Across Thalosar, weapons and armor are not merely tools of war but reflections of culture, history, and philosophy. Each people forges according to what they value—survival, dominance, control, precision, or permanence. As a result, the quality, rarity, and expectations of gear vary sharply by origin. A blade’s maker often matters more than its shape, and seasoned adventurers learn quickly to judge steel by its lineage.
Rarity: Uncommon to Very Rare
Magic: Never magical
Baseline Quality: Always superior to standard mundane steel
The orcs of Ironspine are the greatest living metallurgists in the known world. Rejecting magic as a crutch, they pursued metallurgy, material science, and pressure-forging to extremes no other culture has matched. Orc-forged steel is dense, precisely tempered, and engineered to survive prolonged, brutal use without warping, chipping, or catastrophic failure.
To the Ironbound Empire, steel is not enchanted—it is perfected.
Ironspine steel is dark and weighty, with clean, deliberate lines and restrained embellishment. Forms favor balance, motion, and structural integrity over bulk or ornament. Even decorative pieces retain a sense of purpose.
Zharrian pieces, in particular, are immediately recognizable with their silvery blue color.
High-carbon iron alloys, and Zharrian Steel
Pressure-forged using multi-stage hammering and mechanical compression
Quenched through controlled, sequential cooling processes
Each piece is stress-tested before approval
Orcs do not mass-produce inferior arms. Any piece that fails inspection is scrapped or sold unmarked outside the empire.
Orc weapons at a minimum are +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls, despite being nonmagical.
Orc armor counts as one category lighter for encumbrance and movement penalties.
Orcs do not produce Common-quality gear; even their worst piece is of Uncommon quality.
These benefits stem from craftsmanship, balance, and material quality—not enchantment.
Only weapons and armor that pass Clan Zharr’s inspection may be formally designated as Zharr.
Zharr gear represents the accepted standard of Ironspine craftsmanship.
Embellishment is at the discretion of the individual smith and often reflects the status of the intended bearer.
Failed Zharr pieces are stripped of all marks and quietly removed from imperial circulation—many later appearing in foreign markets such as Thalossa.
To falsely claim a piece as Zharr is considered a serious offense within the empire.
Zharrian Steel is rare outside the empire and usually found only in the hands of elite soldiers, champions, high-ranking officials, or foreign nobles with deep influence and deeper coin. Even unmarked Orc steel is prized abroad; true Zharrian work is coveted, feared, and jealously guarded.
Rarity: Common to Rare (Very Rare is exceptional)
Magic: Often magical via runes
Human smiths value adaptability and regulation. Their steel is reliable rather than exceptional, but humans alone mastered the widespread binding of runes, allowing enchantment at scale—under strict Mage Guild control.
Appearance: Practical, balanced forms marked with faintly glowing runes or etched sigils.
Materials: Refined steel alloys optimized for rune inscription.
Mechanical Identity:
Mundane human weapons are standard.
Runed weapons gain magical properties (elemental damage, wards, utility effects).
Only a handful of human smiths can produce Very Rare items.
Availability: Common throughout Thalossa; enchanted gear is regulated and tracked.
Rarity: Common
Magic: None
Dwarves of the Southern Crags forge for survival, not prestige. Their work is brutally functional and deliberately undecorated. They see embellishment as wasted effort.
Appearance: Thick, angular weapons and armor, hammered smooth and unmarked.
Materials: Locally sourced iron and stone-tempered steel.
Mechanical Identity:
Always Common quality.
Never magical, never enhanced.
Exceptionally reliable under harsh conditions.
Availability: Widespread and affordable; favored by laborers.
Rarity: Rare to Very Rare (as components)
Magic: None directly
Goblins are not weapon-smiths. They are jewelers and gem-cutters without equal. Their work is prized not for combat use, but for its unmatched suitability for enchantment.
Appearance: Intricate geometric jewelry, faceted stones that shimmer with internal light.
Materials: Deep-earth crystals, sunstones, resonance gems.
Mechanical Identity:
Goblin jewelry provides exceptional enchantment stability.
Often used as the core for powerful magical items crafted by humans.
Availability: Extremely rare; all trade routes lead through Gloomreach.
Rarity: Legendary
Magic: World-altering
The giants were not merely smiths—they were shapers of reality. Their creations fused rune, stone, and will into artifacts meant to last forever.
Appearance: Monumental, austere designs carved with runes that still glow after millennia.
Materials: Unknown alloys, living stone, rune-infused metals.
Mechanical Identity:
Always Legendary.
Indestructible.
Each carries a unique, world-changing effect.
Availability: None are produced. Existing relics are sealed, guarded, or lost.
Common: Dwarven, mundane Human
Uncommon–Rare: Runed Human, Orc-forged
Very Rare: Exceptional Human, Elite Orc
Legendary: Giant Relics
Exotic Components: Goblin Jewelry
Rune Binding: Practiced only by Humans and once by Giants.
Orcs & Dwarves: Reject rune magic entirely.
Goblins: Carve resonance patterns, not true runes.
Market Demand:
Orc steel — highest martial demand.
Goblin gems — highest arcane and noble demand.
Giant relics — beyond valuation.