Deadwood

The trees of the Black Forest have long since died and succumbed to the corrupting radiance of the Heart of Hate, becoming blackened and gnarled. There are some trees, older and grander than the rest, which have soaked the evil of the heart for far longer. These trees are known as Deadwood, and the lumber harvested from them by daring, black market loggers is worth its weight in gold due to the sinister qualities it possesses.

Harvesting

As entry to the Black Forest is outlawed by the church of Resounding Truth, logging operations for Deadwood are performed on the down low, with entry into the forest being a matter of months of studying Seeker patrols to identify a potential gap to slip in through. Prospective loggers have to work fast and quietly, lest they alert Hatelings to their presence.

Such expeditions must be timed extremely precisely if the loggers are to make it out using the same gap in patrols they got in through.

Properties

Deadwood is a volatile material that is useless for construction as any buildings built of the stuff invariably begin to impart mental maladies upon those inhabiting the building. Those who have built themselves homes from Deadwood have reported symptoms of psychosis, severe depression, a proclivity towards self-harm and a paranoia that borders on a manic certainty that the walls are speaking.

Due to this, the true value of the material lies in fashioning icons, staves and trinkets out of it. Not only do these forms lessen the mental effects the material has on the individual, but they function as potent anti-magic implements as Deadwood seems to either suppress or repel the Tapestrum Arcanum in its immediate vicinity, creating a "dead zone" where projection is not possible. This means that implements of Deadwood are in high demand amongst bounty hunters, mageslayers and any who find themselves at odds with the more sorcerous individuals of Nascindor.

The Enlightened Few protest the production and sale of Deadwood and teams of mages often raid facilities used to refine the wood, an endeavor that is both endorsed and supported by the church, whose agents work tirelessly to uncover such facilities.

Known Sellers

Deadwood is moved between and sold by smugglers, such as the crooks of the Midnight Exchange. It is not uncommon for shipments of Deadwood to be smuggled through Robber's Run on its way to eastern Nascindor.

Is it supposed to smoke like that?

–A smuggler upon uncovering planks of Deadwood in a carriage

by Midjourney

_{A Deadwood tree in the Black Forest}