HYPERBOREA / Meteoric Ore and Star Metal

**Posted by Brock Savage** 7/26/2018 9:55 pm

An upcoming campaign event involves a meteor crashing into a swamp a few days' march out of Khromarium. I'm pretty sure my players will go for it because reasons. We all know that any decent sized meteor that crash lands on Hyperborea is going to have a terrifying monster inside. Or maybe the meteor is the monster. That doesn't interest me right now. What interests me is the sweet, sweet meteoric ore. If your players came across a hunk of meteoric ore the size of a corgi what, if anything, could they do with it? Has the secret of creating star metal from meteoric ore has been lost?

I understand that Man no longer creates magic items in Hyperborea and even the lowliest trinket is a relic of a bygone age. I guess what I really want to know is if, in your campaigns, the players can sell or use the meteoric ore.

Table 132: Jewellery Value and Composition of AS&SH 2e shows us that star metal is the most valuable precious metal in Hyperborea.

The Sword +2, +4 vs. Otherworldly Beings and Sword +3, Soul Drinker are forged out of star metal. The Sword +2, Flame Tongue is forged out of "red star metal"; I am guessing this is star metal mixed with copper. Clearly, star metal either has magical properties or is a material suitable for the creation of magic items.

**Posted by BlackKnight** 7/27/2018 7:39 am

I would think that it would take a Blacksmith of Exceptional talent to be able to forge anything out of it, but if he did, it might merit magical qualities without necessarily being magical. Of course the cash to cover the Blacksmith and the expences would be substantial.

The primary issue would be the actual heating and forging of the metal, Meteoric iron has been subugated to temps over 4k degrees and hardened, to forge you'd have to have the knowledge to be able to get a forge up to at least that, which would be a hell of alot of coal and several people on bellows constantly. A normal forge will only come up to 2K-2.5K, so 4K is almost exponentially hotter, and you'd have to get to 4K to break down the hardness and then after forging would need to go back to re-harden the steel...

Here is a link for the colors, temps and melting points of various steels..

and another with Blacksmiths specifically talking about working with meteoric Iron.

And a longer discussion of Forging Meteoric Iron...

**Posted by Blackadder23** 7/27/2018 9:46 am

Personally, I don't consider "star metal" to be anything as prosaic as meteoric iron. Rather, I see it as one of the "unearthly ores" that Lovecraft was always going on about. As such, it is completely unworkable by modern humans in Hyperborea.

Its great value comes from its rarity (and the associated bragging rights), not because of anything practical that can be done with it - at least in my game.

Last edited by Blackadder23 (7/27/2018 9:47 am)

**Posted by Brock Savage** 7/27/2018 10:37 am

Thank you Black Knight and BA23. Taking both of your answers into account, I would say that the players can sell the ore for a goodly sum but crafting anything with it is far beyond their capabilities.

**Posted by Iron Ranger** 7/28/2018 12:56 pm

Man, I would think star metal would be under some serious lock and key by those few that possess it....

**Posted by mabon5127** 7/29/2018 11:35 am

The actual properties of star metal are not that important. The lengths that people, organizations, and kingdoms would go through to posess the star metal...that's important.

**Posted by Iron Ranger** 7/29/2018 1:21 pm

mabon5127 wrote:
The actual properties of star metal are not that important. The lengths that people, organizations, and kingdoms would go through to posess the star metal...that's important.

What he said!!!

**Posted by Brock Savage** 7/29/2018 9:13 pm

mabon5127 wrote:
The actual properties of star metal are not that important. The lengths that people, organizations, and kingdoms would go through to posess the star metal...that's important.

Thanks for reminding me that the meteorite is simply a MacGuffin before I went down the rabbit hole. You are absolutely right in saying that the properties and uses of the star metal are irrelevant to my players' enjoyment.

Anyway, here's the elevator pitch. I keep my exposition short and sweet.

A Yithian possessed a respected astrologer and, with the assistance of local villagers, erected strange granite slabs that demarcated a parcel of the Lug Wasteland. Ostensibly, this was to increase the harvest and ward off monsters but in reality this was part of a Celestial Array to attract a particular heavenly body. Knowing the precise moment when the meteorite would strike, the Yithian-astrologer had a party of adventurers set to retrieve the prize but things went horribly wrong...

**Posted by Iron Ranger** 7/29/2018 9:31 pm

Brock Savage wrote:
mabon5127 wrote:
The actual properties of star metal are not that important. The lengths that people, organizations, and kingdoms would go through to posess the star metal...that's important.
Thanks for reminding me that the meteorite is simply a MacGuffin before I went down the rabbit hole. You are absolutely right in saying that the properties and uses of the star metal are irrelevant to my players' enjoyment.

Anyway, here's the elevator pitch. I keep my exposition short and sweet.

A Yithian possessed a respected astrologer and, with the assistance of local villagers, erected strange granite slabs that demarcated a parcel of the Lug Wasteland. Ostensibly, this was to increase the harvest and ward off monsters but in reality this was part of a Celestial Array to attract a particular heavenly body. Knowing the precise moment when the meteorite would strike, the Yithian-astrologer had a party of adventurers set to retrieve the prize but things went horribly wrong...

Very cool Brock! Sounds like your players are in for a treat...

**Posted by mabon5127** 7/30/2018 3:27 pm

Brock Savage wrote:
mabon5127 wrote:
The actual properties of star metal are not that important. The lengths that people, organizations, and kingdoms would go through to posess the star metal...that's important.
Thanks for reminding me that the meteorite is simply a MacGuffin before I went down the rabbit hole. You are absolutely right in saying that the properties and uses of the star metal are irrelevant to my players' enjoyment.

Anyway, here's the elevator pitch. I keep my exposition short and sweet.

A Yithian possessed a respected astrologer and, with the assistance of local villagers, erected strange granite slabs that demarcated a parcel of the Lug Wasteland. Ostensibly, this was to increase the harvest and ward off monsters but in reality this was part of a Celestial Array to attract a particular heavenly body. Knowing the precise moment when the meteorite would strike, the Yithian-astrologer had a party of adventurers set to retrieve the prize but things went horribly wrong...

I agree with Iron Ranger! Great idea.