Harrowpine

Bark & Exterior Structure

The bark is a deep, matte black that absorbs light rather than reflecting it, giving the tree an unnervingly voidlike presence even in daylight. Smooth to the touch and cold regardless of climate, the bark lacks the ridges, scales, and texture typical of conifers or hardwoods. It is dense and unusually resistant to cutting—axes rebound, blades dull, and tools vibrate as though striking stone. When damaged, the bark does not peel or crack but fractures in clean, glasslike lines.  

Wood & Inner Grain

Beneath the bark lies the Harrowpine’s defining anomaly: impossibly straight grain. The timber contains no knots, growth rings, or structural deviations. Every fiber aligns in a linear direction from root to crown, as if the tree were extruded rather than grown. This uniformity gives the wood its legendary strength, silence, and resistance to warping. The interior is dry, nearly mineral in density, and faintly cold. In bright light, subtle grey striations ripple along the grain, like remnants of ancient scorch or stress lines.  

Root System

The root network mirrors the tree’s unnatural precision. Harrowpine roots extend deep into the earth in long, spear-straight formations, penetrating layers of soil that are lethal to other plants. Instead of branching widely for stability, the roots tunnel downward into geomantically unstable strata, where they appear to anchor themselves around pockets of residual divine energy. This unique root structure stabilizes Calamity-scarred terrain and prevents further magical fractures. The roots do not rot and are almost as difficult to cut as the trunk.  

Crown & Foliage

Only the uppermost portion of the Harrowpine bears foliage. The branches, when they finally appear, erupt in a dense, upward-spiraling cluster that forms a vortex-like crown. The needles are long, thin, and deep charcoal-grey with a slight iridescence when viewed at an angle. They emit no fragrance and are surprisingly heavy for conifer needles, falling with a muted thud when shed. These crowns create an almost architectural silhouette that stands in stark contrast to the chaotic forests around them.  

Genetics and Reproduction

Harrowpine reproduction is poorly understood. Cones, when they appear, are rare, elongated, and armored with overlapping black plates that make them resemble mineral formations more than organic growths. Seeds are few, sometimes only one per cone, and their germination requires the same extreme geomantic instability that sustains the parent trees. Attempts to cultivate Harrowpine outside Calamity zones universally fail, with seedlings decaying or fracturing under their own magical strain.  

Biological Traits

The tree does not sway normally in wind. Even under violent storms, Harrowpines move only a fraction of what their height should allow, giving the impression of immobility or resistance to natural forces. Some scholars note faint pulses of vibration within the trunk during magical storms, suggesting an internal resonance with ambient mana. The tree does not leak sap, bleed resin, or display typical signs of stress. When it dies—which is exceedingly rare—it does not decay, but slowly fractures into columnar pieces as if petrified.  

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Despite its rarity and the extreme danger involved in harvesting it, the Harrowpine remains one of the most sought-after resources in Tanaria. Every part of the tree possesses unique properties shaped by its Calamity-born origins, and because of this, Harrowpine has become integral to espionage, arcane containment, religious practice, and certain elite crafts.   The most significant product of the Harrowpine is its legendary silent wood. Harvested planks and beams are valued for their ability to absorb sound and vibration, making them indispensable for Stealth equipment; silent weapon hafts, assassin’s tools, soft-step soles, and sheaths that muffle all noise. Arcane containment; boxes, vaults, chests, and bindings used to imprison unstable relics or prevent magical resonance. Sound-dampened architecture; monastic chambers, meditation halls, secret council rooms, and vaults requiring absolute quiet. Elite furniture and tools; writing desks for diviners, ritual altars, and precision instruments for mage-engineers.   Because no other substance—mundane or magical—can produce absolute silence the way Harrowpine can, even tiny pieces are treasured.