7 replies to this topic

[Feanor]

What is cold iron ? It's not another name for mithril, I suppose ?

[seanas]

nah, cold iron is much more old-school than that...

the best reference i could come up with on a quick google is:

http://www.realtime....~pixel/bogiron/

executive summary: cold iron is (most likely) wrought, not cast/forged/smelted; is wrought from fresh ore, rather than ore that has been previously melted down and cast; and comes from bog iron, rather than iron oxide.

[Archmage Silver]

What's the difference between Mithril and Mithral?

[NiGHTMARE]

The word 'mithral' was invented because someone (possibly the Tolkein estate, but possibly not - my memory fails me ) decided to make 'mithril' a trademark. I believe the trademark has since been repealed/lapsed, however.

[Daggerless]

I've always wondered about this, what does cold iron actually do in game?

[seanas]

it does nothing in BGII. IIRC, there're some wolfweres in TOTSC that can be hit with non-magical cold iron weapons.

[death]

cold iron from celtic and greek mythologies just refers to any piece of iron, steel doesn't usually count as cold iron...cold iron if stabbed by it was fatale to the elves and faerie folk, thats why the elves used crystal weapons and the rest of the faerie used bronze

[Lady LeFay]

*nod*

Yea. Thought some text varies as to what is considered Cold Iron.

Mercedes Lackey SERRAted Edge and Bedlam Bard novels regard Steel, Chrome and Iron as Cold Iron in affect of how it messes up magical aim -- which Tannim ended up giving an elf a reverse mohawk due to it! . It's just how much it affects magic/magical creatures depends on how pure the iron is. And I think this also entails how much silk is needed to wrap it up and muffled the energy of the metal. Tannim's 56 Mustang wrecked quite a bit of havoc in the underhill, since it's mostly steel... not to mention spooking some Nordic elves.

Wheras the Ravenloft Module I've read will generally regard the old pure-iron weapons as cold iron and no other.

Oh, along the same lines as the Sidhes, Cold Iron in a crib supposed to keep Lilth from killing them and faeries from exchanging them for Changelings. Buried under the doorstep and it kept witches out as well -- because the church found it convinent to allied the Sidhe with the Devil.