False Snow
False Snow is a natural material that can only be found on the island of Orodso Tholuso, The Mountain of False Snow. It is an ashy substance that many have researched over the years and have proven it to be useful for gardening. This material is hard to get due to the hazards of its collection and its restricted harvesting access by the country Othonul with the help of Nubluthon.
Properties
Material Characteristics
False Snow is an ashy substance that is brittle and powdery. It is a volcanic ash that has been birthed from an active volcano.
Geology & Geography
False Snow can only be found on the volcanic island of Orodso Tholuso. Here the active volcano constantly produces a slow sludge of magma and the air is constantly filled with the ash known as False Snow.
Life & Expiration
If treated carefully and properly preserved False Snow will hold onto its form and nutritional value for many years. If it comes in contact with water it will dissolve quiet quickly and wind can blow it away very quickly. Water had been added it leaches into the dirt below and deposits its nutrients.
History & Usage
Discovery
False Snow was first discovered by the locals of Othonul when they sent their leaders over for initiation. They had learned of its growing properties when one of the previous leaders had brought back a small bag of the ash and had dumped into one of the flower beds around their house and had found that those flowers had grown bigger brighter and stronger. Since then the people of the island have been harvesting and selling False Snow.
Everyday use
To the locals of Othonul, it is commonly used on farms, being mixed into the soil to give extra nutrients so plants can grow bigger and stronger. it is also used to paint their temple and political leaders as a sign of their authority.
To the rest of the world False Snow is mostly used in gardens and farms.
Cultural Significance and Usage
As Othonul is the main distributor of the product it has the most cultural significance to them. It has been used to help grow crops for many generations and has been used to paint designs on their priests since before the abandonment. It was once tradition to send their leaders to the volcanic island to see if they could survive for 3 days. This was to prove their status as chosen of the gods to lead and when they returned they were covered head to toe in the ash. This tradition was voted out some 1000 years ago for being to dangerous and was replaced with the tradition of painting designs on leaders and priests out of the ash to signify their status.
Refinement
False snow can be used in its natural state and does not need anything to be changed or added to it to make it work. That being said many have added powdered volcanic rock to it to make it a little more hardy for transportation, and others like to add the latest growing agents to enhance its growing ability.
Hazards
Breathing in False Snow can be deadly, so many who work with it wear masks or cloths over their mouth and nose to protect themselves.
Environmental Impact
False Snow causes few hazards to the environment outside of its volcanic home. On the island of Orodso Tholuso the ash can choke out all sun light causing nothing to grow on the volcanic rocks. It also makes it very hard to breathe on the island when the ash is disrupted or the volcano is particularly active.
Distribution
Trade & Market
The country of Othonul has the market on this product as they are the only one with the knowledge on how to safely harvest this product. Since it is limited how much can be gathered and distributed the product is considered a luxury and can quiet costly.
Storage
The product is most commonly seen stored in air tight boxes that have bean sealed with wax. This prevents the product from getting wet or damp during transport and ensures that none of it is blown away.
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