Peat

Header image is public domain, obtained from the CIA World Factbook

Properties

Geology & Geography

There are small patches of peat on nearly every continent on Wouraiya, but they are often indiscernible from normal soil, and regardless found in out-of-the-way locations and in too small quantities to attract much attention. A large area that is rich in peat, called simply "the Moss Belt," roams from eastern Retrougo to southern Unterritory. Within that region, the most dense patches are in eastern Unterritory and southern Retrougo.

History & Usage

History

In the Moss Belt, peat was commonly burned, but few knew its true heat-generating potential. Because of its lower quantities in other areas of the world, peat was nearly an unknown substance, often confused for dry soil. Forges were usually supplied by wood, of which Tuhra was in short supply. When Welkwu jump-started Wouraiya's Industrial Revolution, discovering steam power, the titans of industry quickly realized that a more sustainable, and hopefully more efficient, source of energy was of paramount importance.
The leadership of Welkwu put up a bounty for new fuel sources, and soon furnace competitions were held. The city constructed a row of furnaces, and tradesmen brought out their household secrets. Wild concoctions and biological marvels were thrown into the furnace to generate more heat. While peat certainly wasn't the winner, nor the most popular, it attracted nearly all the right minds. Entrepreneurs marveled how soil could burn that quickly and easily, and it was very clearly the cheapest option. What's more, the peat could last an eternity, almost making stoking a thing of the past! Soon, factories all across Welkwu began using peat. Soon, peat became the primary source of fuel worldwide.

Distribution

Trade & Market

At the outset, colonists and villagers in the Moss Belt thought that trading their dry soil was insane. They originally loaded it onto merchant ships for free as part of the usual raw-goods-for-supplies agreement. As more merchants began asking for it, though, Moss Belt inhabitants began to realize the potential for a market in this material. Miners and specialty farmers shifted trades into peat production, and prices went from free to (by colony standards) a premium. Of course, Welkwu by then controlled the world's economy; no price the villagers could imagine was too high for the great titans of industry.

Type

Biomaterial

Related Locations

• Karekya: Little Peat Colony