Fantasy Metallurgy: Adamantite
Or a continuation of monographs on subjects common and esoteric for the enlightenment of the common man.
With few exceptions, most all of us have heard of that fantastic and exceptional metal known as Adamantite, or alternatively Adamantine or Adamant... regional variations of the same root term. Of course, it is only the most exceptional of heroes, villains, demigods or tyrants that have commonly seen such a material or know much beyond the name, so rare it is.
To begin with, let us discuss the name. It seems a simple thing, but its roots in the oldest variations of Dwarvish suggest it is akin to diamond, as Damant, or as we call it 'diamond' comes to us from the Tukkargov clanhold's old inventory runes dating from the First Age, and match similar records from other, younger clanholds.
This connection to diamonds has led more than a few fabulists to suggest that Adamantite has a lustre, or shine, similar to the cut gems, which puts them at odds with histories and mythologies which describe it as 'dull' or subdued. If one had no access to the actual metal, the easiest way to resolve this conundrum is to look to the linguistic properties of the various dwarven tongues. Once one realizes that Dwarves, as a people, group things by crafting properties rather than appearences, then we can see there is no reason to assume that the relationship to diamonds is based on looks.
However, we are not forced to go through such contorted linguistic studies, nor are we required to understand that another term for the metal is 'Black Iron', this from the devil Yuan-Ti of the Jubakish jungles, and popularized in both its translated and untranslated forms by the works of one Erasmu Ylenvu, an adventurer and later popular author of the late third era, who's tales still stir many hearts and are the core of several, somewhat bastardized, bardic tales.
No, for despite it's rarity a city of any significant size is bound to have several examples of the stuff within its bounds. A careful inquiry or simple understanding of ones local political landscape can reveal much. In Lenksi, for example, the crown of the Prince is made of braided wire of several fantastic metals, Adamant among them... the grand university of Yg has several artifacts labeled as such, and of course the principality of Haland is but one of dozens with a mighty hero calling it home, in this case the Dragonslayer Grigori, who's shield is famously made of the stuff.
Of course, in the process of researching all of this I undertook, at great personal expense and even risk, to aquire a small sample of the stuff. Luckily I am able to count as boon companions several of the honorable dwarves, whose connections among their people proved invaluable.
In its native state Adamant is found in hard rock as small, even tiny, nuggets of black ore. Its discovery is reputed by the oldest legends to come from the process of crushing gravel, when the black nuggets, or pebbles, refused to be crushed the Dwarves realized they had something special. In at least one tradition, the Adamant's Soul is 'unbroken one', though a greater understanding of ancient Dwarven animist beliefs is beyond the scope of this monograph.
To be sure, such nuggets and nodes are rare, and rarely are larger than a dwarf's thumb. They tend to be reasonably smooth and regular in shape, somewhat egg like if I must be frank. The texture of the raw ore is similar to slate, though in appearance it looks vaguely like coal, though the Dwarves who mine the stuff assure me that 'veins' of the two materials could not be more different.
Mining it is difficult, common metal tools will wear out rapidly, unable to affect the ore itself, and the surrounding rock tends to be the hardest granite or other stones. Only a few nuggets may typically be found in several square feet of rock, though they can be easy to find once the rock is removed as the nuggets tend to create flaws in the surrounding stone, meaning the rock shears away from the ore during the mining process.
Worked Adamant actually has several different shades, depending upon various techniques used in the process. The simplest and crudest techniques produce a refined metal that tends to be a dull, dark grey, with a rough stonelike appearance. More advanced techniques, such as those used to produce the wire found in the crown of Lenski, produce a smooth, almost glossy metal of exceptionally blackness, while the techniques developed by the master smelters of Tukkargov, long held to be the best source of the metal, can produce a deep black metal with an almost purplish shade and a finish fine enough to use as a mirror.
