Definition of tempered:
(adj) :
of one's
disposition; pertaining to the metallurgical process for finishing metals
"1851 "Not forged!" and snatching Perth's levelled iron from the crotch, Ahab held it out, exclaiming -- "Look ye, Nantucketer; here in this hand I hold his death! Tempered in blood, and tempered by lightning are these barbs"