[Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition] Perfected Metals

Out of Character (OOC):

Chronicle: Mage 2: The Dethroned Queen

Venue: Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition

Chronicle Storyteller: Jerad Sayler

Assistant Storytellers: Hannah Nyland & Alex Van Belkum

Supernal Materials Part 1:

Perfected Metals

Taught by Kairos In-Character in his class on Perfected Metallurgy except the Attunement sections.

"The blood of angels, the fall of the enemy."

My comments are in yellow and are regarding my reviews of the system and my own personal and Storyteller's perspective recommendations for use in our Chronicle. 

Sources: The following text, as written in grey, is straight out of the Mage: The Awakening 2nd edition open development for Signs of Sorcery.  The original design of our Perfected substances was created by Mathew Hagen & Korri Smith.

Additional explanation is in this font, when it helps drive the concepts home.

In antiquity, humankind identified and found uses for seven different metals. These metals are not by any means the most abundant elements found on Earth, but their inherent properties made them extremely useful, and they have a symbolic weight that renders them useful in magic. Just as a tiny percentage of humans Awaken, precious samples of these metals approach the perfection of their analogous Supernal symbols, taking on wondrous properties. While naturally-occurring samples of these Perfected metals are extremely rare, usually the result of the metal becoming tass in a highly-potent Hallow that is also a manteion, dedicated crafters among the Orders have developed ways to “cleanse” mundane metals to produce the Perfected equivalents. 

In the past, mages used a laborious process of passing the metal into and out of Twilight or carrying it between different realms several times over many days to cleanse and perfect the metals. Eventually, the metal would start exhibiting its Supernal properties. Impatient Libertines developed a spell to create the same effect. The slower process is still used by crafting purists, but few others.

Perfected metals are not inherently magical, though they have properties which make them ideal for use when creating magical items. If scrutinized with Mage Sight, the material appears Supernal, and examination of sympathetic links reveals a strong relation to the Supernal Realm it is associated with. An item created with a Perfected metal still functions at its mundane counterpart, though it is created from partially-Supernal material. It has the same properties and equipment bonuses as any other mundane object of the same kind.

The Fallen World reflects only imperfectly the platonic truths of the Supernal; the “stuff” of reality is only represents an ideal, or ideals, that is hidden from the eyes of the Sleeping masses. Mages understand, however, the metaphysical resonance of the base materials that compose our world, and with ancient practices and secret means they can purify the base into the pure, allowing those few materials of the Earth to sing with Supernal Truth.

Scholars argue that every substance found in the Fallen World should have a Supernal analog, though research into finding the Perfected form of the other elements has met with limited results. This research has led to a greater understanding of why these particular metals seem to have easily accessible Supernal forms. Each of the seven metals is associated with at least one of the five Supernal Realms. In some cases, a metal is associated with more than one Realm. Despite these apparent associations, the materials do not seem to have any particular affinity to those Realms’ Arcana when it comes to imbuing or enchanting. 

Rarefying Metals:

Mages can locate naturally-occurring Perfected metals by searching for them with spells like Detect Substance, but they are seldom in large enough quantities to be of use. To create a Perfected metal, a mage has two options. She can cast the Matter 3 spell Hone the Perfected Form (below,) or she can repeatedly convert the base material to ephemera and back again, either by passing it into and out of Twilight or carrying it into and out of the Shadow or Underworld. This is a slow, exacting process requiring dozens of “passes;” at least ten times Durability multiplied by Size, and requires an object made entirely out of the intended Perfected metal’s mundane counterpart. Additionally, the metal must be “rested” for at least a day every ten passes. 

The resonance between these perfected metals and the Supernal Realm associated with them is stronger than the normal imperfect version of the metal. When used as a Magical Tool for the appropriate Path, the mage gains the 9-again quality on her spellcasting. 

Characters can buy (with justification) Merit dots in Perfected Metals, each dot represents approximately size 1 or one unit of concentration of the metal.  When attuned, additional dots of the Metals may amplify certain properties of the material.

