White Coal

The Waste is home to one of the most valuable materials in the world. This mineral, known by most as White Coal, is the greatest draw of the Waste, and has many a poor man rich(though just as many rich men have been driven to poverty in search of it) due to its myriad uses that inspires even those with the deepest of pockets to empty them to obtain it.

Properties

Material Characteristics

White coal is very similar to ordinary coal in appearance, weight, and other properties, though its color is drastically different, being a pure, chalky white. When burnt, its smoke is a similar white color.

Physical & Chemical Properties

White coal’s properties are simple, yet incredibly potent and useful. When burnt, white coal releases incredible amounts of magical energy, which is mostly contained within the white smoke it releases. With the correct equipment, this magical energy can be contained and directed towards whatever the burner desires, be that powering some sort of complex machinery, imbuing a magic item, or fueling a particularly costly spell. Alternatively, the magical energy can simply be released into the atmosphere, increasing ambient magic in the area. A network of specialized “pylons” is set up around the Wild Waste to do precisely that, to increase the effectiveness of navvy engines. To see blue sky is considered bad luck in the Waste, and most Wasterners feel most comfortable under a cloud of white coal’s signature white smoke. However, long exposure to white coal smoke can leave one slightly warped by the raw magic. Often, you can tell someone has worked with white coal from a slight droop to parts of their face, or how one eye is slightly higher than the over, or something similar.

Geology & Geography

While white coal is incredibly desirable, it is also incredibly hard to access. It is found solely deep below the sands, typically nestled within buried wastebone formations. This means, in order to get it directly from the surface, one would either have to exhume these massive corpses, or drill into them using some sort of contraption capable of moving and mining undersand. While no one can say what the future holds, as of the current date all attempts at such things have been met with failure. But there are other methods by which one can obtain white coal, the most common of which is from the coalbladder of a sand dragon.

Type

Ore/Mineral

Odor

Like coal, but sweeter

Taste

Chalky and flavorless

Color

A pure, chalky white

Common State

Solid