Ironwood

Ironwood is a squat, stocky deciduous tree that grows in some parts of the East, along the border between the northeastern coniferous forests and the eastern deciduous forests. Attempts have been made to cultivate the trees elsewhere, with little success.

The leaves of the Ironwood tree are very dark, appearing almost black, their shape reminiscent of broad arrowheads. The leaves grow through the season of Water, fullest in the Earth and Wood seasons, turning a rust red colour in the season of fire and falling to leave bare branches during the season of Air. The tree’s bark and wood are grey in colour, dense and very tough… amongst the tribes and kingdoms of the East, it is carefully cut and carved for use in tools, weapons, and armour, a substitute for metals which are difficult to obtain.

Unprocessed ironwood is not a perfect substitute, however, more prone to breaks and damage than metal would be. However, many tribal shamans and a few nations such as Halta possess thaumaturgic rituals to transform the wood into ‘hardened ironwood’, which has strength and sharpness nearly identical to steel. Weapons of ironwood are functionally identical to those of steel, though more expensive outside the Eastern forests.

Despite its name, and unlike the similarly-titled Ironbush, Ironwood is NOT Iron and does not carry the supernatural effects of that metal (such as iron’s power against the Fair Folk).