The following spell is approved for play:
Hone the Perfected Form (Matter •••) 
Practice: Perfecting
Primary Spell Factor: Duration
Cost: 1 Mana
Suggested Rote Skills: Crafts, Persuasion, Science

The mage takes an ordinary piece of metal — iron, gold, silver, mercury, copper, tin, or lead — and transmutes it into its Perfected metal. The spell affects a single continuous piece of metal that fits within the spell’s Scale factor.

+2 Reach: The spell may Perfect another substance, such as glass or gemstones. If the spell also includes Forces •••, it may Perfect fire. Mechanics on this will follow later.
+2 Reach: The spell’s effect is Lasting. 

Attuning Perfected Metals:

A perfected Metal can be further attuned for advanced benefits.  This is a custom system we are trying for some of the materials.

The Seven Perfected Metals

1. Orichalcum (Perfected Gold):

Gold has forever been considered a sacred and valuable metal. Its beauty and rarity have elevated it in the minds of men and women to a near-divine stature. Among Sleeper alchemists, it is thought to be the most pure of pure substances, and the highest ideal of physical and metaphysical nature. The mages of the Time Before understood that, though it reflected a Supernal truth of value and purity, it did not embody it completely. It was the ancient mages who are credited with purifying the pure in the fires of the Aether, and creating the wondrous material called Orichalcum.

Orichalcum, perfected gold, is said to be a slightly translucent metal, which has a redder hue than pure, mundane gold. It's said to appear to capture daylight, giving it a warm, fiery glow.

Description: 

Orichalcum is a heavy golden material that is perpetually warm to the touch and almost seems to glow with an inner fire. It is soft enough to twist with the hands, but elastic enough to retain its given shape once set. Its luster and color are similar to that of gold, except it presents more red and warm hues than gold in even its purest forms. Like gold, it can be spun out to fine, thin threads or hammered into thin leafs.  As gold is associated with the Realm of Aether, so is orichalcum. Orichalcum is most often used in the creation of imbued items. Its Supernal purity allow the magics stored within to resonate more strongly with the realms they are drawn from.  It represents the purified soul, a forceful will, transcendent beauty, and Ascension.

Attunement: 

To Attune gold into Orichalcum, one must bathe a mass of it in the fires of the Aether. During the time of Atlantis, any mage could perform this feat, but after the Fall, only those who walk the path of the Golden Key can open the pathways to the Realm of Fire and Light. The process involves ritual oblations, and then opening a gate to the Supernal Realm of Aether over a bowl of liquid gold (Using Prime 3 or Forces 3 to open a channel as if summoning an Angel from the Aether). The gateway must be maintained for several hours, depending on the amount of gold being perfected and the Gnosis of the creator (each extended spellcasting interval purifies one dot or size 1 amount of Orichalcum). While the gateway is open, the mage must keep the Abyss from intruding on his work. No small feat, but the rewards are often worth the risk.

Benefits: 

- Perfected: Orichalcum offers a +2 tool Yantra for spells cast upon itself

- Perfected: Orichalcum durability cannot be reduced by nonmagical means. 

- Perfected: When used as a Magical Tool for Forces or Prime spells, the mage gains the 9-again quality on her spellcasting. 
- Perfected: It is completely impervious to corrosion and is considered chemically inert.

 - Attuned: Any spell cast from an imbued item crafted primarily of Orichalcum gains the 9-again quality. 

- Attuned: If the wielder of an Orichalcum imbued item knows a version of the rote contained in the item, she gains the 9-again quality when she casts the rote if she is wielding the item of power. 

- Attuned: Orichalcum is still gold, and has many of the qualities that regular gold has, like superconductivity and malleability, but enhanced. At Storyteller discretion, any electronic device using Orichalcum circuitry may also grant the 9-again bonus on relevant rolls.

