Sulfur
Eww Mommy, what's that smell?...
Brimstone, Yellowstone, Stinkrock, Hellsmoke, this bright-yellow mineral has had many names across many cultures through the eons. Used from everything to skin-care products to weapons, aside from its distinct color it is known for chiefly one other trait: its atrocious stench. Compared often to rotten eggs or bodily discharges, all can agree the telltale reek signifies the presence of this very foul but very valuable resource. Whether found near volcanic vents on Planet Thunthen's Writhing Spine, fissures at Planet Thanged's Basek de Rhakka supervolcano nestled behind the Northern Ring, or lonely groves of pillar-shaped deposits deep within the Southern Salt, to any advanced culture this substance is as valuable and critical as gold...a very, very, very stinky gold...
Properties
Material Characteristics
Golden as the Suns, fouler than demon's breath. Whatever form encountered be it bright yellow crystals or stony crusts, any who come across naturally occurring deposits know they have something valuable on their hands.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Known to be very soft and occasionally powdery. Acidic if in high-enough concentrations.
Compounds
Geology & Geography
Primarily found near geothermal hotspots but very rarely as mineral deposits in older, extinct volcanic regions.
Origin & Source
Not at all exclusive to any particular planet or system, this ghastly substance is as critical to civilization as water. On Thanged it is most frequently encountered at either the volcanic complex at the North Pole or on scattered patches of land in the Southern Salt. On Thunthen it is found everywhere from the mountains to the clouds themselves.
History & Usage
History
As old as time itself, any culture that scraped by from sticks and stones to skyscrapers knows of this prolific substance.
Discovery
Thunthen have had millions of years of experience with the burning stone found nearly everywhere on their volatile volcanic world. Conversely Thangiens only recently unlocked its many practical applications from their early nomadic days to their life settling in the big city. Both superpowers had their own colorful names for the substance, but with recent contact with the Oldworld they've taken to adopting the name used by the Humans, who formerly referred to it as sulphur.
Everyday use
Its potential uses are innumerable, ranging from medical salves, explosives, soil additives, even shampoo and pigments.
Cultural Significance and Usage
Thunthen have long used it for weapons and other chemical compounds. On Thanged, everyone from the farmers of the Lonesteads to the medics of the Traedeskaton make use of sulfur. As of late with the divine machines created by Eyurodin, powderized sulfur is mixed in with dererium feed used for Pegasi.
Industrial Use
Can be boiled, pulverized, or melted in specialized equipment such as forges, ore crushers, or chemical vats.
Refinement
Generally naturally-occuring crystals are only left intact as a scientific curiousity or personal collectible, but sulfur is often ground down into a powdered form before being added to different compounds.
Manufacturing & Products
Lonesteaders use compounds to safely deal with unwanted pests without violating Roth's Edict or to reinvigorate the soil. Thunthen use various chemical products in their great foundries or in the deep phergon mines. Freelanders use it for any number of field balms or to create crude flashbangs to deter hostile predators. Physicians in the city have used it to treat everything from skin rashes to disinfecting cuts. Through means only Lady Eyurodin knows, the Pegasi are able to incorporate sulfur into the signature spike missiles produced by their war saddles. Sulfur is a key component in the combat explosives dubbed Witheren's Tears and the recreational incendiary devices called Eyurodin's Tears.
Hazards
Despite its many beneficial applications and its necessary role in life of all kinds, its gaseous form can cause death by asphixiation while its liquid form is highly acidic. Oldworlders have been bombarded with horror stories of "burning rain", but Thunthen scoff at their fears since even on their volatile homeworld, they have adapted to shrug off the worst of its ill effects.
Environmental Impact
Erroneously labeled as a pollutant, sulfur is simply a part of the natural order of any world from verdant Thanged to rocky Thunthen. Perhaps the most famous example cited by the Oldworlders is the largest moon of the largest planet in the Sol System, a bright yellow world simmering with volcanic activity.
Distribution
Trade & Market
Miners at the Basek de Rhakka often retrieve sackfuls of sulfur if their search for dererium turns up poor. At least then they can yield some value. Freelanders and River-Men who know the ins and outs of the Great Salt Marsh readily provide locations of deposits to their city-born brethren in exchange for supplies.
Sulfur is everywhere, in the sky, in the air, in the water itself on the dragons' homeworld. They never have to look far to find it and want for nothing when it comes to sulfur. The Pesak bring up wagonfuls daily during their quest to mine phergon while the Khamen literally surf on it whilst Riding the Mountain. The fibrous algae they've cultivated over eons can cleanse sulfuric acid leaving behind potable water the dragons desperately need.
Storage
In stone or crystal form can be handled safely with gloves. Gas or liquid forms must be sealed in tanks.
16S
Great Towers of Flame! by Mardrena
Type
Elemental / Molecular
Value
Common
Rarity
Abundant
Odor
Extremely strong and foul
Taste
....why?
Color
Bright yellow
Boiling / Condensation Point
800+ degrees F
Melting / Freezing Point
200+ degrees F
Common State
Crystalline formations or stone deposits
Related Locations
Related Professions
Riding the Mountain by Mardrena
All artwork used is self-made and belongs to me unless otherwise stated, such as kitbashes and commissions. Age of Defiance does not and will not use or feature RW/YST original artwork out of consideration for the OAS creators
Comments
Author's Notes
There used to be a old 90's pop/rock station out of Corpus Christi I used to listen to all the time when I was young called Hot Z 95. I remember one of the promo lines said something to the effect of "bringing you the hottest music from the bay area to the refinery..." and a girl would say "eww Mommy, what's that smell?" Something about that particular line delivery just cracked me up...