Raw material

Legend

“Never before had the miner seen an opal thus heavy and shimmering, and as he was about to put it into his gem pouch, a godly hand was laid gently at his shoulder to the words, “Can I purchase that, my good man?””

Skjald Yell'a'Beard

 

Description

Any basic natural material, whether in its raw state or used to craft items, objects, or products, is considered a raw material. Raw materials denote materials in an unprocessed or minimally processed state, such as ore (stone, metal, mineral), cotton, water, animals (meat, skin, fur), harvested, mined, hunted, and so on, from the world by members of the various races.

Skjald El Mary

 

Flora-based:

Wood: The type of wood varies by region, with some regions producing more robust woods (oak, ironwood) used for construction, while others produce more flexible or aromatic woods (cedar, willow) for speciality crafts or ritual items. Some wood also has magical properties based on its environment, with ancient trees gaining energy from the soil.

Combat herbs: Are a significant resource; although attempted destroyed by Boriac in the Dark Ages and outlawed by the High King in the Fourth Age, they range from providing boosts when consumed to those with poison or healing properties when handled. These have regional varieties, each suited to local climates. Some combat herbs are fiercely guarded by groups within the races, securing their growth.

Crops: Besides basic food sources, crops serve specialised purposes—grains with high disease resistance, fruits that impart temporary stats to the consumer. Some crops only grow in certain enchanted fields or under unique circumstances, which makes them both valuable and difficult to cultivate.

Fauna-based:

Meat: The flavour, toughness, and use of meat vary by creature type, with some animals having meat with magical properties (like a flame-resistant or which heals the eater). Thus, certain beasts are prime targets for poaching or overharvesting.

Bone: Bones are used not only for crafting tools, weapons, or decorations but also for magical purposes. Large or rare creatures have bones imbued with elemental properties. Dwarven bone carvers are, for example, famous for crafting intricate, long-lasting charms or focussing amulets used by battle priests.

Skin/Fur/Feather: Beyond basic utility, these materials are also luxury items or symbols of status. Feathers from rare flying creatures are sought after for ceremonial garments or enchanted cloaks. Furs provide warmth in cold climates or have magical defensive properties like protection from frost magic.

Earth-based:

Stone: Beyond simple building materials, stone might be carved into runestones or amulets. Some stones even have magical properties, glowing under moonlight or warding off creatures when placed in strategic locations. Different types of stone (volcanic, enchanted, or sea-worn) have special uses, influencing trade between regions rich in such resources.

Metal: Metals hold divine or elemental significance. For example, one type of metal can be found only deep within certain mountains guarded by ancient spirits, while others might be necessary to craft channelling weapons. Some even require specific metallurgical techniques to refine into purer or magically enhanced states.

Mineral/Sediment: Sediment might hold medicinal or alchemical value, with certain minerals acting as catalysts in spells. Dwarves, Drakk Alfar, Mavmen, and more mine not only for metals but for rare minerals used in sacred rituals or to power golems, which could have vast economic implications.

Skjald Sejrik

 

As soon as raw materials from agriculture, forestry, fishing, etc. have been prepared, they become goods, ready for consumption or as a marketing commodity. For example, cotton, a raw material crop, refines into string or cloth. Not only differing due to how the environment and magic influence these materials, but also due to the skills and handling of the workers and crafters.

The unique traits also depend on the magical auras present in their region, as different gods might bless certain ores or woods, leading to rare, region-specific resources. Additionally, some raw materials are so valuable that entire cities or regions revolve around their collection and trade. With special guilds, often backed by powerful families, controlling access to these resources. Material purity is key for most things, affecting how effectively a material can be crafted or enchanted.

To keep the purity high when refining or using, some perform purification rituals for rare ores, using specific forges or magic-infused water, to increase the potency of an item. This also ties into how divine favour impacts the creation process, with holy materials maintaining their purity only when handled by the faithful.

Skjald Sigurd

 

Additionally, corruption of resources due to improper harvesting or magical interference might lead to unpredictable consequences in the crafting process.

Skjald Sejrik

 

History

When mana leaked into the void, it not only created the sentinent beings we know as races; it also created organic and inorganic matter. They formed in plenitude at what became void gardens; generally, at each location, raw materials of similar types varied in colour tint, mass weight, density, and so on. Some of them evolved into raw materials various races used for consuming, refining, or crafting. And as they became more widely known, trade of raw materials began.

