Materials - Blades of Fire Database

I observe the astonishment in your expression, dear reader. Cursed flesh as an ingredient for Steel? As you shall soon discover, this is by no means the most peculiar substance we shall require on our quest.

Base metals are forged with common substances: iron, copper, bronze, coal… Steel, however, is The Metal of the Gods, and as such, demands supernatural elements for its forging.

The accursed flesh of our adversaries, tainted by the thaumaturgist spell that possesses it, is one of those wondrous elements.

The tyranny of chance reaches every living being without exception. The dice of destiny play with us, and if misfortune happens to ensnare us, there is no escape. The forest fairies know this all too well.

They spend their lives gracefully fluttering about, doing good to all beings they encounter, flying here and there, bestowing blessings. Occasionally, they alight on the branches of trees, for doing good all the time is exhausting.

And then, instead of a well-deserved rest, tiny droplets of sap fall onto the exhausted fairy, suffocating her and dissolving her delicate little body in a matter of minutes.

Only the wings remain in the hardened amber drops that blacksmiths will gather…

Not everyone knows it, but the insidious persistence of a Putrid in flames is quite natural, and as soon as you read this, it will seem so obvious that you’ll be embarrassed not to have deduced how for yourself.

The enflamed undead is not a human torch, nor does it burn with the mundane fire we use for cooking or illuminating dark passages. The fire that torments the resurrected is the same that burns, furious and eternal, in the Forge of the Gods that you now know well, Aran.

It is not a fire of this world or this time, it began burning millennia ago and will continue to do so forever.

For this reason, ancient blacksmiths began using parts of the undead aflame as a valuable ingredient in steel.

To forge steel, humans had to uncover the secret of coal, a knowledge passed down by the Forgers. Like iron, mineral coal is highly treasured and carefully hidden from envious eyes. For when the Queen’s spell fades, its value will skyrocket, and its true worth will be revealed to all.

Some Master Forgers are haunted by a recurring dream throughout their lives. In it, they witness a myth: the birth of the last child of the Forgers’ Era, its first three tears, and how, through those tears, the Forgers shaped both humankind and steel. Glinda is one of these Master Forgers.

Each time she awakens from this dream, she feels an urgent, inexplicable drive to find certain elements and combine them in three distinct forms. This compulsion is instinctive, leaving no memory afterward.

The forms she will forget correspond to the creation of three legendary steels: Annihilator Steel, Supreme Steel, and Stormbringer Steel, each embodying one of the ultimate qualities - Extreme Laceration, Defense, and Durability.

Once Glinda crafts these three forms, she forgets everything until she dreams once more of the twilight of the Forgers Era and that sorrowful birth.

Some Master Forgers are haunted by a recurring dream throughout their lives. In it, they witness a myth: the birth of the last child of the Forgers’ Era, its first three tears, and how, through those tears, the Forgers shaped both humankind and steel. Glinda is one of these Master Forgers.

Each time she awakens from this dream, she feels an urgent, inexplicable drive to find certain elements and combine them in three distinct forms. This compulsion is instinctive, leaving no memory afterward.

The forms she will forget correspond to the creation of three legendary steels: Annihilator Steel, Supreme Steel, and Stormbringer Steel, each embodying one of the ultimate qualities - Extreme Laceration, Defense, and Durability.

Once Glinda crafts these three forms, she forgets everything until she dreams once more of the twilight of the Forgers Era and that sorrowful birth.

Some Master Forgers are haunted by a recurring dream throughout their lives. In it, they witness a myth: the birth of the last child of the Forgers’ Era, its first three tears, and how, through those tears, the Forgers shaped both humankind and steel. Glinda is one of these Master Forgers.

Each time she awakens from this dream, she feels an urgent, inexplicable drive to find certain elements and combine them in three distinct forms. This compulsion is instinctive, leaving no memory afterward.

The forms she will forget correspond to the creation of three legendary steels: Annihilator Steel, Supreme Steel, and Stormbringer Steel, each embodying one of the ultimate qualities - Extreme Laceration, Defense, and Durability.

Once Glinda crafts these three forms, she forgets everything until she dreams once more of the twilight of the Forgers Era and that sorrowful birth.

The Dryad Cocoons are a dark marvel of Thaumaturgy. I have no idea how they achieved it, and at the same time, I don’t want to know. You see… inside each cocoon pulses a human embryo connected to the poisonous sap of its plant-like shell.

This embryo will never become a person, instead, it will develop a wooden humanoid body and a dulled mind with a single purpose: to sense, hunt, and destroy any bearer of Pure Steel.

So, when we come across a Dryad Cocoon on our path and collect it, not only can we forge some excellent steels, but we also rid the world of an abominable creature.

