Süssrock

Süssrock is a pale pinkish-white crystal occurring in veins within sedimentary rock, usually near the surface of the earth. It has a powerful sweet scent; the largest veins of süssrock can be smelled faintly in the surrounding area from hundreds of feet away.

Raw süssrock ore is crushed into pieces and washed in vinegar to dissolve out smaller particles of sediment, then poured through a sieve and dried over low heat to make ordinary table-quality Süssig. In higher-quality, more expensive Süssig (usually sold as "extra-distilled" or "double-distilled"), this process may be repeated for a purer, smoother end product.

If the sifted süssrock is melted over high heat rather than roasted, it turns into a liquid with a stronger pinkish color than the natural ore. This liquid can be boiled with water (sometimes, other flavoring agents) to create a honey-like syrup, or cooled and shattered into small pieces to make the popular children's treat Krüntsch.

Süssrock contains trace amounts of lead. Dwarves and mountain-born rock gnomes, with their natural imperviousness to heavy metal poisoning, suffer no ill effects from either süssrock mining and refinery or from heavy consumption of Süssig. However, people with no dwarven ancestry suffer long-term health issues from repeated exposure to süssrock, which can range from chronic pain and weak physical constitution to seizures and loss of mental acuity. Because of this, süssrock miners in Erdelan are legally required to prove at least three grandparents' ancestry from a verified dwarven Kinnsven.