Skjald Kazumix

 

Dark Ages

As the legend goes, certain raw materials are more than just valuable—they are vessels of divine power. It’s certain that divine intervention has always been a part of resource discovery, both to secure crystallised mana of the most pristine quality and also to prevent their mana wheel opposites from obtaining or benefiting from such discoveries. Especially as refined raw materials of the highest purity by certain skilled artisans can be crafted with infused energies, matching the divines.

This might indirectly be why void gardens, or should I say countries, rich in raw materials generally have had a poor hard-working working class and a very rich governing or trading class due to the export of said raw materials. These differences among the social classes often, existing since the dark ages, have led to unrest, theft, and a hard hand from the rulers, especially in mines and other areas where the raw materials are harvested. It’s also extremely dangerous for the lone harvester or any small band trying their luck roaming the wild in search of raw materials, as they were robbed, and killed by raiders.

Skjald Ulrich

 

First Age

The creation of our world resulted in a spreading of raw materials, both along every seaming of void gardens but also where they were ripped apart and used to fill gaps of already farstretched areas. Thus everywhere does not offer the same, nor equal amounts, or purity. Some areas are so mixed and stretched that they are as good as unfit for harvesting, while others offer an abundance of a specific variety and of great purity. Some areas, such as Ljostari and Fogwald, quickly became occupied by one or more races, building great communities around these rich ores.

Other occurencies of ores were kept secret by their finders, especially the new types that came into existence with the world’s creation. Thus raw material worshipping cults began to spring forth, each with their own rituals and ways of harvesting, refining, crafting, and enhancing. Of course it’s naive to think that neither the Thursar, Boriac, nor gods involved themselves in these cults, one way or another. So even these ‘new raws’ have fed the divines with energies or been equally blessed.

Skjald Sejrik

 

Second Age

The 1st Cataclysm, as such, brought no new raw materials; it also introduced an increase in chaos shards as a result of excess energies not being transformed properly, or as if there was always some astral pollution embedded within a leak, and new transformatons sort of rid a material of this, leaving the chaotic energy crystallised.

The purification of raw material composition had a side effect, though. First noted by Kobold alchemists and enhancers who could no longer make energies span the entire magic wheel within items or embed all eight magic realms within a single item or object. Scholars began to study this, and in year 93 they came to the conclusion that the former pollution seemingly had been the binding material of the magic wheel. Since then, raws untouched, items, and objects created in the dark and first ages have gone up in value.

Skjald Sigurd

 

Third Age

Most likely the flood of new raw materials and goods that cake along with the wanderers was but to hide their hunt for pristine and exquisite materials. But at least their knowledge brought along new ways to craft, enhance, and cook. And their acts aside, cursed be them, their foods are a blessing.

Skjald Yell’a’Beard

 

Fourth Age

The blowing up of Mt. Ljostia into Mt. Vula, the sinking of Ljostari, and the raising of Arisen had some side effects. Corpses or spirits dead for thousands of years suddenly walked anew, knowledge restored and artefacts retained, they brought interesting things to the workshops. But the balance of mana had been somewhat disturbed, and as a few great crafters, alchemists, and enhancers died in energetic explosions. It was discovered it had  become impossible to include seven magic realms within items and objects. Although it could still hold up to eight in all, five different realms was now the limit.

This raised the value of older materials, items, and objects even more. And theft, raids, or invasions became more frequent. Humans were not the only ones subject to this; even Dwarves and Drakk Alfar, who manage their raw materials in a more communal approach where mining and crafting are sacred, shared duties, felt the danger following legendary discoveries or storing too much. These two races now have stricter security, surpassing even that of Mawmen, Kobold, and T'Aurs, regarding their stock of raw materials.

Skjald El Mary

 

Organisation

Raw materials come in many forms, but they are generally divided into three different groups.

• Flora-based: vegetables, fruits, flowers, wood, resin, latex, etc.
• Fauna-based: leather, meat, bones, milk, wool, silk, etc.
• Earth-based: minerals, metals, crude oil, coal, etc.

Aside from this, raw materials are often named as two different component types.

• Primary component: wood, for example, is considered a primary raw material from which items like planks and poles are made, and objects like furniture (chairs, tables, beds, etc.) are made.
• Secondary components Items are resources that supplement crafting. For example, the glue, nails, varnish, etc. used in making wooden furniture.
• Tertiary components are both raw materials and resource items that are consumed in the crafting, enhancement, or transformative processes that elevate mundane raw materials into quality objects or legendary artefacts.

Skjald Sigurd

 

Special

Each separate raw material harvested has its own internal purity, and when harvested or handled, it can be polluted or mishandled so that its purity goes down.

Skjald Vinotis