In all cases the difficulties of working with Adamant are technical more than arcane. Adamant does not alloy with any other metal, it does not take a weld, and its finest property makes it virtually impossible to repair if damaged, and the metal itself is hard to rework. To work Adamant requires exceptional heat and fast, sure hands. Those smiths who work it are said to bath in boiling water, as regular water feels frigid to them after the heat of their forges, surely an exaggeration. It is true, however, that the forges most reknown for the work are found in the hearts of raging volcanos, though at least one notable Adamant-monger was reputed to be a dragon in disguise. One must work in intense heat, and if at all possible quickly. If the metal cools and sets the work is ruined. Among the issues confronting such smiths is that the heat required will metal iron and steel tools, it is said the original smiths used tools of stone, and it is said the greatest artisans of today still use similar tools, though most use tools forged of the very metal they work, or enchanted tools of lesser metals to resist the great heat. Due to the rarity of the ore, it is said that apprentice smiths rework the same piece throughout their training until they can produce a masterwork quality piece from it.
Regarding the finished product, Adamant is exceptionally hard and inflexible. Worked or unworked, the metal will not deform under any conventional pressure, and in extreme cases will tend to crack or shatter rather than deform. A blade of Adamant will hold its edge, regardless of abuse or neglect until the Gods end the world around it. Depending upon the techniques used, it can get a slick, almost glassy surface or have a rough texture not unlike stone or wrought iron. A clever smith can mix and match techniques so that the blade of a dagger is smooth while the grip is rough to better hold the furniture of the blade.
While it cannot be alloyed or welded it is possible to work softer metals into the texture of the surface for inlays and decoration, though the adamant needs to be worked with such in mind. There are, purportedly, certain alchemical compounds and rarified metalworking techniques that can be used to etch or engrave already worked Adamant. It is, reportedly, possible to use Adamant in conjunction with other metals in pattern welded or folded steel techniques, or other methods of producing compound blades, though I have yet to see or hear of a single example of the craft. The few smiths that I've spoken too have suggested it would be possible, but almost inhumanly difficult given the necessity of working Adamant at a temperature that renders lesser metals liquid. One suggested that a core of Adamant could have iron layered over it afterwards, though this would be the opposite of what one would want in a blade...
For wire, Adamant is a remarkably poor choice. While it can be worked reasonably thin, it tends to be inflexible and even brittle. The wiresmith who did the work for Lenksi was a master of his craft, and reportedly the Adamant strands were created first and the rest of the wire wound around those original strands, though this is unsupported conjecture as the provinence of the crown itself is a matter of some debate.
Unusual for a metal, Adamant does not conduct heat well, though as an insulator it leaves much to be desired. Certain mages of my aquaintence report that it is also unusual in that lightning will not pass smoothly through it as it will other metals. As any amateur alchemist can tell you, the metal, applied in a thin layer, is useful for containing a wide variety of acids and other highly reactive compounds that would destroy lesser containers, though some metal specific acids will still, if slowly, dissolve the stuff. While Adamant will not rust naturally, there are some more unusual circumstances that can cause a rust-like corrosion.
Lastly, Adamant is lighter by volume than iron and steel alloys, though not significantly.
I have repeated often that Adamant can not be alloyed, and in the main this is quite true. Barring certain magics beyond the purview of most men it is so. However, I feel compelled to repeat a few rumors that would contradict that claim, in the name of completeness if nothing else. I have a small sample of a dark silvery metal said to be Starmetal, given to me by a reliable source. It has many properties, both visible and from the perspective of a metallurgist. It is said that starmetal may be in fact a natural alloy of both Adamant and Mitril, or Elven Silver, just as 'meteoric Iron' would seem to be an alloy of adamant and conventional iron, going by properties, though that is less supported than the theory regarding the starmetal.
Then too there is the black metal common to certain subterranean races which is not a common metal known to the races of the sun. While obviously not adamant, nor even sharing its best known properties, there is some evidence, scant though it is, that the metal may have some amount of Adamant in its make up, though of course as those races most notorious for using it are inevitably hostile to more civilized folk, not even my most notorious contacts can find even a hint of the methods used to produce it. The Dwarves I've asked merely spit and refer to blasphemous techniques to produce bastard metals.
Having read your essays on Mithril, Ironwood, and this, I've got to say that I really like what you're doing here, and I hope to see you posting more along these lines.