Densicor

Densicor, sometimes called "core wood," is actually the bark of towering trees near the Sticks along the south end of the Enthion's west coast(Maka Tir Zhon's, technically). The bark can be extremely thick, occasionally more than a foot deep. It can be dangerous if it sloughs off a tree and gets picked up by the wind from great heights, which is a hazard the peoples of The Sticks have become accustomed to.

That said, it is also an essential resource. Parts of The Sticks are marshy, and the great sheets of densicor are placed and layered to provide ground solid enough to build on, though in many cases the core wood floats atop the water, creating something akin to a small island when its use is scaled up.

Densicor is also used as a building material. While not as strong as the wood of the trees that shed it, it is an excellent insulator and it's easy to work with. Given its abundance for as long as anyone can remember, the vast majority of the buildings in the sticks are comprised of densicor. It may be treated, sanded, or colored and the rough, outer layer may be kept or peeled away, providing a great variety of looks...but it's all densicor.

Densicor is not traded in the traditional sense, though it is certainly an essential market item. The stuff is massive and plentiful. If it is needed, it is hauled rather than purchased, which would sound to most like charging for air. However, some of the best bark is in the most dangerous areas where it hasn't been picked through and claimed by dozens or even hundreds of other people. If you want fresh, thick densicor, you'll have to pay a crew to risk their lives in the wilds to get it, and that can be pricey. And while it isn't generally traded directly, haulers often provide samples from their most recent finds and charge a premium to get it quickly...nothing in the wilds of The Sticks can truly be claimed, and it might be gone when the haulers get back to it. Of course, some have protected areas they guard and are not likely to lose their stash, yet still charge a premium for "expedited" services.

Whatever the situation, it's a material so essential to the people of The Sticks that most could never imagine life without it. It's the stuff of their homes and, sometimes, the ground upon which that home stands, not to mention a material used for kitchenware, sculpture, and a million other things. Core wood is part of the cultural core of The Q'tari. Notably, the very rich have come to eschew its use in recent decades as a material used only by those who can't afford anything else. High-end districts tend to have homes made of brick or field stone. Some may even go out of their way to replace other items made with core wood as well, but that quickly become dangerous, as one may be seen as turning one's back on q'tari culture, even among other well-to-do q'tari. Recent customs among the rich include building the main home from bricks, but a guest home on the property from high-quality core wood. Another odd trick is to have no visible core wood within the house, but to bring some out for show. At dinner, for instance, right as one wonders where the core wood is and whether or not these people can be trusted as real q'tari, the homeowner serves an appetizer in beautiful, polished core wood bowls and goes out of their way to point them out and speak of their pedigree (a word q'tari use for both plants and animals.)

For almost everyone else, it's just "wood" or "bark," usually used interchangeably since the words almost always refer to the same material. If necessary, one might refer to "the rough" for the outer part of the bark or "the gold" for the inner part, so named both for its perceived value and for its rich, often golden honey-colored appearance. Natural coloration ranges from white to rich browns and golds for the inner bark and a dusky gray or brown through to a deep brown or nearly black coloration for the outer bark.