Elesine

Elesine is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.

History

What is currently known of the material is very little, as it has fallen out of the collective memory of the Elven houses. Once, it was a highly prized material in the Elven world, produced exclusively by the Ta'Ashrim elves. It was so rare, in fact, that to procure a bolt or a garment made from it, one would have to travel to Ta'Ashrim, as its export was prohibited. The secret of the weave was so highly guarded that while a few garments existed outside of Ta'Ashrim, it was produced no where else, but that wasn't for lack of trying. Many attempts were made to reproduce the fabric, but they all failed. Thus, when the Ashrim were no more, their secret died with them. In ancient tomes in the deepest of Ta'Illistim's libraries, there are mentions of garments made from the material, but they focus on the tailoring of the garment, not the weave of the fabric. Unable to reproduce it or procure any more, the thought of it gradually faded from the collective memory. If there are any existing garments still on the mainland, they are unknown and lost to time.

Description

Elesine is a fabric of a proprietary weave exclusive to the Ta'Ashrim elves. In composition, it is made of sea silk (which is produced from a secretion of the pen shell clam) that can be dyed to any hue, but has a natural dark golden sheen that never fades. The sea silk is then interwoven with hair-thin strands of electrum in a triaxial pattern to create depth and a subtly metallic-sheened fabric.

The true secret of the fabric is not the electrum, as there are many fabrics that bear metallic threading. Rather, the mystery of the weave is what was so highly guarded. Woven on a specially created loom, the Ashrim were able to create a triaxial weave that created a texture in the fabric that enhanced the ability of the electrum to catch the light and that also made the fabric exceedingly strong.