Mithril Platebody

Would Dowdun Reach be standing without mithril? At the very least, it would be standing elsewhere. And since "elsewhere" would put it in the path of dragons, the Withering and Saradominists at various points in Ashenfall's timeline, you would have to surmise that no, Dowdun Reach would not exist.

The Children of Shadows were no miners, so the extraction of mithril from the mountain was a slow process. Goblins were forcibly employed at the cost of a little food.

Among the order, however, the Children of Shadows had some smiths. These smiths lived dual lives: forging deliberately dull weapons to arm the Saradominists in Bramblemead, and scratching together time for pilgrimages to the Dowdun Mountains. There, they would deliver hardy weapons and armour in the name of Zamorak.

Making mithril armour and weapons was not permitted, however. To do so would cheapen the metal, make it seem commonly available. Mithril, it was determined, would be a metal of bribery. It would cross only palms, not swords. By keeping it desirable in this way, the Children of Shadows could control its value, and that value would remain high. Only then could they lobby those who would further Zamorak's goals.

How innocent it all sounds now. Mithril is far from rare nowadays, and seams have been found beyond Dowdun Reach. Mithril is just another metal for blacksmiths to dally with. It is no longer a death sentence to make a dagger from it.