Copperwood

Copperwood is the name of a kind of lumber unique to the people of Rosenland.

Properties

Material Characteristics

The wood grows from a tree that appears similar to an oak tree, the only real difference being that the tree's wood under the bark is a rather strong red color, much like the metal of copper. It is a strong material and a firm tree.

Physical & Chemical Properties

The wood has unusual properties. When the wood catches fire, it will burn, but it will take twice as long to burn completely, making it the most efficient firewood in existence.

Origin & Source

The wood was made when the first King of Rosenland, Adrien Hoving and his most loyal and strongest warrior, Yngvar Snowbeard, the dwarf, slew the final last of the three dragon siblings that had wrested control of the Western area away from the Arrtican Empire.
This final dragon, known as the Cinder Scales, would meet its end where the town of Copperwood (a town named for the material itself) now stands. The dragon's body would turn to ash upon being slain, but the ashes would litter the ground and infect the forest that the creature had wanted to burn the two men inside.
A decade later, woodsmen would remark that the wood had a new red color and would burn twice as long as normal. A new kind of wood had been found and would be chopped and used for generations of carpenters and woodsmen to both create fires and art.

History & Usage

Everyday use

Copperwood's uses are vast. While firewood is it's easiest and most common implement, there are both military and artistic uses outside of that.
The Sap of the tree can also be extracted. The Sap is as flammable as the wood, lighting up almost instantly when lit by fire or sparks, and retains its stickiness. The sap can be used to form a kind of handheld grenade, as well as lanterns, but also finds other uses. Many carpenters found that you can heat the sap without it ever touching the fire and it will slowly harden over time into a substance that is stronger than some metals. This method is called Sap binding.

Refinement

Sap binding is the process of heating copperwood sap without it touching fire. This is used in some buildings and structures as well as weapons. A wooden beam is introduced and then strips of leather that are covered in sap are wrapped around the wood before being heated usually over a fire. The process usually takes about 3 hours on a greataxe handle.

Type

Organic

Odor

Copperwood smells vaguely of ash and smoke, even when it is not currently burning, the smell commonly makes animals actively avoid the wood, and thus the forest is very often silent.

Color

While the bark remains a standard brown hue, the inside of the tree is harsh reddish orange, thus it is called Copperwood.