Stone Skin

Stone Skin was a form of lightweight armor developed by the Bekiskapan during the Earth-665 iteration of reality. This clay-based body paint rendered the wearer impervious to most physical attacks, but the recipe was a closely guarded state secret. As such, following the disappearance of the last Bekiskapan during the First Age of Eden, the scientific knowledge necessary to recreate Stone Skin has been lost to history.

Utility

Stone Skin renders the wearer completely impervious to cutting, slashing, and piercing attacks. The damage caused by blunt force trauma is also significantly reduced. And all of this is made possible without any sacrifice in mobility or speed.

 

That said, the wearer of Stone Skin is not completely invulnerable. Eyes and orifices remain weak points, as do nipples. And though the effectiveness of blunt force trauma is reduced while wearing Stone Skin, deaths by strangulation and crushing were not unheard of in the warrior culture of the Bekiskapan.

 

The removal process for Stone Skin was its greatest downside. In fact, it has been said that rediscovering the recipe for the body paint would only be step one in recreating the utility of Stone Skin. The other part would be figuring out what tools and techniques they used to take the shit off after battle.

Manufacturing

The ability to create Stone Skin disappeared with the Bekiskapan who invented the technology. And yet, the recipe appears to have been relatively simple. The main ingredients were:

 
  1. A combination of clay, chalk, and ash from within ten miles of the intended wearer’s birthplace
  2. Water from a river rich in temporal magic
 

What scholars have not been able to ascertain is how the raw materials were mixed and prepared. And that process, the manufacturing process, appears to have been crucial to creating and maintaining the armor’s integrity.

Social Impact

The development of Stone Skin contributed directly to the successes of the Bekiskapan on the battlefield. Their conquest of the Afro-Eurasian landmass during the Earth-665 iteration of reality would not have been possible without this technological innovation.

 

In Eden, after a Calamity brought the universe to an end, the fearless Bekiskapan and their Stone Skin became the heroes of the First Age. They were instrumental in the defeat of the Monster Hordes, especially during the Battle of Frankburg Bridge, and their impact on the culture of this post-apocalyptic paradise has been immeasurable. From the worldwide worship of larger-than-life heroes to the development of Aünapan culture during the Fourth Age, the legacy of the Bekiskapan and their Stone Skin can still be felt to this day.

Inventor(s)
The Bekiskapan
Access & Availability
Lost state secret
Complexity
Moderate
Discovery
3037 BCE (Earth-665)

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!
Jul 9, 2024 19:57 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

That's so cool. I love that there's a magical component to it.

Emy x
Explore Etrea
Jul 9, 2024 22:35 by E. Christopher Clark

Thank you! Yeah, I wanted something that walked that line between magic and technology. I'm glad it worked!

Enroll in Yesterland Academy today!
Jul 16, 2024 18:34

Not gonna lie, the nipple line caught me off guard in a funny way, but I do like the idea of body paint acting as special protection, even as simple as making the thing feeling so magical.   Curious if you could also apply this paint to armour, like a coat of it ensuring even a wooden shield is capable of blocking some heavy blows.

Jul 17, 2024 22:44 by E. Christopher Clark

Ooh, good question about applying it to armor. I hadn't considered that, but now I will have to! Regarding the nipples, it originated as a joke when first writing about the Bekiskapan (which were meant to evoke Red Sonja and Conan and the like) to explain why they would wear chain-mail bikinis even when their skin was virtually indestructible. I eventually decided that it was all to do with the role of nipples in child-rearing, and that's why they could not be protected with this paint.

Enroll in Yesterland Academy today!
Jul 17, 2024 02:20 by Chris L

Always love getting more Bekiskapan lore! Is the nipple thing me incepting from your chat again? Because I feel like it might be!


Take a look at my Institutions of Learning challenge article.

Learn about the World of Wizard's Peak and check out my award winning article about the Ghost Boy of Kirinal!

Jul 17, 2024 22:45 by E. Christopher Clark

Oh, it totally was. This was one of the early, early bits about them—the Achilles' Nips, which I think was your turn of phrase. :-)

Enroll in Yesterland Academy today!
Powered by World Anvil