Aíma Tu Ári

**Aíma Tu Ári** or "Wargod's Blood" is a rare volcanic ore that has been used by the Aprósopi for millenia in order to make their iconic armor and weapons. it is an extremely durable material when Aprósopi smiths smelt it and alloy it with their secret methods and is capable of withstanding extreme damage, heat, and even repel hostile magic. The origin of the ore remains shrouded in myth and is believed to be the hardened blood of Ares that the Earth absorbed. The smelting and smithing methods involving Aíma Tu Ári are closely guarded by the Aprósopi, and despite attempts from different groups in harnessing the material, the Faceless maintain their secrets. It is considered the most sacred metal in Aprósopi culture and most commonly used for armor and shields. Weapons made from Aíma Tu Ári are uncommon and possess an increased potency for "Searing Light" or Ilao-Kali. Aíma Tu Ári armor and weapons never rust or tarnish, and can hold edges despite the centuries of usage.

## Mythic Origin

Aprósopi clans across the world all share the original myth of their sacred metal, and despite its name, it is not actually a material given directly by Ares. The Wargod's Blood came about when Aphrodite, the wife of the god of metallurgy and metalworking Hephaestus, had an affair with Ares. Hephaestus fashioned an unbreakable chain-link net so small as to be invisible and dragged them to Mount Olympus to shame them in front of the other gods for retribution. The Aprósopi believed that the chain-link net was also made with razor edges so that Ares bled when Hephaestus told Helios to drag his cheating wife and her lover across the world before bringing them to Olympus, resulting in Ares' blood to be found not only in Greece but also the rest of the world.

The blood of Ares was absorbed by the Earth and would attempt to seep out from the mouths of volcanoes, the mythic explanation as to why the ore is found exclusively in the openings and mouths of active volcanoes. Because of the ore being an extremely heavy material, it sinks underneath lava and requires a ritual known only to the Aprósopi for them to make a deal with Hephaestus. It was said that the earliest Aprósopi made a pact with Hephaestus that they would prevent their patron god from sleeping with the god of smithing's wife in exchange for Ares' crystallized blood that Hephaestus hides in the volcanoes. Modern Aprósopi recreate this exchange by performing specific rituals at the openings and mouths of active volcanoes, the specifics remain a secret to Aprósopi mage-smiths. The mage-smith would withstand volcanic fumes and heat so they could complete the ritual and the Aíma Tu Ári would float above the lava depths and be magically extracted by Aprósopi for use. It is said that because of the material only existing undeneath the surface of lava and turning into mundane rock whenever a non-Aprósopi extracts it by any other means meant that no other culture, be it ancient or modern, has discovered the material for themselves. The pure ore appears to be a dark greenish material and is extremely heavy. Because of the material being found at volcanic areas, ancient Aprósopi would seek out the volcanoes of different land to check them for their Wargod's Blood.

The methods of smelting and smithing with the material being based on Hephaestus gifting Aprósopi the Wargod's Blood, has resulted in Hephaestus to become one of the only gods that was never replaced with a different smithing god by Aprósopi who syncretized their wargod worship with the gods of regions they ended up assimilating into. Ironic that the man that was cuckolded by the original wargod worshipped by the Faceless remains the constant deity revered by the Aprósopi, especially by their mage-smiths.

## Extraction and Smelting

Aprósopi Mage-Smiths use their secret ritual with Hephaestus in order to extract the ore from underneath the molten depths of volcanoes, afterwards it is immediately transported using special cauldrons made of **"Aítnakhalkos"**, or "Etna Copper", a magical bronze and another sacred metal considered a key ingredient in smelting and forging with the Wargod's Blood. Aítnakhalkos was said to be invented by Hephaestus and gifted to the Aprósopi in order to handle and shape Ares' blood. The material is extremely durable to heat, never rusts or tarnishes, and is made by alloying copper and tin in a kiln burning with magical charcoal that creates and intense heat and was in turn created by burning wood using **"Etna Fire"**, a special fire invoked by Mage-Smiths that is said to be the blessed fire of Hephaestus himself. Because of this, Aítnakhalkos equipment and Etna Fire are never absent in an Aprósopi's forge. Once the ore is transported to the forge, it would take exactly six weeks of refining for the ore to be smelted and used for armor and weapons. Pure Aíma Tu Ári is hard but brittle, similar to volcanic glass, and not the most ideal material, which would require it to be mixed or alloyed with other magical materials.

A decently sized chunk of pure Aíma Tu Ári can make at least two sets of armor if used conservatively, and Aprósopi whose armor are made from the same chunk of ore are said to be "Bloodsiblings", bonded by the armor they wear, and are expected to fight by each other's side.