My admired Ubseo Ilimeo used to say that in the brightest light, the darkest malevolence can always be found - a juxtaposition that aptly applies to Enchanted Fungus. This is a wondrous luminescent fungi that only thrives in soils cursed by dark necromantic magic, places infested with tormented souls bound to our world against their will.

Forced to emerge from its grave, the undead forsakes the marvelous light we all radiate in life and wanders in darkness, unable to reclaim it, consumed by madness, anger, and despair.

Legend has it that Enchanted Fungus absorbs this light from the corrupted earth, which is why it shines so intensely.

If there’s one topic that fascinates me, it’s the origin of the legendary golem birds of the Forgers Era. It seems that their creators were inspired by a creature that existed millions of years ago, a gigantic bird of prey known as Karamuth by the Forger naturalists.

Being so massive, the Karamuth evolved to lighten its weight, allowing it to fly with both speed and stealth. Unfortunately, this formidable creature went extinct along with the race of the Forgers, and today, only its claws remain, providing exceptional lightness to certain steels.

To be a Forger means to sacrifice EVERYTHING for the calling. You’ll understand with the tale of the Gilded Eyeball: Have you ever wondered about the origin of such a peculiar and valuable component of certain steels? There was a time when every Forger worth their name had to possess their own Gilded Eyeballs.

These were none other than the eyes of their loved ones, plucked out by the Forger themselves and then bathed in gold under the light of the longest moon of the year. Entire families of one-eyed members existed due to this barbaric tradition, which fortunately has been eradicated.

The Gilded Eyeballs you encounter nowadays are those of the family members of ancient Forgers who, deeply remorseful of their deeds, hid the eyes so that no one could ever use them again.

Surely you’ve been horrified by the deformed faces of the Queen’s Dogs. And I suppose you’ve also noticed the black tears that endlessly flow from their eyes.

It’s not that the soldier is in sorrow, those secretions are the result of the spell that ensnares the poor wretch’s body and mind. I believe the soldiers’ eyes are like sewers from which the rot that their bodies can no longer contain pours out.

That is what we call Ireful Tar.

To protect humanity from their enemies, the Forgers taught humans the art of transforming iron into steel, a divine metal used to craft powerful weapons capable of facing any challenge.

Today, iron can be found in many places, and people hoard it, hiding it from the eyes of strangers. They await the day when the Queen’s spell will finally fade, and the ancient art of forging steel will once again become possible.

I don’t even know if I should bother telling you about the Oceanic Brine. You’re not going to believe me, so why should I? … Well, I’ve spent some time thinking about it, and I’ll go ahead and tell you anyway, even if you laugh at me for the rest of this… adventure… journey… endeavor.

It’s the fossilized remains preserved in sea salt of a very ancient creature, predating the Forgers Era, back when all this land we walk on was the bottom of a vast ocean.

Some authors call this creature Mehi-llohn, nowadays it’s known as Oceanic Brine, though I’m not quite sure why. The thing is, one day, at the home of the famed Blind Forger Nove Ohnná, the man went to fetch the cauldron where he was boiling the materials for his steels, but he made a mistake and grabbed the pot where he was cooking food - a hearty Mehi-llohn stew.

The steel that came from that dinner had exceptional defensive and durability properties. And Nove Ohnná went down in history, in my opinion, undeservedly.

A petrified fragment of what once was a steel sword. Upon careful examination, its rugged surfaces seem to shift in form, as if Nerea’s dreadful enchantment continues to contend with the unruly soul of The Divine Metal.

Resolute, yet never subdued. Does this imply the possibility that, one day, the metal might triumph over the stone, and the curse be undone? I choose to believe so.

Until that fateful day arrives, you can harness the petrified tips to forge new steels.

I bring both good and bad tidings, Aran. The good news is that, to acquire this ingredient, you won’t have to seek out and disembowel a succubus, as they have long been extinct for centuries.

I’ve perused accounts detailing how the succubus would assume the appearance of the warrior’s most beloved, maintaining that guise until the bitter end. It took a strong stomach to eviscerate your mother, your brother, the love of your life… even knowing they were not truly them.

The unfortunate news, however, is that, with succubi no longer in existence, it won’t be an easy task to locate the belly of one.

Excrement. Quite literally. Troll excrement, to be precise. And fossilized by the merciful passage of time. This unsavory ingredient is one of the first that Forgers often employ to alloy their steel with extraordinary properties.

Why, you may ask? Well, among the myriad materials that comprise the recipe for the most coveted steels, this happens to be one of the easiest to obtain. Trolls consume their body weight about five times a day, as their metabolism burns energy with fervent intensity.

Therefore, there’s no need to risk engaging in combat with a troll. Simply familiarize yourself with the area they frequent, and carefully gauge their movements, and you can easily… get your hands dirty.

So, the next time they throw their shit at you, rejoice.

Wood is essential for polearms, as is its treatment with various materials that provide extra strength, hardness, and defense.