Cold Iron (CTL)

Cold Iron is the traditional bane of the Fair Folk.

Overview
Those who know the secrets of the Fae tell a curious tale about the Fair Folk’s weakness to cold iron. Long ago, a powerful Other made a Contract with iron itself, but that creature failed to honor the terms of the Contract. Thereafter, iron swore itself as an enemy to the prodigal people, cold and unyielding in its grudge against them. This elemental animosity passed down to the changelings, as well.

In effect, an item made from relatively pure iron (not steel) ignores defenses contrived by the fae and their magics. A protection Contract will not offer any safety from an iron weapon, for example. A changeling wearing fae armor will find it’s no protection from a spike torn from a wrought iron fence. Iron pure enough to be called “cold iron” is used very rarely in the modern world, and most Lost who look for a weapon to use against their fellows must often hunt through antique stores to find items with the distinctive grain or forge it themselves.

Iron weapons forged by hand have even more power. Mass-produced, machine-cut knives are not “cold iron,” nor is metal that has been conjured, transmuted or even shaped by magic. The most  damaging  iron  has  been  hammered into  its  shape  with  nothing  but  muscle,  a  hammer  and patience. Hand-forged iron  confers  an  additional benefit, but only against the Gentry — True Fae suffer aggravated damage from hand-forged iron weapons. Even contact with hand-forged iron causes discomfort to the Others. Against changelings, hand-forged iron works the same as pure iron.

Luckily for changelings, pure iron, especially handforged, is somewhat rare in most modern environments. Objects built from metal for durability are typically made of steel or other alloys. Iron is less common, less practical and even regarded as a bit “primitive” in certain contexts — consider the somewhat coarse look of a hand-wrought iron fence when compared to a mass-produced chain-link fence. Especially among weaponry (where iron is most likely to come into play), iron is the exception rather than the rule. Iron implements can be had relatively easily, but they’ll probably have to be special ordered or created by custom work.