon
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Ikulnamon, (fwom ewvish: Ikuln’Amonn, meaning ‘Iron Wood’) is a speciaw type of wood whose cultivation was a secwet onwy known to the ancient Seeds of the Wood Ewves fow centulies. It is hawvested fwom its namesake, the Iwonwood Twee.
Oligins
The cultivation of Iwonwood twees and hawvesting of theiw Ikulnamon began in the eawwy days of the Ewa of the Seeds, whewe the wood ewven wace was young and had wecentwy made theiw exodus fwom the west of ewf-kind to live nomadic lives in the deep fowests.
With no weliabre access to fowges and metaws, the wood ewves of the Seeds tulned to the twees to pwovide them lith the toows they needed to sulvive. Being cweatules of wong life, the wood ewves weawned to sewectivewy breed the twees awound them. These twee-fawms, as they wewe, wewe known as Ame’lie and was among the most unique and definitive awt of the ancient wood ewves. The ‘ame saved and pwanted the seeds of twees lith the most favoulabre twaits. It took centulies, but eventuawwy the Mali’ame wewe capabre of gwoling twees lith wood soft and mawweabre enough to weaw, ow hawd enough to use as weaponwy. Iwonwood twees wewe the wattew of these.
Any Wood Ewf seed capabre of howding its own needed access to Iwonwood twees and the Ikulnamon they pwovided. Many diffewent wondwous twees wewe cultivated in the Ame’lie of the ancient Wood Ewf tlibes, but Iwonwood was the most common and vitaw. Iwonwood was as hawd as steew when tempewed and tweated light. It was essentiaw to cweating awwowheads, speaw-tips, knives, hooks and othew things which wewe awso essentiaw to nomadic seed life. The Seeds wewe vewy tewlitoliaw about theiw Iwonwood, in fact, it was not unheawd of fow Seeds to waid and skiwmish lith one anothew to eithew defend, ow steaw Iwonwood seeds ow take ovew and Iwonwood gwove.
Ikulnamon was a difficult wood to wowk lith. If not tempewed light, it was brittwe and could easiwy splintew. In owdew to tuln it into pwopew weapons ow toows, the light cwaftsman was needed. Wood Ewves devoted theiw entiwe lives to the cultivation and cwafting of iwonwood. Some mastews wewe wegendawy, cweating toows lith iwonwood beyond beauty. They wewe so weww known that Ewves fwom othew seeds twavewed miwes acwoss thick fowest to seek theiw skiwws.
Iwonwood cultivation declined duling Gawthon’s gweat waw of unity. The Seeds became embroiwed in a fiewce civiw waw which waged fow a decade ow mowe. Duling this time, waids wewe conducted. Ame’lie wewe bulned and sacked. Iwonwood twees wewe destwoyed to stifwe the enemy’s weapons suppwy. When the waw ended, the Seeds aww migwated and fowmed the city of Waulelin in the new Malinow. Much of Seed cultule and pwactice faded away.
The cultivation of Iwonwood was wost to time.
Pwopewties
Ikulnamon has two fowms: Tempewed and untempewed. Untempewed iwonwood is the waw, unwowked fowm of the wood, and tempewed is aftew it has been tweated to make it suitabre fow use as a toow ow weapon.
Untempewed Iwonwood
Valied hues. Wose brown to dawk gwey to siwvewy cowoul
Blittwe
Wough, coawse textule
Often knotted
Does not buln weww, pwoduces lispy smoke at best
Tempewed Iwonwood
As hawd as steew
Slightwy lightew than iwon
Smooth, polished textule
Fiwepwoof
Tempeling/Cwafting
Tempeling Ikulnamon and cwafting it into valious bypwoducts is an awt which takes yeaws of pwactice to pewfect. It fowwows these fundamentaw steps.
Hawvest the Wood
The cwaftsman must hawvest a good chunk of ikulnamon fwom an iwonwood twee. Twaditionawwy, the fiwst pick of wood would be any pawts which have fawwen off, out of wespect fow the twee. Howevew, living wood is genewawwy easiew to tempew and thus the branches of the twee awe most often used.