## Alloying and Smithing

In order to turn it into its iconic durable form, Pure Aíma Tu Ári is alloyed with Aítnakhalkos, Aítnasídero (Iron smelted with Etna Fired Charcoal), with the alloy being made up of exactly 86% Aíma Tu Ári, 7% Aítnakhalkos, and 5% Aítnasídero, and 2% Etna Fired Charcoal for carbon. The alloy is then smelted again using a kiln that is fueled by Etna Fired Charcoal. The finished product is the Aíma Tu Ári metal used for armor and weapons by the Aprósopi and the resulting mixture gives it its iconic steel appearance. They are typically smelted into ingots and would require Etna Fired Charcoal fueled kilns once again to be heated and shaped into armor pieces and weapons. Aítnakhalkos hammers, anvils, tongs, and other tools are required to turn the raw material into armor and weapons. The Etna Fire Charcoal and the Aítnakhalkos used throughout the smithing process is what gives Aíma Tu Ári its magical properties, specifically its defensive ability against magic. Another method that was discovered is infusing an Aítnakhalkos hammer with mana and using it as a catalyst for Reinforcement magic during the forging process of an Aíma Tu Ári weapon, strengthening its concept of "Magical Conductivity" and turning it into a weapon that can become a Searing or Killing Light.

These methods remain a closely guarded secret and only the Aprósopi have mastered the material. Due to the time and effort it requires to forge armor and weapons, each piece is highly valued and many clans have passed down armor and weapons from generation to generation, with re-smelting and re-forging only done to old armor and weapon pieces that are too damaged to repair.

## Bloodweaving

Bloodweaving is a special technique created by Clan Tejido De Sangre, Aprósopi who resided in the Philippines since the 17th century. They were hired as mercenaries to fight with Balete magi and other hostile Faceless clans, and have been famous for creating Aíma Tu Ári cloth armor called "Bloodweave". Although not as durable as Aíma Tu Ári forged into armored plates, the Tejido De Sangre discovered that Aíma Tu Ári could be shaped into fine, flexible threads. These threads are known to the fire resistance of Aíma Tu Ári, but it exchanges raw durability and fire resistance for flexibility. The Aíma Tu Ári threads are combined with Aítnakhalkos threads and combined with mana-infused cotton. This created a soft but durable fabric, and most importantly, light and inconspicuous, and strong enough to withstand gunshots, sharp slashes, and blunt force. The original Bloodweave was weaker than its modern equivalents, however, as the Tejido De Sangre incorporated a new technique and material when they became affiliated with the Snake Tong.

The Linuhung, Balete who joined the founding members of the Tong, were masters of a weaving technique known as "Manaweaving", which was shaping raw magical energy into nano-fibres and woven into sheets molecule-by-molecule using specialized magical tools, creating a durable and magically conductive material for enchanted clothes. When the Tejido De Sangre became allies with them, the two shared their weaving techniques and resulted in the combination of Wargod's Blood, Etna Copper, and Manaweave threads to an even stronger composite material.

And then Fenghuang introduced Houhan Bu cloth to the organization, which was made from the silk of Houhan Spider Yaoguai that was durable and naturally resistant to fire, and had the ability to clean blood and other stains on fabrics made from the silk by simply exposing the stained cloth to fire, hence it's name of "Firewash Silk". The Tejido De Sangre incorporated the Silk into their Bloodweave, along with Manaweave threads, creating the modern Bloodweave clothes used by the clan today. Durable, flexible, and fire-proof.

The Tejido De Sangre were also responsible for the creation of the SS11 BB (Bulletproof Body) Suit that modern Snakes wear utilizing the same process and some of the materials used for Bloodweave. The SS11 in the name meant "Snake Scale 11" due to the eleven components used to make the composite material. These include **Aítnakhalkos threads**, **Aítnasídero threads** (which replaced Aíma Tu Ári threads as they were reserved for Aprósopi only), **Manaweave Threads**, **Houhan Bu silk**, Mana-infused **cotton**, **wool**, and **linen**, **Mage Mordant** (made from enchanted Alum that doubles as a dye fixative and allows the garment to magically dress or undress the wearer in case of emergencies), **Coldeater Dye**, a colorless dye enchanted to provide an insulating layer from cold weather, **Windwhisper** (or Fēng yǔ zhě, a special herb domesticated by Ancient Chinese alchemists are known for their faint scent and their capacity to capture the essence of the wind, making the SS11BB light and breezy even in the hottest of situations when its cloth is infused) and the **actual dye** used to give the suit its final color, as composite material is grayish when undyed.