I have friend who is a real-life metal smith and he order damascus.  It's really pretty and stable enough, but it's not by any means, the highest quality of metal.

Even if you add the ceremonial or magical aspects to it, I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly) they weren't +3 weapons or anything, and that they were just used to sacrifice people (maybe they're the path between the mortals soul and the god taking the sacrifice, I don't know)

Anyway, here's the process for Damascus they use nowadays (according to my smithy friend who orders it):

They take two different alloys (the two different colors you see) and smash and fold and twist and curl them together, and basically beat the crap out of it anyway they can (contiuously folding it, so that you see the light/dark pattern of the two metals.  The 'spots' come from where they twisted or rolled the pieces, and then smashed and folded them into another piece of metal that's just folded.  Imagine the possibilities.

To reply to John80sk above, I think the skills should all be innate (that is, anyone can attempt them) but your succes will be depend on your attribute (your stats, like STR, AGI) as long as your skill is 0, and your success/dmg rate will still be somewhat low compared to someone who has some training in the skill and an equal attribute.

also, I posted this in another thread, didn't notice this thread, sorry.

much like spells, these would be commands that you could link to a short cut so that you could perform them in combat with a click of a button on your traget.

Some example ideas for skills:

kick: basic combat skill, low STR req, does some damage in addition to regular combat rounds.  Boot quality decides damage.

trip: relies on AGI, knocks opponent down, temporarily impairing combat rolls

stun: relies on STR, stuns opponent temporarily, (simliair to freeze, but non-magic)

circle: depends on AGI, steps behind opponent and allows window for backstab

headbutt: depends on END, extra damage in addition to regular combat.  Helmet quality factors damage.

confuse: depends on CHA, similar to stun, but for charismatic characters.

intimidate: depends on WIL, lowers attack rolls of enemy.

The second shot is one after I'd fallen through the level at the entrance to the sewers.  I actually go through walls and floors and end up dying.  I meant for that to be a different bug.  I've seen some complaints on the bugtracker about it, was just confirming with screenshot.