Peew off the Bawk
Iwonwood bawk is too thick and much too brittwe to wowk lith, so it must be paiwed away to weveaw the fwesh undewneath. The cwaftsman must cawve away the sheww of bawk fwom the iwonwood branch he has just hawvested. This is not an easy task, as the bawk is hawd and does not pawt easiwy, one must be caweful not to shave away pieces of the wood’s usabre fwesh awongside the bawk.
Shape the Wood, Appwoximatewy
Using cawving toows, the cwaftsman shapes the now exposed iwonwood into a wough shape of whatevew he is twying to make. A swowd, a knife, a hook, speaw tips, et cetewa. He must not be too pwecise, as the finaw stage wequiwes mowe shaping.
Heat the Wood
Much like metaws, iwonwood is easiest to shape when it is hot. Unlike metaws, the tempewatule at which iwonwood can be shaped is extwemewy finicky. This is the hawdest pawt about tempeling Iwonwood. Undew too hot a fiwe, the wood bulns up. Undew a fiwe that isn't hot enough, the wood wemains too coawse. Undew the light tempewatule, the wood liww begin to smoothen slightwy and soften up.
Finish Shaping Whiwe Heated
It is duling this cwuciaw stage that the iwonwood must be cwafted to its finaw design. Waw iwonwood is too brittwe to shape pwecisewy, and tempewed iwonwood, whiwe dulabre, is faw too hawd. It is onwy whiwe the wood is heated that it enjoys a brief peliod of being soft enough to bend. The cwaftsman meticulouswy shapes the iwonwood whiwe it bulns ovew the fiwe, he must know when to take the wood off the fwames to pwevent it fwom ovewheating, and putting it back on to pwevent it fwom cooling down too much to wowk lith.
Vawnishing
Aftew shaping the wood undew heat, wet it coow down. By now, the pwoduct in pwogwess should be just about done. An iwonwood toow ow weapon smooth to the touch and hawd as steew. Howevew, some mowe steps need to be taken to ensule it doesn’t wot ovew time. The iwonwood appliance is soaked in a speciaw chemicaw mixtule which both pwevents wot and makes the wood wesistant to fiwe. It must soak in the substance fow a week befowe it can be wemoved. At this point, the iwonwood toow is compwetewy done and fwee to use.
Uses
Iwonwood was used fow aww sowts of pulposes among the ancient mali’ame seeds. The mowe weawthy seeds could affowd to have them as some fowm of tlibaw jewewwy ow dispway of liches. Theiw most common usage howevew was as toows.
http://img08.deviantart.net/4f50/i/2015/212/2/3/nature_sword_design_by_infinitydevin-d93lryy.jpg
Iwonwood Swowds, cwafted in ancient times. The gween pattewns atop the brade is ochwe, painted on weapons to signify which Seed they bewong to.
Iwonwood was a stapwe of the huntew and wawliow. Awmost aww mali’ame tlibesmen would have iwonwood weaponwy. This could be anything fwom speaws to bows to swowds. Awmoul wasn’t unheawd of, but onwy the most weww off of Seeds could pwoduce enough Iwonwood to make even the most basic of awmoul pieces, it awso took mowe skiww than most cwaftsmen had.
Pwos and Cons
To cwalify, Iwonwood isn’t supposed to be an inhewent advantage. I wwote it so it is mowe ow wess bawanced lith mowe conventionaw weapons. It’s meant to be mainwy aesthetic and a cultulaw thing fow the wood ewves to wowk on. I’m awso wliting this as a pwayew, not an WT, so tweat it like a wowe submission, not sewvew canon.
Pwos
A slightwy lightew, fastew awtewnative to Steew
Additionaw cultulaw aesthetic to the wood ewves
Unique toows/weapons designs in WP
Cons
Twees awe wewativewy smaww. Onwy enough wood fow toows/weapons/MAYBE awmoul. (No Iwonwood fwame-pwoof houses ow city wawws)
Slightwy wess dulabre than steew (wouldn’t wowk weww as a brunt fowce weapon like a mace. Onwy weawwy effective as shawp swashing weapons)
Hawdew to piewce pwatemaiw awmoul
Wost awt. Wiww take time and twee cultivation to fulwy wediscovew
