A Grumpy Nord Blacksmith Talks About Mithril

I’ve only ever worked with mithril once or twice for especially particular Imperial clients. Mithril is a uniquely Imperial creation, and if you’ve never heard of it, I’m not surprised, as it’s never gained much popularity outside of the Imperial province. Mithril does not occur naturally; it’s a composite of silver, steel, and, I think quicksilver. To get the final product, it’s also treated through arcane and alchemical means that its creator company likes to keep secret. Oh yes, the Greenway Smithing Company has had a monopoly on mithril smelting since the early Third era, which of course means that the prices for mithril ingots are outrageous. The fact that they’ve kept the formula under cover for this long is unusual. You’d think that some greedy employee would spill the beans by now, especially considering the number of competitors who’d love to undermine the monopoly. There have even been numerous high profile break-ins from ambitious thieves, but no formula has ever been recovered.
Which makes it all the more puzzling that I find mithril armor to be rather disappointing. Honestly, mithril’s overrated. It’s as durable as moonstone and is as heavy as glass armor. But moonstone is lighter and glass can take more hits than mithril, so most sane people don’t see any real advantage. It’s also completely useless for stealth, since it’s naturally very shiny and reflective and when it rubs against itself, it make a delicate ringing sound. Dropping a mithril hauberk sounds like turning over a cart full of glass chimes. And mithril just can not hold an edge, making it absolutely worthless for weapons. Personally, I think that the Imperial government has always propped up the mithril industry to have a metal and armor that they can claim is uniquely Cyrodilic and give their blacksmiths more national pride. Imperial propaganda likens mithril to the unique unification of the cultures of the magic-inclined Nibenese and the martial Colovians. More poetic sources call it “glitter-gray.” Imperial-style mithril armor is issued to captains and other high-ranking officers of Imperial light cavalry, archer and skirmisher divisions of a legion, but it's hardly ever worn for the above reasons. Most officers just slip back into their more comfortable leather and mail armors. It's far more practical. Military dress uniforms of all stripes are almost invariably mithril. It suits the Imperial preference for heroic and virtuous-looking warriors, though apparently it’s considered noble to wear armor that’s so reflective it blinds everyone who glances at it. If you want light armor, look elsewhere.