Rughar Flax

It seems everything that lives north of the Rughar is naturally tougher than the equivalent found elsewhere, and this is especially true of the flax that grows there. Rughar flax is much the same as the familiar variety in terms of the plant's structure, but the fibres are fully twice as thick and many times as resilient. The material is used frequently by the Rughar Wildmen, both for clothing and in their 'rugs', small carpets which often depict important animals or historical scenes.

Properties

Material Characteristics

The fibres extracted from Rughar flax take the form of pale beige threads, though they can be easily dyed. The threads are flexible enough to weave together, but have remarkable resilience, being difficult to cut and almost impossible to tear. As the plant grows in the Rughar mountains, it is also resistant to cold, and the same is true of the fibres. However, if exposed to moisture for extended periods of time, the threads will weaken and fray.

History & Usage

History

Flax has been used as a material since before recorded history, likely even before the Departure. This variant of the material has similarly been grown and used by the Wildmen of the region for as long as they can remember, and it is not unheard of for hunters in the Rughar Mountains to come across remnants of old rugs, left behind by travellers many years ago.

Everyday use

As with normal flax, the fibres can be used to form clothing, which is a common use by the Wildmen of the region. Clothes made from Rughar flax will be naturally heavier than most, but provide good insulation against the elements and are unlikely to suffer wear and tear except when put under high stress. It is rare that full body clothes are made from Rughar flax, but it is a common material for high-quality gloves. The Rughar also use the flax threads for works of art, creating the carpet-tapestries known as rugs, which can be found either on the floors of their dwellings or hung up on fences around their settlements.

Byproducts & Sideproducts

While the plant is grown primarily for the textile, the seeds are edible and are used by some Rughar groups in cooking, though like the rest of the plant, they are quite tough and hard to work with.

Type

Textile