Heatstone

I am exhilarated. My heatstone will make cooking so much easier. No more fussing around with wood to start up the kitchenstove.

— First time user

Heatstone is a type of rock only found near The Glyph deep within the dangerous wilderness of the West Eghean continent. Due to it's unique property, it heats up when it comes in contact with water, heatstone is ideal for cooking and heating up homes. This led to an influx of fortune seekers shortly after it's discovery was made public. The river Avin, which runs through the area, offered a fairly safe route for anyone traveling towards the heatstone quarry. It soon became clear however that makeshift camps or sleeping on boats did not offer protection from the Inflicted roaming the area. Not even the small settlements that soon popped up where safe. That is when a few investors banded together to fund the building of a new walled city. Akkash was founded one year later and has since seen a continues growth. The quarry itself is situated just outside the city and is also surrounded by a huge wall to keep workers safe, and has guards patrolling on top of it day and night.

Discovery

In 3382 a group of researchers sailed up the rivers of West Eghea towards the Glyph. Their goal was to locate The Pulse's area of origin. They started their research in the area of current day Akkash. It is there that they noticed a peculiar type of rock. It had a dark red color with silvery veins. All went well for a while. The researchers studied the rock, took samples and performed field tests to gather information. The next day however dark clouds drifted their way. When the first drops of rain fell most researchers returned to their camp. Two of them stayed behind to catalog the samples they took.

I won't ever forget their screams. They haunt me in my dreams. And their corpses, by the Gods, I still see them every time I close my eyes.

— Surviving researcher

The two researchers found out the hard way that the strange stone had an unusual reaction when it became wet. Within seconds it heated up so much it burned anything it touched. They never got a chance since they were standing in the middle of a large slab of heatstone when the heating process started. They did not manage to get to safety.

Cooking Stone

After the discovery was made public fortune seekers flocked to the area. It was clear for many that this stone could be ideal for cooking and heating up homes. Within a couple of years Akkash was founded and heatstone was quarried in large quantities. Companies formed and soon the first heatstone kitchen stoves were created. They first became popular amongst the wealthy of the world. But other companies started to develop cheaper ways to use heatstone as a cooking device making it available to most people. Any leftover pieces from cutting cooking stones did not go to waste. These smaller pieces were used to create heating devices for homes.

The Glyph

A circular area in West Eghea with a diameter of approximately 46 km. It was presumably created by the Pulse, a cataclysm of unknown origin. In the Glyph there is no flora but there is an abundance of Inflicted. People who visited the area, and lived to tell about it, say that they could feel it affecting their emotions. The area got its name because there appears to be a huge glyph burned into the ground.

Export

Akkash quarries slabs of heatstone and transports them over rivers to Yrillia. There the stone is sold to merchants and companies who transport it all over the world. For many people heatstone has replaced their wood-burning kitchen stove. Those who can affort it even use it to heat up their homes.

Stoves