2. Lunargent (Perfected Silver):

The sacred metal of the moon, silver has long been associated with spirits, mystery, werewolves, women and the night. Lunargent is little different; it is all these things and more. The mysteries of Luna’s holy metal were rumored to belong only to her children before the Fall. When they betrayed her consort, the myth goes, she turned her back on them and denied them her blessings. Rumor has it that it was rediscovered by a Thyrsus of the Adamantine Arrow who had cause to be wary of werewolf attacks in her many jaunts across the Gauntlet.

Lunargent, perfected silver, is also a slightly translucent metal, this one having a slightly bluer hue than mundane silver. It's said to have a silvery, cold glow as if it has captured moonlight. 

Description:
Lunargent is a soft metal that has the same gleam and luster of polished silver. It is cool to the touch, and shines brightly beneath the light of the moon. It has an almost liquid sheen that reflects its protean nature; it can be molded into nearly any shape or form with a minimum of effort, although only in the hands of a master craftsman is its true beauty made manifest.

It has a bluish color not normally associated with its mundane equivalent, and has a mirrored surface. Like silver, it can be spun into thin threads.

Attunement: 

The ephemeral qualities of the Shadow Realm resonate strongly in silver, and by passing any amount of silver through the Gauntlet into the world of spirit one can strengthen that resonance. Creating Lunargent, therefore, is simply a matter of passing the same piece of silver through the Gauntlet repeatedly until it harmonizes with both realms simultaneously. The number of passes varies from place to place and time to time; some craftsmen speak of a sacred place dedicated to the moon mother where one pass would be sufficient to perfect a piece of silver if it were performed on the night of the full moon. If this is true, the secret of such a place is not well known to mage society.  The number of passes through the Shadow are the same amount needed to initially rarefy the metal (10 times Durability multiplied by size and rested for 10 days between every 10 passes).  How this differs from the usual creation in that it must be passed through the Shadow and cannot be attuned with a Matter spell.

Benefits:

- Perfected: Lunargent It is sturdier than silver, and can be forged into weapons that do not lose their edge easily. (Lunargent Items gain a point of Durability automatically)

- Perfected: As silver is associated with the Realm of Arcadia, so is lunargent. Lunargent offers a +2 tool Yantra for spells associated with seeing such as other places, other times, and across the Gauntlet.

- Perfected: When used as a Magical Tool for Time or Fate spells, the mage gains the 9-again quality on her spellcasting. 

- Perfected: The mirrored surface of Lunargent reflects things that are in Twilight. 

- Perfected: As with all silver, Lunargent is deadly to theriomorphs, usually dealing aggravated damage to werewolves and the like.

- Attuned: The metal can store Essence, 2 points for every dot/1 size

- Attuned: Any weapon crafted primarily of Lunargent can always harm a spirit, even if it is Twilight.

- Attuned: Any weapon made of Lunargent steals 1 point of essence per hit that does at least 1 point of damage.

- Attuned: Armor or mirrors made from Lunargent will expend stored essence (1 per hit) to resist spirit Numina, Influences, and Werewolf Gifts as additional points of armor.  The points of armor are equal to the item’s size.

- Drawback: Special: Spirits and werewolves can sense the presence of Attuned Lunargent, and generally react negatively to anyone carrying it.

3. Hermium (Perfected Mercury):

Mercury, or quicksilver, is an unusual metal that has an extremely low melting point.   Hermium, perfected mercury, is a very dense fluid, with a glittering silvery gleam and perfect fluidity. 

Description:

It has a silvery sheen and appears more lustrous than its mundane counterpart. It is more fluid than mercury as well, sharing superfluid properties with liquid helium. It can flow frictionless through the smallest of opening and creeps along surfaces seeking to recombine itself if separated. Hermium glistens with a sheen that belies its morphic nature. It resembles silver in color and shine, but has the subtle purple hue of twilight to it as well. It is more cohesive than mercury, flowing through the fingers like gelatin. However, under the right impetus, Hermium solidifies into a firm, yet supple solid that lends itself well to wires and threads. It has no odor, and tastes vaguely bitter, evoking primal memories of lethal poisons.

