Abridged History of the 10th Age
“The acquisition, smelting, and crafting of this metal is a closely guarded dwarven secret. It is used mostly for armors, as its primary virtue lies in its extreme hardness. When crafted and polished it is similar in appearance to silver, but has a matte surface that does not glare. It can also be specially prepared to be finished in a black color, or mixed in a bâlglamir or gold alloy to produce a golden color, but this technique is considered a waste of good bâlglamir or gold in most cases. It is most common to see black-crafted æderite accented with golden tracery, highlights, or what-have-you.
“Æderite takes well to etching and tooling, and many of the oldest forms of dwarven princely armor are made from this prized material. Æderite is almost never given to those outside dwarven society, and even to look upon an æderite object is considered to be a great boon. Dwarves call this metal ædr, and the form æderite is a term adopted by humans and the other demihuman races to describe this metal.”
-The Kyklosi Antikor
Aedr is derived from ferrous ore found deep in Arunia and is sometimes called the Tears of the Earthmother. One of the most prized ores in the Middle World, aedr cannot be extracted, smelted, or worked without the secrets known only to a select group of dwarves: the High and Master Smiths of the Arinnfal.
It is completely resistant to all mundane forms of harm. No sword can dent or scuff it, no hammer bend or break it. Any armor made of it or shield banded in it is effectively protected from damage by adventuring, save strikes made by enchanted weapons or creatures who’s talons are as effective as such.
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