Darksteel

Darksteel was a very hard alloy comprised of star metal that had been treated with multiple specific oils. While the esoteric make-up of the alloy was previously a closely guarded secret of the dwarven Ironstar Clan, dating back to the 3 century DR, revelatory dwarvish texts that described its formulation had been uncovered by the 14 century.

Description
Darksteel had a silver hue when it was cut and polished, while its exposed surfaces shone with a purple gleam. It was extremely durable and lighter than steel.

Armor and weapons made form darksteel were resistant to acid and had the unique property of absorbing all magical and mundane electrical energy, including lightning, without transferring a charge to its bearer. In fact, the energy that effected weapons in this manner could be directed towards the target of the wielder.

Usage
Once in its molten form, darksteel was quite easy to work with and behaved similarly to steel. It could be easily poured into molds and took on magical enchantments with relative ease.

Background
Due to the secrecy surrounding the technique of its creation, it was nearly unheard of to find darksteel items that had been forged recently before the 14 century DR. Ingots of the metal could only be found in the deepest realms of the dwarves, and could fetch over 7,000 gp from certain smiths in the city of Neverwinter.

It was believed however, that ancient documents containing these formulae could be found within the libraries of Candlekeep and perhaps a select few others near the Sea of Fallen Stars.

Value
A mass of darksteel was worth about 10-12 times the same amount of gold.

Notable items

 * Ironstar mace