Duwallish Oilstone
Ask just about any foreign visitor what the first thing they notice about a Duwallish town is, and you’re likely to hear the same thing: “I’m surprised this whole place hasn’t fallen into the swamp, yet!” After that, however, many folk are quick to point out an odd quirk in the local architecture. Nearly every important building in Duwallen’s larger towns, particularly those of human make, are a marbled, mossy green color. As you might have guessed, these two developments are related. Duwallen is home to some of the largest deposits of natural Oilstone in the known world.
Properties
Physical & Chemical Properties
Oilstone is a metamorphic rock found in the slightly-less-flooded foothills of eastern Duwallen. Due to some element of its chemical composition, the stone is naturally hydrophobic, shedding even the smallest amounts of water on-contact.
History & Usage
History
This has made it a natural building material throughout the continent for centuries, particularly for gutters, roofing shingles, and foundations. In some regions it was even used to create weapons that naturally cleaned themselves of blood. This has become less common with the advent or more advanced weaponry and as enchanting became a more common practice.
The ancient Cephan capital of Demeris is one of the largest known collections of oilstone structures in the world, with nearly every permanent structure being made from it or embellished with it in some capacity. After the cataclysm that rendered the city uninhabitable and nearly wiped the Ceph out, it has withstood the test of time surprisingly well. Buffeting winds carrying sand and salty sea air managed to wear down many of the abandoned metropolis’ exposed faces, but its innards are said to be nearly pristine. Viewed from the outside, the city has been reduced to rough, rounded shapes that speak to its immense age, but the tunnels and chambers within have been almost perfectly preserved for centuries, even as the waterworks that kept its inhabitants hydrated continue to churn away.
Everyday use
Oilstone is an invaluable material for construction in the waterlogged nation of Duwallen, but it's equally prized outside of its borders. Stirgan docks prominently feature oilstone ramps and waterfront paths, where its water-resistant surface can sometimes make things a touch slippery, but also make things built from it several times more weather-resistant than they might otherwise be.
Environmental Impact
Oilstone quarries have a habit of being broad, but not particularly deep, requiring excavation sites to tear up large quantities of land in order to extract as much as possible. This has led to the destruction of many otherwise fertile wetlands and the displacement of a significant number of their native creatures. Though the stripped quarries filling with water once again does tend to generate new biomes for creatures to dwell in, it rarely replaces precisely what was lost.
In recent decades, some new towns have begun popping up in these empty quarries, settled by individuals who might otherwise have taken up even more fertile land with their homes and businesses. These stilt-top villages rest on spires on the remaining, less-desirable stone that nevertheless serve as a far more solid foundation than anything the wetlands could offer.
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