Black Sand

Black sand or iron sand is sand which contains high amounts of iron, most commonly as magnetite. It is found anywhere sand can be found where it can be noticed by its black coloration and higher density to other elements in the sand.
The Steel Eaters were the first to figure out a use for black sand as they found it in the streams near The Foundry. As word got out of the discovery, the clan of the Murdered Child in the Dirt Sea linked the description to areas they typically avoided in the Dirt Sea.
Indeed, black sand is found in abundance in the Dirt Sea where it forms "puddles" which glimmer under the Sun. However, after losing orcs who fell into these puddles, the clan learned to avoid them. However, motivated by the perspective of trade, the Murdered Child clan begun extracting black sand from the desert and trading it with the Steel Eaters clan.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Black Sand is black with a metallic sheen which often causes it to glimmer in sunlight. Large underground pockets of it can be spoted by so-called puddles which may form on the surface of the Dirt Sea if the wind blows the finer sand that usually rests on top of it.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Black sand is magnetic. It accumulates in the lower layers of the Dirt Sea due to both it's higher density and some magnetic anomalies in the terrain far below the surface. They form slight domed shapes which mislead people into thinking they are solid when a person stepping into such puddles will be dragged into it fully and keep sinking well after.
It can be heated by the sun to becoming hot enough to burn on contact. This makes extracting black sand from the ground is a perilous task as it can easily engulf a person and cook them as they are swallowed into the magnetic depths.

Compounds

The Steel Eaters use black sand in forging or casting iron or steel tools and weapons. Black sand can in fact be used like any other source of iron ore.

History & Usage

Everyday use

It's most common use is to cast iron tools but it can often be used also to make steel tools and weaponry, though usually for smaller weapons.

Manufacturing & Products

Black sand can be smelted to produce steel, crude iron, wrought iron and iron.

Byproducts & Sideproducts

Around 500 kg of black sand smelted for steel produces 50 kg of steel, 50 kg of slag and 45 kg of crude iron.

Distribution

Trade & Market

The Murdered Child is the only clan to be able to extract large amounts of black sand. They most often trade it for tools weaponry with the Steel Eaters clan. They transport it in wooden buckets to the edges of the Dirt Sea and the transaction most often uses one or more intermediary seed clan.
One such bucket will usually contain around 40 kg of black sand and the Murdered Child will typically send 5 regular shipments of two buckets over to the Steel Eaters in the course of a month in exchange for supplies.

Type

Ore/Mineral

Value

1 bucket is worth a day of food for the whole of the Murdered Child clan. When intended to go to the Steel Eaters, the Murdered Child clan also expects half of the yield back in the form of tools and accessories.

Rarity

Common in large quantities within the Dirt Sea, common but in small quantities in most other places.

Odor

Rusty smell.

Taste

Metallic.

Color

Black.

Boiling / Condensation Point

2,623 C.

Melting / Freezing Point

1,590 C.

Density

5-5.2 g/cm³.

Common State

Solid