Steel, I'd say. Steel, leather, leather strips.. something simple. IDEA! You could have 3 versions: one that is craftable by steel, leather strips, leather, etc with nord plate stats; one that is the "elite" version with stats of ebony and is not craftable but still upgradable, and another that is unplayable and used for an NPC. Here's how this works: you can craft a mediocre version - standard procedure. But - similar to the headless horseman and other ghosts, we could have a spectral knight guarding a tomb much like Hamvir's Rest. This knight will wear the unplayable armor and will disappear on death. What he is guarding, however, is the Ebony stat knight set.