'Sblood

It was as if someone had frozen a teardrop the second it hit the earth and painted it a glorious, golden hue. The glowing, pellucid structure towered high above and around my ship, and I could feel the warmth radiating off of it. I could feel it in my teeth, in my scalp, in the beds of my fingernails. It was life.

— A sea-captain's description of a visit to Abalus

God's blood amber, amber, God's blood, or simply 'sblood, is a semitransparent golden-orange substance most typically found in its solid form, in which it takes a smooth, glassy texture. The substance emits a dim, inviting light reminiscent of true sunlight, rather than the cold, soulless light of the Stillborn Moon, or the deep orange glow of whale oil, and is always warm to the touch. In great concentrations, this light can be quite impressive, and the heat doubly so, especially on the typically cold and shadowy Tides. 'Sblood can be found across the Tides, mostly floating in chunks across it or washing up on beaches, though one island by the name of Abalus is entirely swamped with it.

Luminant Life

'Sblood has many interesting properties, besides its light and heat, though they are nothing to be scoffed at. Being near enough 'sblood is almost like feeling the real Sun on your skin, an experience dearly missed, or perhaps never even experienced by most inhabitants of the Pariah's Tides. 'Sblood is, for lack of a better word, powerful. Full of power. Its uses are myriad. When used as fuel, it burns bright and efficient, so much so that, were it not for its rarity, it could end up spelling the doom of the sail once and for all, as steam ships would no longer have to worry about running out of fuel on an unexpected odyssey. Curiously, it has been reported to cause some engines to 'sing,' whatever that means. Some Icarian ships actually do burn 'sblood, but not anywhere near a large portion of their fleet. Icaria also keeps the Stillborn Moon lit using a constant flow of 'sblood, an effort which often fails, as the greedy Moon devours more and more fuel while regurtitating pitiful amounts of light.
The substance also has its effects of living things. The mere presence of it rejuvenates the body, and some wealthy types wear jewelry that bears the substance, in the hopes that it will prolong their life and health. Unfortunately, this property only works significantly with extended exposure to a great deal of 'sblood, but it still serves perfectly well as a status symbol, and it still provides minor health benefits. 'Sblood also stimulates growth of hair and nails, and has been found to also accelerate the growth of rodents' teeth, as one unfortunate sea captain discovered after an extended stay at Abalus. Speaking of Abalus, it is considered taboo to cut one's hair or nails except for through certain ceremonies and rituals where the discarded clippings are disposed of in a socially accepted manner, and most Abalusians are just as much keratin as they are flesh. Some even consume 'sblood, as it nourishes both body and soul, and has remarkable effects on the voice, creating poets where previously there were fools, singers where previously there were squawkers. The amber halls of Abalus echo with song from its residents, who regularly supplement their diet with the substance.

A Gory Genesis

''God's blood' is, as it turns out, more than just a name. For such a wondrous substance, its origins are rather macabre. 'Sblood is, in fact, the spilled blood of the Sun, during the events that led to it setting in the North. Once, the substance flowed freely from the Sun's Throne, a gift from the solar regent to its creations, to keep them happy and healthy, to make their fields flourish and prosper. This gift, however, caught the eye of a certain Wind after the events of a certain Flood. The Old Man needed a way to keep its people, the now-named Antediluvians, alive, even in the Pariah's Tides where there was no conquest to be had. What better food could their be than the ichor of the Sun itself?
The Old Man came upon the Sun, dug its hooks into its flesh and its wings, and pulled it to the North, chaining it to a rock and allowing its creations to dine on its blood. This process, however, was more than messy. The Sun's blood burst across the heavens, sticking to the sky as it coagulated and becoming the stars, the only natural light left in the Pariah's Tides. Those droplets that fell on land were quickly devoured by those hungry beings that only wanted to survive a little longer in this Sunless world, while the rest sunk into the sea, washing up on shores from time to time. The vast majority, however, was up in the sky, though one island, that being Abalus, was lucky enough to be directly in the path of a falling star. From then on, the only 'sblood flowed from the North, from those droplets not greedily lapped up by Thule's Antediluvians, which fell into the water and were carried out into the Tides.

Type

Organic

Odor

Fresh, sweet, and warm, with a hint of citrus

Taste

Described as 'honey and wine'

Color

Golden-orange

Common State

Solid