Thunder Powder

Properties

Material Characteristics

Black, rough and bitter powder.

Physical & Chemical Properties

The powder is manufactured by means kept secret by the Alchemists guides. It is cheap and easy to produce and is highly combustible. When struck with a spark or super heated, the powder explodes quite brilliantly and with much force.

Geology & Geography

Components have to be mined of some sort, which may be why the guilds appeared in Wienkauf.

History & Usage

History

Relatively new on the world stage, the powder has many applications. Originally a flashy substance used for festivals, the Alchemist Guilds weaponized it quickly for a variety of functions. The saught after commodity is already making waves in the barbaric bad lands. Bombards are making protracted sieges obsolete as walls and forts are blown apart or blasted through. Small, man portable versions of the weapons are appearing in the arms of knights and the wealthy, adding a new dynamic to combat and making the lives of hunters easier. It's also popular among miners for clearing land for quaries and mines. The control on it held by the Alchemist has increased their power, prestige and influence, and the sales of it made the guild substantial wealth.

Discovery

It's not known who invented it, only that fire works started appearing in festivals in Wienkauf and became popular in the known world. Alchemists realized the potential dangers, and lucrative profits, of the substance and keeps a tight lid on its manufacture, seeking to keep the secrets to themselves for maximum profit and control.

Everyday use

Those wealthy enough to commission a craftsman to forge a weapon capable of using the powder find some use in the weapon as a status symbol and moderately useful for hunting. In general, the powder is too scarce to be seen outside the military.

Cultural Significance and Usage

Powder Arms are something all together unique. They are destructive tools and distinctly new world. No evidence of such a substance or weapons appear in the lore of the old world. It gives the idea that civilization is finally evolving in a different direction. Militaries fielding the powder arms are seen as a more innovative force, and one on the offensive.

Industrial Use

When packed into rubes, it can be used to blast holes in the ground, clear land, or break rock during mining operations.

Refinement

The powder is a combination of substances that has to be manufactured and kept together.

Byproducts & Sideproducts

The primary use of the powder is itself a byproduct, merely the explosion created by its combustion. It also produces a loud sound, bright flash and lot of smoke.

Hazards

Naturally, it is incredibly hazardous and many alchemist, soldiers and minors are missing fingers, burned, or entire limbs.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Its manufacture is kept secret by the Alchemist guide, who keep tight control over the manufacturing and development of the powder, often working in tandem with the military and craftsmen. Transactions for the powder are conducted by guild representatives.

Storage

The substance is volatile and has to be stored safely. It will not combust when damp so the containers have to be waterproof. The powder is fine so they have to be air tight.

Law & Regulation

There are no regulations on their sale or use, although the potential for hazards with the smaller arms and explosives has been recognized.

Type

Composite