Planar Steel

Planar Steel is the term given to a type of steel that is made from iron that has been infused with planar energies. But the creation of Planar Steel is not without its risks. The process of mining the iron needed for it can be dangerous, and only a few master smiths possess the skill and knowledge to work with it and turn it into steel.

Interesting Iron

The alloy is not naturally found across the planes of existence, with an exception to the Plane of Fire, where the iron is also subjected to the high temperatures that are needed to turn it into steel. In all other cases, it is found in the state of iron that has been exposed to the raw energy of a plane of existence. On the Elemental Planes the iron is typically subjected to a form of Elemental Absorption, but on other planes of existence these can be any other sorts of wild and untamed magical energies that have seeped into the iron. Before the iron is turned into steel, the iron ore itself looks and feels mundane even when analyzed with most forms of divination magic. This makes it even harder to gather this type of material as not all iron is necessarily charged with enough energy.   Because the iron needs to be charged with a lot of planar energy, it is typically found in dangerous and chaotic places, which makes it dangerous to find and mine this type of ore. Although the ore is more commonly or easily found on some planes of existence, there are also planes where this resource is incredibly rare. It is pretty common on the Plane of Earth for example, but naturally on the Plane of Air, there is far less of the material to be found. There are also a few known instances of planar infused iron being found on the material plane. Where Dimensional Fracturing released a large amount of planar energy into the iron. The Nor'mul Mine is one of those places, where allegedly arcane experimens with interdimensional travel has left its marks in several places. Below is a list of known planar steels and their possible origins.
  Planar Steels and Origins

Planar Steel	Plane(s) of Origin
Acid Steel	Plane of Water, Plane of Earth
Angel Steel	Seven Heavens
Astral Steel	Astral Plane
Bright Steel	Plane of Light, Plane of Mirrors,Seven Heavens
Cloud Steel	Plane of Air
Devil Steel	Seven Hells
Fire Steel	Plane of Fire, Seven Hells
Frost Steel	Abyss, Plane of Water
Gloom Steel	Plane of Shadow, Void
Shimmer Steel	Ethereal Plane
Spark Steel	Plane of Air
Venom Steel	Plane of Water, Plane of Shadow
Void Steel	Abyss, Void

 

Changed Steel

The true transformation happens in the forge where master smiths, who are often taught in different forms of Alchemy and Transmutation, heat the metal to extremely high temperatures and mix in similar magical energies that are in the iron ore into the fire. In some instances this is done through the use of draconic bellows by smiths practicing Draconic Smithing. The entire process can take multiple hours to complete, and is very labor intensive as the heat and energy application needs to be kept at a constant throughout the process. The end result is planar steel, a material the properties of which are as diverse as the planes of existence. Each piece is unique, its properties and appearance reflecting where it came from. Some planar steel shimmers with iridescent colors, while other planar Steel seem to absorb light, its surface swirling with shadows. The steel can be incredibly light yet harder than diamond, or it might possess a flexibility and resilience that defies logic entirely.   Due to the scarcity of the special iron ore and the special smithing techniques required to make it, planar steel is quite rare and therefore very expensive and valuable. A sword forged from this material is not just a blade; it is a strong magical weapon of which legends may be told some day. Armor made from planar steel can provide protection not just against physical attacks but magical ones as well, often having inherent resistances to the elements or even to certain spells.