Damascus Steel

The making of Damascus steel,
which is stronger than of any other city.
Swords made of this steel,
shall not break in the battle,
but shall cut through other blades,
and through the shields and armorplates.

These swords are so wanted,
that they are only available for a high prize.
even for the wealthy difficult to obtain,
a sword is not faster forged,
than it is sold in Damascus.

The smiths of Damascus,
guard their secrets best,
knowing that other cities would rejoice
might they have the ingots,
but the greatest secret;
is one few would believe
because Damascus steel
isn't made in Damascus.

It is being imported
from the Lebanon
By the swordmakers of the city,
and only there obtainable
in a village at the coast of the sea.


They don't make the steel,
but obtain it
in the form of ingots
which are formed into blades
by the smiths of Damascus.

The swords of Damascus
are made in Damascus.
Worthless to any other city,
except the smiths of Cathay,
who are cunning in the making of steel.

This traders of Lebanon
are strange and vulgar of speech,
but are fond of wine,
though they never buy it themselves.
They allow any man in the tavern,
to buy wine for them
but shall not return anything,
which makes them unpopulair with men.

Perhaps it is their weird appearance,
they have broad heads and wide mouths
that is similar to the mouth of a frog,
bulging eyes and heads that extend,
they have the Innsmouth-look.
They need to drink to replace their moisture,
that they lose at night and day,
and therefore haunt the tavern.

It is difficult to intoxicate this traders,
but not impossible with the strongest liquid.
and then they shall speak of their home,
and how they long to there,
and express their discomfort to be away from the sea,
which they love as their mother.

The story of the steel
can not be gained in one night,
and is never described in detail,
but a patien man who knows of arcane,
can gain pieces of it,
which is not long to write.

The city of the trade is known as Shaalon,
and its inhabitant are all related in blood.
But nobody remembers, not even the elder
when Shaalon was raised.
Being all tradesmen and fishermen.
They deal and trade with the Deep Ones,
the children of Dagon and Mother Hydra,
who dwell in the sea not far from the shore.

The Deep Ones are married to the woman,
and have form pacts.
This is not strange for the inhabitants,
the Deep Ones admire their beauty
above the putrefying pride of their own kind.
In this manner the blood of the Deep Ones
and the blood of the inhabitants is unified
for a thousand years or more.

From the Deep Ones come the ignots of steel,
which are forged in Damascus into weapons.
According to the Deep Ones fall stones
into the sea from the stars, the cosmos,
with hearts of metal, on the floor of the ocean.