Attunement:  The process of Attuning Hermium is dangerous and grueling. It involves carrying a measure of mercury across the Astral Threshold repeatedly, flensing its impurities with each passing until what remains is the silvery semisoft mystery of Hermium (The same number of passes required to Perfect it). The danger stems from the fact that in order to carry the physical material into the Astral Realms, it must be attuned to the mage. With the exception of having quicksilver in her dedicated magical tools (which would produce only a miniscule amount of Hermium), the only way the Awakened have found to attune mercury is to inject or ingest it into their bodies.  Both Hermium and Mercury are poisonous, each point ingested or injected cause one point of Lethal damage.  In Hermium this damage is resistant.

Benefits:

- Perfected: Hermium is associated with both Arcadia and Pandemonium. Hermium offers a +2 tool Yantra for shapeshifting and transformation spells. 

- Perfected: When it comes into contact with any of the other perfected metals, it forms amalgams (see below) without any other magic, but otherwise will not react with other non-prefected metals.

- Perfected: When used as a Magical Tool Mind, Space, Fate or Time spells, the mage gains the 9-again quality on her spellcasting. 
- Perfected: Hermium is a superfluid. Hermium can slip through the smallest hole with no resistance at all. It can flow upwards, seeking a lower container. Stir Hermium, and the current will flow forever.

- Attuned: When used as ink in Glyphic Tattoos Hermium becomes attuned to the Universal Subconscious and provide a Skill bonus of +1 for each dot of Hermium purchased.  These cannot exceed skill caps based on Gnosis and the creator allocated where the Skill points go.

- Attuned: Hermium can be infused into a dedicated magical tool and provide +1 to all Rote Skill Yantras.

- Drawback: Unfortunately, using Attuned Hermium in Glyphic Tattoos lowers your resistance (effective Withstand) against Geotic and Astral entities by 1 per each dot of Hermium purchased and placed into a Tattoo.

4. Brontium (Perfected Copper): Also known as Kypris

 

Description:

It shines brightly and is fiery red in color. It can also have a rich green hue that tends to hold and catch the light, glowing with an ocean-depth.  It is chemically inert, and can be drawn into wires and beaten into leaf.
 
Kypris - The name is derived partly from the fact that the word 'copper' means "ore from Cyprus", and partly because copper has been alchemically associated with Venus and Aphrodite, and Aphrodite was originally said to originate in Cyprus. So western mages felt that the substance was mystically tied to the island, and decided to seal the bond with a proper name as well.

As sleeper scientists have lately discovered, electrical resistance overheats machines and leads to power leaking away as heat from all electric systems. In a quest for materials with less and less resistance, they have recently come upon the superconductors: materials which offer up no resistance whatsoever. The problem is that these only function at incredibly low temperatures, and that the ceramic compounds are exceedingly costly. Even today, research teams work day and night to come up with viable recipes for materials which will be superconductive at room temperatures.

What surprises a lot of those who Awaken, is that the magical community has had this substance since the dawn of time. But since electricity was never such a huge part of human life until now, most mages never really saw much use for it. This all changed when the Free Council entered the field.

This of course means that Kypris is in exceedingly high demand, as every techno mage wants to incorporate the stuff into the circuitry of his or her gadgets, or simply experiment with the endless possibilities that are offered up by a conductor which never heats up and never diverts the energy. Some have even begun to experiment with using the liquid form of the metals in some of their devices, despite the dangers of working with molten metal.

Attunement: Unknown

Benefits:

- Perfected: As copper is associated with the Primal Wild, so is brontium. Brontium offers a +2 tool Yantra to spells that deflect, protect, or redirect magic.

- Perfected: Additionally items crafted of bronitium grant the user a +2 bonus to defend against debilitating effects. 

- Perfected: When used as a Magical Tool for Life and Spirit spells, the mage gains the 9-again quality on her spellcasting. 

