Revision: Silkspinner SpiderBy mutating spiders over multiple generations, we've created one around the size of a palm. What makes them special is the fact that their web production is many time greater than their normal cousins. Granted, this comes with the price of them being very colorful, with their marking seeming to point themselves out to be poisonous. However, the mutations have rendered them completely incapable of producing venom.
Instead, the Webspinner Spiders, thanks to being brought under our magical sway like the ravens, have developed a method of group hunting, where they work together to build massive nets to catch birds and insects aplenty. Along with the occasional large animal who underestimates the threads they weave. They then eat the flesh of the animals over the course of days, as well as use it to lay their young. The rotting flesh attracts more insects for an easy feast.
They are really only able to do so in the jungles near our home right now though. But thanks to the mutation, we get a steady supply on the non-sticky silk to use in our gambosons, granting them the toughness of steel thanks to the volume and natural properties of silk. It also serves as a source of wealth, though the majority collected from the excess is used for the gambosons. Bolts of it make a nice gift though that any noble would enjoy.
A revision. Though the Iron Waters previously proposed would also work for something to replace mail with. I just went on a roll.
To the above, I edited mine for leather armor over the mail. Since getting something to replace it with alchemy is somewhat easy, as Iron Waters could do so to gambosons.
Iron waters
This potion, when touching a live or once alive, harden it to be as strong and as though and strong as iron.
Using baths of this susbstance, we can make the low qualaty wool and cloth clothings of our troops to a decent armour, and while it would not make wooden hammers better and only marginaly improve wooden axes, wooden spikes are easy to make and would gain a lot from it and swords can still be made from sharpened wood or animal bones.
Iron BathesThe Iron Bathes are an alchemist creation, which can turn that which lived into something as strong as iron. Cloth and leather that is washed in these waters mystically hardens it's structure against cuts and blows to be like iron, while remaining somewhat flexible, if a bit stiff. Wood meanwhile simply ends up as hard as iron after the dip, sinking to the bottom as buoyancy is lost. In all cases, the color is leached out of it, becoming grey and black, with most cases the material shrinking in size.
Through this and the plans for the craftsmen, we've come up with a number of items to be deployed in battle.
Ironwood Spear: A simple Ironwood staff with strips of cloth and leather to attach a wooden spearhead to. The spearhead itself is then whittled after the dip with obsidian from the recent eruption, taking on a jagged rough edge that is nonetheless extremely sharp.
Ironwood Dagger: Carved from a tree branch into basic shape, with the handle focused on over the blade, then dipped in the Iron Bathes. Leather is then wrapped around the hilt for grip, and the blade carved with obsidian from the recent eruption, taking on a jagged rough edge that is nonetheless extremely sharp.
Ironwood Axe: Roughly carved from a single tree branch into the shape of an axe, the handle is polished and then the product is dipped into the Iron Bathes. Using obsidian from the recent eruption, the axehead is given a sharp if rough jagged edge. A singular piece like iron, this axe will cause a lot of damage with the uneven edge giving it a bit of piercing power. The weight behind the blows will likely prove the better point though, leaving deadly wounds behind. The handle is wrapped in regular leather for grip.
Ironwood Mace: A branch that wasn't big enough to be made into an axe. The handle was carved out, smoothed, and then it was dipped in the Iron Baths, creating a rough bludgeon weapon that excels in bashing. The handle is wrapped in regular leather for grip.
Ironwood Kite Shield: Wood cut to specs and dipped in the Ironwood Bathes, before being used in the construction of a kite shield with leather.
Padded Irondipped Gambesons: Made large, then dipped in the Iron Bathes to finish, these Gambosons combine flexibility with armor for the common solider and acolyte.
Ironclothing & Ironleather Cloaks: Meant for the Warcasters among us. Comes with a stupid Ironfelt Fedora which protects against blows from above. An iron defense against arrows, slashes, and spears, if not bashing damage.
Ironwood Bows and Ironbodkin Arrows: Bows crafted to spec and given a dip, boosting the draw weight of the bow. Then given a string dipped in the Iron Bathes as well. The arrows only had the head dipped, and then carved with obsidian, but have a smooth squared edge.
Ironleather Skull Cap: Made of leather dipped in the Iron Bathes to cushion the blows. Made to fit from Ironleather for Commanders and CHADS.
The Iron Bathes do require proper items be used for the dipping of items, mostly poles with hooks at the end, which themselves already underwent treatment and were removed be others like them. The first one was removed by another such pole, but due to the incomplete dip, the area that was not treated cracked afterward.
Magoc is pleased with the Iron Bathes themselves, since other than being able to use them himself to boost his defense without the pesky shrinking effect(Cause he is Magoc and can already change form), he can use them to create iron statues out of those that have displeased him. Since most living beings do not take kindly to being crushed by the alchemical change.
Note to let the dipped items completely dry before touching, and use gloves that already went through the process, since once changed the waters don't effect the items. One thing is for sure, the cult is going to be doing a lot of woodcarving for the near future.
The Iron Bathes effectively gives turns that which lived into an iron-like state. For cloth and leather, this means the threads and leather ends up becoming more iron like. Old leather would just crack though. Granted, this does not actually effect flexibility of the material too much. Hence a bow that underwent the process would gain a greater draw weight due to being able to hold more force in it's limbs.
Obsidian is used to sharpen the edge through chipping, though for maintenance a grindwheel or whetstone would be best.
The mane weakness of Irondipped items is blunt force in cases where you don't have a lot of iron padding. The gamboson kinda solves that, so getting through someone equipped this way isn't easy. Piercing can work, but only to a degree. Half-hearted thrusts don't pierce iron, so you need to put strength behind those blows. Arrows meanwhile tend to get their piercing power blunted due to it being flexible.
Breaking an Ironwood weapon is pretty much a joke. They don't break outside of massive physical force or leveraging. The strength and endurance of iron combined with still having some give means they have a lot of leeway. Granted, anything that can damage iron will damage them, just not the usual force involved in combat. Ironwood weapons do have the benefit of being fireproof and insulated though. Simply because it is more like iron does not mean it isn't insulated any longer. Leaving them in the sun isn't going to make them too hot to handle. Though this quality also makes Ironwood susceptible to chip-carving in the first place.
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Topic: Demon Team - Chiaroscuro Arms Race: Strategy Phase 10 (Read 42839 times)