Cold Iron
TTRPG Fictional · Uncommon · Medieval
Iron mined and worked without the use of fire, hammered cold from the earth and never heated to forging temperature. The process is grueling and the resulting metal weaker than properly forged iron, but its effect on creatures of magic and faerie is unmatched.
Identity
- Source
- Folklore tradition / tabletop RPG
- Aliases
- Faerie bane, True iron
Physical Properties
- Appearance
- Dull grey iron with a matte finish, slightly cooler to the touch than ordinary metal
- Luster
- Metallic
- Density
- 7.5 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 1480 °C
- Boiling point
- 2800 °C
- Lighter
- Manganese
- Denser
- Damascus Steel
- Magnetism
- Ferromagnetic
- Electrical conductivity
- Medium
Mechanical Properties
- Mohs hardness
- 4.5
- Tensile strength
- 320 MPa
- Softer
- Nickel
- Harder
- Palladium
- Workability
- Difficult
- Brittleness
- Moderate
- Malleability
- Low
- Ductility
- Low
Chemical Properties
- Corrosion resistance
- low
- Reactivity
- moderate
Lore & Narrative
The fae cannot abide the touch of cold iron. A single bar placed at a threshold is said to prevent any unseelie creature from crossing. How the absence of heat creates this property, no scholar has satisfactorily explained.
- Notable uses
- Fae-bane weapons, protective wards, exorcism tools
- Forge uses
- weapons, wards, ritual tools
- Worldbuilding traits
- anti-fae, anti-magic, cold-worked, protective
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