- Perfected: Brontium is a superconductor, perfect conductor of heat and electricity and is chemically inert. It offers up absolutely no electrical resistance whatsoever. Even when it is melted down, the electrons are led through its substance without a single joule being converted to heat.
- Perfected: Any superconductor has the capability of being a far more potent magnet than any other permanent magnet. Therefore Kypris can have magnetic ratings which are usually only possible with electromagnets.

5. Kassiterum (Perfected Tin): Also known as Zinnteros
Kassiterum has made the metal ideal for musicians who need a way to fine tune instruments, or measure the purity of a voice. Of course, most mages feel that magic is more important than music, but as of late a lot of younger mages have begun to feel otherwise.  Some mages have begun experimenting with musical amps made of Kassiterum, and have had quite some success. The problem is, of course, that if the artist plays out of tune, the system will be unable to relay the error. Some see this as a problem, some see it as an unfortunate side-effect. Of course, shaping the metal, either by hammering or bending, produces the most awful shrieking noise, so most people who work with it prefer to either melt it into shape or use exceedingly good ear protectors and keep away from populated areas.

Description:

The metal has a glossy almost wet look and is nearly white in color. It can be melted and formed easily and never has any inclusions or weak points.

The last of the perfected metals is stark white, in a glaring, shiny way. It seems to reflect more light than it actually receives, making its surroundings brighter simply by being there. Like siderite, it can be bent endlessly without fear of metal weakness, but it won't snap back into shape. It's not malleable enough to be drawn into wire, but it can easily be beaten into sheets of metal. Yet the most characteristic property of Kassiterum is its resonance properties.

Attunement: Unknown

Benefits:
- Perfected: Once set, the metal is incredibly hard and resistant to breakage. (Base Durability 5, +2 if worked into other materials)

- Perfected: If sharpened it can cut through diamonds and the strongest of worked steel. The only stronger metal is siderite. (Increases item damage by +1)

- Perfected: Kassiterum is associated with both the realms of Stygia and the Primal Wild. It has a special association with summoning entities, not just from Stygia and the Primal Wild, but any realm and even Twilight or Shadow. Kassiterum offers a +2 tool Yantra on summoning spells

- Perfected: Destroys one Essence per turn from any ephemeral being it touches. 

- Perfected: When used as a Magical Tool for Death, Matter, Life and Spirit spells, the mage gains the 9-again quality on her spellcasting. 
- Perfected: The metal will resonate with any note played at it, which makes it a natural amplifier. Even complex melodies will be replicated by the vibrations they cause in the Zinnteros, yet falso notes won't even register.
 

6. Apeiron (Perfected Lead): Aka Thanatite, Khronicum, or Stygium not to be confused with the insidious Abyssally tainted Apeiron known as Mordite.

In classical mythology, Lead is a base metal, reflecting all that is impure in the world. Scientifically, Lead is a known toxin, leading to madness, dementia, hallucinations and death. It is also the natural end state of radioactive decay. In every way, Lead is indicative of the forces of Death and Decay in the world. Thanatite is metaphysically dedicated lead, dipped in the rivers of the underworld, and stands as the antithesis to life and the half-life of the undead. 

Its ability to absorb radiation across the spectrum makes it a perfect material for radioactive shielding, leading to a sorts of renaissance for a substance which had never found widespread usage before the modern age. Obrimos mages and members of the Free Council and the Mysterium who wish to experiment with radioactive items or research dangerous imbued objects have found no better safety than a thin sheet of Perfected Lead. It is often manually wrapped around samples which are deemed too hazardous, or used to make sure the radiation only spreads to the correct half of the room. The problem is, of course, that it's difficult if not impossible to make solid structures of the stuff, which has lead many Forge Masters to research new Magical Alloys so that the necessary structural strength can be added to the miraculous absorbency of the metal. These recipes are usually carefully guarded secrets, which keeps the price for such safety measures high.

Description:

Apeiron does not oxidize the way normal lead does, keeping its shiny blue white color at all times. It is not chemically inert, though it absorbs ions perfectly.  Where many of the other perfected metals are almost luminous by nature, perfected lead goes the other way. It absorbs all light and radiation, sometimes giving it darker hues.  It's soft and malleable enough to be shaped by hand, but it's almost impossible to break apart, and suffers from no fatigue when flexed. Some have indeed likened it to play-doh, though it's much harder and heavier than such plastic products by far.

