Natron
Natron is a special form of salt found in a few select locations in the United Runberi Emirates. Though plentiful where it is found, the processes that create natron are uncommon. In Runber, by far the largest source of natron is in the emirate of Dabwa, in the famed Fields of Glass. Mining and exporting the natron is an important business both for the emirate, and many of its subject cities.
Natron is mined using hand-tools from the surface of dried lake-beds and sites like the fields of glass. As natron is not found deep underground, mining operations need not be particularly sophisticated. Mining for natron is as simple as finding a field of the salt and carving away the surface. Much of the labor and expense in sourcing natron comes from transporting it from the field to where it is needed.
History & Usage
Everyday use
Natron is used by the Runberi as an ingredient for soap, a drying agent, a pesticide, and a food preservative. Toxic to many common vermin but safe for halflings or humans to consume, at least in trace amounts, the demand for natron and its products is great throughout the emirates. Associated with cleanliness, it is also used in some religious rituals. Finally, natron is used to clean wounds by the houses of the ill, as the salt is known to deter infections.
Industrial Use
Natron is a crucial base ingredient for glass of all kinds. Damaqah is a particularly common destination for Dabwan natron, as the glassmaking industry of Damaqah consumes large amounts of the salt. A crucial ingredient in the famed Damaqah glasses, the specific composition of Dabwan natron is integral to the recipe of Damaqah glass and many other glasses made in the emirates. Consequently, imitation Damaqah is easily differentiated form the genuine article, even when made by skilled glassblowers.
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