Mummy Silk
Mummy Silk is a textile unique to the Vault Supernal where it is produced primarily in the Rasp. Despite being dangerous to handle without proper precautions, mummy silk is valued for its properties that make it an ideal material for the preservation of corpses and the transporation of large amounts of deadiron.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Mummy silk, whether it has been woven into fabric or gathered in spools of raw thread, resembles regular silk in appearance and texture but with one important difference: mummy silk has none of the immediately apparent luster of regular silk. It is typically dull white in coloration though it produces a peculiar black shimmer when viewed at certain angles from the periphery of one's vision.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Mummy silk is a hazardous material if not handled with the appropriate precautions. Brief contact with bare skin causes immediate dessication and can lead to severe infection post-exposure if the site is not kept clean. Long-term exposure can lead to necrotization of the exposed area and the underlying flesh.
While these properties make mummy silk undesirable as a textile for clothing, its unique properties make it the perfect choice for the preservation of corpses. As a natural dessicant and antimicrobial, mummy silk effectively mummifies any body wrapped in a shroud of it—hence the name.
Mummy silk also has industrial applications and is a valuable commodity in Yronroost. As it is resistant to the Quietus, it is capable of holding raw deadiron ore without degrading much longer than most other materials.
Origin & Source
Mummy silk is harvested from crypt spiders, an arachnid species native to the Vault Eternal that has evolved a tolerance for low concentrations of the Quietus. Raw silk is extracted from the crypt spiders' spinnerets and wound around steel rods. Each spider is capable of producing roughly a hundred yards of raw silk strand every four or five days. Traditional production methods spin six raw silk strands into a single thread but more modern methods can produce high-quality threads from as few as three or four strands.
Type
Textile
Odor
None
Taste
None
Color
Dull white
Ooh, this sounds like it could be highly valuable for people of certain religions. I think the coloring is interesting. I am somewhat curious if it can be dyed (no pun intended), but I suppose people might not have a purpose for dying it (unless they were making a garment to surreptitiously kill their enemies.) I am also curious to know what precautions people take when collecting and spinning it, as well as wither it does damage to inanimate objects, or just living creatures.
It can be dyed to an extent since its physical properties are fairly similar to silk but the pigments will always degrade over time, as if the fabric were self-bleaching in a way. It does degrade inanimate objects as well, but to varying degrees depending on the length of exposure. Steel is one of the most common materials used in the processing of mummy silk since it degrades slower than most other materials but it will over time corrode, especially at points of contact with the raw fiber or spun threads.