Attunement:
Alchemists have been trying to transmute lead into gold for centuries, a difficult and dangerous prospect. Attuning lead into Thanatite is simpler, but no less difficult or dangerous. An amount of lead must be carried into the Underworld and dipped bodily into a river therin. The potency of the Thanatite (reflected in dots of the merit) is equal the depth of the river in which it is plunged (see merit). No one has ever successfully carried the same piece of lead further than five rivers into the Underworld and returned, but it is rumored that the mysterious Sin-Eaters have Thanatite weapons far more powerful than anything the Awakened have managed to pull out so far.

Benefits:

- Perfected: At any thickness, apeiron works as perfect shielding to radiation and heat. Due to the shielding effects, phone signals, tracking devices, magnetic disturbance, light, heat and sound are all blocked. (Each dot of Aperion armor provides +1 Armor against Heat and Radiation, when made into spheres no heat or energy can penetrate)

- Perfected: As lead is associated with the Realm of Stygia, so is apeiron. Apeiron offers a +2 tool Yantra to spells concerning plasticity, tool use, and crafting.

- Perfected: It can be shaped by hand, and provides 8-again on mundane rolls when made into a tool. 

- Perfected: When used as a Magical Tool for Matter and Death spells, the mage gains the 9-again quality on her spellcasting. 

- Attuned: Attuned Thanatite is exceptionally deadly, unsurprising for a metal suffused with the dark entropy of the Underworld. Anything living thing struck by a weapon of Thanatite takes Aggravated Damage. 

- Attuned: The horrible damage of Stygium is far more insidious, as Thanatite harms not only the flesh, but the soul. Being struck by a Thanatite weapon is always an Integrity breaking point, and the roll to resist losing integrity is penalized by the weapons damage rating in the merit. Using a Thanatite weapon on a living person is a level 3 Wisdom Sin.
- Attuned: Against the incorporeal undead, Thanatite is particularly dangerous. Objects made of Thanatite are imminently solid to incorporeal shades, and may be used to strike at them even in Twilight.

- Attuned: Any ghost or other ephemeral undead hit by the weapon lose 1 Essence per hit.

- Attuned: Sin-Eaters suffer both from the aggravated damage of the Thanatite, and the loss of 1 plasm per hit.

- Attuned: The Thanatite’s hunger is nigh limitless. When made into an armor automatically grants levels of protection (Armor) against damage from ghostly numen, vampiric Disciplines, and Geist Manifestations.

- Attuned: Rarely, mages put Thanatite to use as a box or chest in order to store their greatest or most dangerous treasures. Anything contained in a Thanatite container is effectively severed from the world, unable to affect the Tellurian in anyway until the container is breached, and likewise being unaffected by any external influence. It should be noted that it would be most unwise to store a soul in such a container.

- Drawback: Just carrying Attuned Thanatite on your person hinders the natural healing processes; you will be unable to heal any wounds or injuries, naturally or supernaturally, until the sunrise after you divest yourself of it. The exceptions are the strange half-dead Sin-Eaters, for whom the necrotic natures of their geists are abnormally attuned to the energies of Death.

- Drawback: Vampires react exceptionally poorly to the sight of Attuned Thanatite. Younger vampires have been known to flee in unbridled panic, while elder bloodsuckers tend to attack the bearer in a berserker frenzy.

7. Siderite (Perfected Iron): Also known by the slang “Star Metal”

Iron plays an essential role in both the mythology and history of humanity. From it are forged tools and weapons that have allowed man to overthrow his enemies, shape his environment, and control his own destiny. Iron could be seen (and has, in certain myths) as a gift from the gods, but the iron that falls from the sky, born of dead stars, defies even the deific in its purity of purpose. Siderite is the starmetal that falls to Earth during meteor showers, and when shaped without the benefit of heat or fire, is man’s most potent weapon against the supernatural.

