[09:20]Atiye: Regarding the sacred metal that’s mined at the bottom of the lake, I’m thinking it is not particularly better than good steel, but it comes out needing minimal processing to be that good and has a distinctive nacreous hue when worked and polished just right. Even a plain blade forged by a skilled smith is pretty to look at all by itself but clan Uema’s smiths also know treatments that allow them to work elaborate patterns into the finish without marking or etching the metal itself, and spirits tend to instantly recognize the metal
[09:23]Atiye: Something like that idk. I say nacreous but I’m thinking of a specific thing I’ve seen but forget what material it was on
[09:35]Atiye: Oh right the lake is called agate. I guess I’m picturing a patterning kind of like the banding you see in agate but metallic and more subtle but iridescent
[09:35]Atiye: If one had seen starmetal before one might mistake one for the other at first glance but they’re clearly different if you get a good look
[09:07]Atiye: Also I’m gonna say in winter you sometimes get trails of broken ice like this over the lake which are caused by gods crossing over the ice, immaterial or otherwise
[09:08]Atiye: Be it because the sacred water reacts to their presence or because the big fish slumbering down there wants to remind them they only control the surface
[09:08]Atiye: Or just because gods are weird