Jack of Irons
Description
This useful armour is most often crafted in the form of a heavy arming jacket, usually with reinforced steel jack chains on the arms. It is popular with officers and sergeants in the Marches and the League. A variant form of the Jack of Irons called the Bloodiron Hauberk is crafted in Wintermark, mixing weltsilver and mithril to provide a long leather jacket that covers the arms and upper legs and is worn over mithril chain.
In the Marches it is also called a Jack of Chains; both names come from a legendary giant called variously Jack-in-chains, Jack-of-Irons and Bloody Jack. Wrapped in heavy chains and wielding a terrible spiked club, the massive creature is said to be twice the size of a person and impossible to kill. According to stories the creature recovers almost immediately from even mortal wounds, and limbs hacked off continue fighting. Popular tales suggest that the demonic horror was defeated by a girl variously known as Clever Jill and Wise Mary who tricks the beast into falling down a well from which it is unable to escape. The legend insists that the giant is still buried under the earth somewhere near the modern town of Wayford.
Interestingly, some scholars believe the creature spoken of in Suaq and Kallavesi legends that they call the skinned king may be the same creature, although in the stories of Wintermark the giant beast has no skin and is ultimately defeated by a clever hunter who creates a human-shaped mannikin of fresh deer meat studded with spiked hooks, and then taunts the giant into grappling the mannikin. Trapped by the hooks, the giant cannot escape and is rolled down a steep incline into the waters of Westmere where it is assumed to have drowned.
Rules
- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour. You must be wearing this armour to use its magical properties.
- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.
- Effect: Once per day you may use the relentless skill as if you know it without spending any hero points.
- Materials: Crafting a Jack of Irons requires five measures of ambergelt, three ingots of weltsilver, and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.