Siderite, perfected iron, is prized by the Forge Masters above all perfected metals. It is the strongest, toughest metal of all. It never suffers metal fatigue - siderite can bend like rubber and spring back with no creep or deformation at all. Siderite holds an edge that never dulls. It can cut diamond and the finest mundane steel. Siderite has a grey gleam that may glitter a bit more than ordinary iron, but other than that nothing about it makes it look particularly special at all. Siderite can also be obtained from meteoric iron, which is already half perfected: it only takes a dozen or so passes back and forth into Twilight to perfect meteoric iron.

Description:

Siderite is the least lustrous of all the perfected metals and appears the same as normal worked iron.  Siderite is exactly like iron; it is usually a dull matte black, like the night sky it falls from, but not susceptible to rust. It is heavy, soft, and brittle. Siderite is not generally magnetic, but the shaping process almost always causes it become so, especially if an iron or steel hammer is used.

Attunement: Siderite cannot be attuned, it cannot be summoned, and it cannot be forged. Siderite can only be found after the fall of a meteor, and such relics are rare and valuable. Shaping Siderite is a grueling process, requiring brute strength and patience; once the metal begins to glow with inner heat, it loses its full resistance to the supernatural. This means, unfortunately, that most starmetal artifacts are no more potent than any other iron gewgaw, since most have been forged by fire.  When cold forges are used to shape it, it retains its properties.

Benefits:

- Perfected: It is the hardest and strongest of all the perfected metals and always holds an edge that never dulls. Effectively unbreakable from magical and mundane means, adds +3 Durability if part of an item.

Perfected: It can cut through diamonds, the finest mundane steel, and even kassiterum. Adds +2 to Weapon Damage.  It can cut through anything, ignoring the Durability of an object. 

- Perfected: Siderite is so strong it cannot be melted, even with magical heat. It must be hammered into a desired shape through heating and cooling.

- Perfected: As iron is associated with the Realm of Pandemonium, so is siderite. Siderite offers a +2 tool Yantra to spells concerning strengthening or protecting materials.

- Perfected: When used as a Magical Tool for Space and Mind spells, the mage gains the 9-again quality on her spellcasting. 

- Attuned: The greatest advantage to having an item made of Siderite is that it ignores the supernatural. It bypasses all wards and defenses, cannot be summoned or destroyed by any supernatural force, and is completely invisible to spirits and ghosts. It cannot be manipulated by the Arcana, the Disciplines of the blood, the Gifts and Numen of werewolves, or any other supernatural force or power.

- Attuned: It is almost instant death to any true fae, and extremely harmful to changelings (Aggravated Damage)

- Attuned: It is possible, though extremely difficult, for a Mage to dedicate a piece of Siderite as a magical tool. Unless the Siderite is shaped into one of the tools of her order, though, only the Mastigos, who share affinity with iron, can do so. Mechanically, this costs a dot (not a point) of Willpower, in addition to the time and process normally spent dedicating magical tools. The advantage is twofold; first, the Siderite item is ever so slightly susceptible to the Mage’s own magic – if the Mage teleports or crosses the Guantlet, the item will travel with him, as an example. However, she still cannot shape it or enchant it with any magic. Secondly, any rote cast using the Siderite item will reduce the starting Paradox pool by 2 instead of the usual 1 for using a dedicated magical tool.

Special: The stories tell of the swartalves, ancient faerie craftsmen in the far north, who are adept at working starmetal, despite its antithesis to the fae. Their legends tell of an ancient Fae Noble, the only of his kind, who made an oath with iron, and did not break that oath as did his brothers and sisters.

Alloys with Siderite: Modern day Libertines theorize that Siderite may be combined with other magical materials without nullifying the magical properties of the other materials. Methods of Cold Iron forging persist but have not being successful. More creative minds think that the key may lie in the discovery of Cold Fusion to alter the resonance and molecular structure of the materials so that they complement each other.