Ashwood Tree
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A peculiar sight by any man’s reckoning, the Ashwood is a tree which, oftentimes, is seen with its branches ablaze and growing in the most inhospitable of climates- contrary to the very nature of what a tree ought to be in nigh every regard. Most commonly, of course, Ashwood trees are associated with Norland and her people, who quite famously consider themselves the trees’ protectors, often to the point of great contention. Indeed, many a conflict has been had over these hardy trees, due both to their rarity and their importance to the Norlandic people. With its armor-like bark and the defiant inferno of a canopy, the Ashwood is viewed as an image of resilience, willpower, and boldness. To the northfolk, it is held as a symbol of their people and their culture as a whole, and as such, they will go to great lengths to defend their Ashwoods, and rarely- if at all tolerate any sort of foreign tampering. To the uninitiated, the Norlandic preoccupation with their beloved symbol is often mistaken for religious reverence, however, this is little more than that, a misinterpretation. The truth of the matter is, it is naught more than a tree- albeit one that is as stubborn and troublesome as its protectors.
Contents
Description
The Ashwood tree is most famous for its alien appearance; gnarled branches, covered in roiling flames during winter, and vibrant red leaves for a brief period in summer. Though many might make the mistake of assuming that the wood itself is burning, it is in fact the sap that catches flame, the wood itself being almost entirely fireproof. The burning itself, too, is more than just some aesthetic choice on the part of the Creator; it is an essential part of its annual growth cycle. Through the spring and summer, the tree produces great reserves of sap to maintain its nutritional needs through the winter. A portion of this viscous, highly flammable sap then, at the end of summer, is secreted by the tree’s bark, covering the majority of the canopy before the last of the summer sun can cause it to ignite, just as the leaves begin to shed from the boughs. This annual firing, much like the process of firing ceramics, hardens the wood over the years of its lifespan and thus is necessary for the tree to mature properly. It is to this process that the Ashwood tree owes its famed hardness and durability, with an exterior that most mundane tools can never hope to break. However, even once mature the firing must still occur. This is because the heat of the flames reduces the viscosity of the sap within the tree itself, allowing it to flow more freely through the densely packed, narrow xylem in the tree’s interior, and so allows the tree to transport its nutrients more easily. With bark akin to iron and being near immovable, the Ashwood in its prime is often found growing alone in clearings of its own making, a solitary plant form at heart. Other vegetation, save for grasses and the occasional flower, are often unable to take root in the tree’s vicinity, due to its high uptake of nutrients from the soil around it, as well as its intrusive, gnarled, weblike system of roots. Fond of cooler, semi-arid environments, the Ashwood is most often found in boreal and tundra regions near small bodies of water, where they might reap the benefits of seasonal flooding. Notably, it cannot grow in hot, arid environments, where it will light prematurely and dry out, nor can it grow in overly humid environments- rainforests, for example- where the passive moisture in the air will prevent it from lighting at all. Trees that grow around it, should they not end up burned away by Ashwood's annual blaze, will grow stunted and eventually wither away due to a lack of suitable nutrients in the surrounding environment. Smaller plants, however, such as shrubs, flowers and mosses experience less trouble, but will often be seen to be less healthy and less vibrant than they would outside the Ashwood tree’s periphery.
Habitat and distribution
Ashwood Trees only grow in the frozen waists of cold climates.
Harvesting
As with any tree, the ashwood has a number of parts to it that can be harvested and utilized in many ways, ranging from medical use to the production of alcohol to dye-making. Of all the components of the tree, the most useful, are the leaves, the sap, and of course the wood itself.
Ashwood Leaves
The leaves can be easily plucked from the tree, or picked up from the ground once they fall, assuming they do not burn away when the tree ignites.
Ashwood Sap
The sap is remarkably simple to harvest, requiring one to simply scrape it from the tree’s branches before it ignites, or place buckets beneath the tree’s canopy to collect it as it falls. Due to the durability of the tree’s bark, it cannot be tapped by conventional means.
Ash wood
To collect a fallen branch from an Ashwood tree is a simple thing. It is not often that these venerable trees lose a branch, but like any other tree, they will. To obtain living Ashwood, however, is a more troublesome task. One will either need to find a way to break or saw a living branch from the canopy of one of the fiery trees… or uproot a young sapling entirely.
Cultivation
The seed can be collected easily enough by simply waiting for its fall at the beginning of the first spring after the seed finishes developing. The seed, then, will be incredibly hot to the touch and must be handled with care, lest the collector ends up with blistered hands. Once cooled, however, the seed can be utilized in a few ways. It can be planted, of course, in a suitable environment, but it is also perfectly capable of being harvested for eating, though doing so would be a less than pleasant experience. The flesh surrounding the seed is incredibly bitter, and the meat of the seed itself carries a sharp, spicy, flavor with only the slightest sweet undertone. If abandoned or neglected, however, the seed will simply wither away over the course of the following weeks.
Uses
The Ashwood Tree has one major use, crafting. Due to how resistant the bark is to all sorts of mundane attacks and the fire resentence of the tree, Its bark can be used to create powerful shields, handles of weapons, or wooden barricades. The crafting of Ashwood comes in three steps: Shaping, Filling, and Firing.
Ashwood Leaves
Apart from making good kindling, the leaves may be ground into a fine powder and made into a dark, blood-red dye, often used by Keepers of the Red Faith to color their garments and other fabrics.
Ashwood Sap
Much like honey, the sap of the Ashwood tree is noted for its ability to prevent infection in wounds, thanks to mild antibacterial properties. Additionally, (again like honey) it can be used to brew a drink known as Ashwood spirits, a favorite in Norlandic taverns. One could also, if they wanted, use it to make a simple fire starter or use it to fuel a torch or lantern.
Ash Woood
The dead wood of an ashwood tree, like any other wood, can be shaped normally, albeit with a bit more difficulty due to its increased density. Living Ash Wood, however, requires a more complicated process to refine and shape (detailed under Ashwood Crafting).
Alchemical
The alchemical properties of the Ashwood Tree are currently unknown.
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