Silverwood

Silverwood refers to both a type of coniferous tree and the lumber it provides. Silverwood is a nice smelling, durable, rot resistant wood that has silvery bark and the interior wood is shot with silvery veins. While the wood is beautiful, it's true purpose goes beyond mere aesthetics. Silverwood is solid to incorporeal creatures.
Silverwood contains no literal silver in it, but like the metal silver, Silverwood is considered blessed by all of the Nine. Most forms of undead are at least slightly vulnerable to the touch of Silverwood.

History & Usage

History

The Nine created vast forests of Silverwood trees during the Second Unmaking to aid their mortal followers against the rampaging hordes of faceless that were plaguing the land.
The surviving mortal armies forged clubs and other weapons from the wood. They also lined their walls and fortifications with sheets of Silverwood. Because most Void demons didn’t pay very close attention to their faceless auxiliary troops, they didn’t realize the threat that Silverwood presented until the Demon armies were on their last legs. The remaining Demon Lords ordered their minions to chop down and set fire to any Silverwood forest they found, but they still lost the war. They didn’t get all the trees, just most of them.
After the Second Unmaking, Silverwood trees are still highly prized. Even with the Demon Lords dead, it was many centuries until the last surviving pockets of Void demons and Faceless were rooted out and destroyed. Also, small groups of demons break into the material plane every year. There might be a few ancient or modern fortifications still lined with Silverwood but most of the ancient fortifications had their Silverwood stripped away by looters.

Manufacturing & Products

close up of Silverwood magic staff by Me using Hero Forge

Silverwood is considered a durable form of reagents and many magical items with wooden components incorporate silverwood even if the purpose of the magical item has nothing to do with fighting incorporeal creatures.
A lot of wealthy people and institutions commission artistic wood carvings made out of Silverwood as a means of flaunting thier wealth.
Silverwood is believed to expedite a soul's journey to a pleasant afterlife or at the very least prevent them from rising as undead. Some wealthy people comission entire coffins made out of Silverwood though this is absurdly expensive and generally only the province of royalty.
More commonly, a small Silverwood charm or reliquary is placed in the coffin with the deceased. Even commoners can often afford a tiny wood chip.
Another option employed by some is to consecrate an entire cemetery or burial ground with Silverwood Icon dedicated to one or more of the Nine.

Byproducts & Sideproducts

Weapon and lumber quality Silverwood is worth approximately its weight in silver but even a careful wood cutter will end up creating wood chips and sawdust as "waste products" but these waste products have value. They are typically worth their weight in copper.
Some lower class people like to carry small Silverwood chips in their pockets as a good luck charm.
While "burning Silverwood" is considered a metaphor for acts of criminal waste, there are cases where burning Silverwood actually has value. Silverwood sawdust and wood chips can be ceremonially burned under certain ritual circumstances to consecrate ordinary materials into reagents though this process is expensive and requires magical lore.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Lumber/weapon quality wood is typical worth it's weight in gold, wood chips and sawdust is typically worth it's weight in silver.
Beyond the fact that they are useful for fighting incorporeal beings, Silverwood is considered holy and impressive. A lot of rich people like to make things out of Silverwood to flaunt their wealth. Peasants and merchant class people carry tiny chips of Silverwood as good luck charms. A lot of magical items with wooden components are made from Silverwood, even if the magic has nothing to do with incorporeal creatures. Silverwood needles can be used as a reagents in certain potions and spells.
Very few people can afford it, but a Silverwood coffin is said to prevent the deceased from rising again as the undead. More commonly a small wood chip is placed in the coffin with the deceased or tossed onto a deceased funeral pyre for good luck in the next life.
Silverwood trees can be planted and cultivated, but they grow very slowly. A human that plants a Silverwood is hoping his great grand son can reap the benefits. Pretty much every Silverwood grove near civilization is claimed by a lord, priesthood, or coven of some sort. Most Silverwood groves that are far from civilization is claimed by an intelligent monster, barbarian tribe, manifesting spirit, or some other powerful being calling dibs on it.

Storage

Silverwood is rot resistant, but it doesn't last forever and it burns as easily as other hard woods.
Magically enchanted Silverwood effectively lasts forever if not broken or burned, but there is no known nonmagical process to increase the lengevity of Silverwood.

Law & Regulation

Chopping down a Silverwood tree or even collecting dead wood from a Silverwood grove without the owner's permission is a serious crime, usually a capital crime.
Beyond anti-theft or vandalism laws, anyone who can afford Silverwood items can legally own them.

Odor

Pleasant, similar to cedar

Related Locations

• Scarterra

Related Items

• The Bow of Zimoz