Everpine Wood

"For the elements, something malleable like Palheta. For defense, something inflexable like Proteger. For necromancy, you'll want something that'll never die."

Very few types of lumber are as sturdy as Everpine Wood. A feature of Hippolytan forests, it's a dense, heavy, and durable wood that is next to immune to all types of natural rot and decay on top of being pretty dang good at resisting magical forms of decay as well. As such, it's heavily favored for construction and framework especially, with many mages appreciating it's sturdiness as a material for their various magical focuses.

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Properties

Material Characteristics

Everpine wood is sturdy and, internally, uniform. While the trees themselves are covered with bristles, branches, pines, and easily cracked bark, the wood inside has very few knots or whorls. This also makes it very heavy and internall dense, so one has to be careful using it.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Everpine wood is rich with a chemical that Hippolytan scientists have taken to calling Pinsoluho that keeps it nigh-immune to all manner of natural rot and decay and a lot more durable to magical decay than any other type of wood. Attempts to crossbreed it into other trees has proven unsuccessful so far, as has trying to extract it or artifically produce it. Other than that, it's a dense and sturdy wood.

Geology & Geography

Everpine trees are relatively rare, interdispersed throughout roughly 5% of Hippolyta's forests. That number is maintained no matter how much it is cut down, as limits and heavy punishment are placed on those who would try, and the trees are replanted as swiftly as they are shorn. Some nations have been gifted the trees, although only in Magnum Opus have they flourished in the wild as well as they have in native Hippolyta.

History & Usage

History

Everpine has always been a well-regarded piece of Hippolytan forests, mainly for being one of the few evergreen trees outside of the colder northern regions. When Hippolytans developed tools, they found that the everpines were one of the trees their early developments couldn't fell. The bark and branches came down easily enough, but the wood itself was far too sturdy.
Even with those pieces, many early magical users found the wood responding well to their magic and providing a natural shield for the more primordial aspects of early magic. As time marched onward, and druidcraft became a key part of Hippolytan urbanization, they finally found a way to cut the Everpine and utilized it to construct their burgeoning homes and castles. It took quite a while for this to turn to over-use, as the civilization expanded and new villages and settlements were being made.
It wasn't until around -1019 EE that a sharp lack of regrowth was noticed among the Everpine Tree population, and the Hippolytan government were quick to respond with harvesting and trade limitations as well as specifically focused regrowth work. Over time those regulations became stricter and looser as demand necessitated, but have mostly stayed at a steady intact, although punishments have gotten more severe over time.
There was a period, comparatively recently, where Everpine wood was banned from use due to the uptick of necromancy related crimes. While it's not as resistant to magically induced rot as it is to natural rot, it still is a hardy and resistent material for magical focuses, meaning that those Necromancers could use spells with a lot less caution, as the backlash on themselves and their tools was considerably lessened. This blanket ban petered out as the threat of necromancy died down, especially after the death of Shadescale, but mages who purchase the wood to this day have an extra eye or two metaphorically cast on them.
In the modern day while still rare the tree isn't as endangered, although careful limits are still imposed. In the current landscape many other forms of lumber have taken greater stage for house construction along with stone and metal, although the latter is uncommin in Hippolyta. While many still enjoy the sturdiness and reliability of Everpine, it's used considerably less and been allowed to grow to a steady level, with its magical properties still being enjoyed, especially as necromancy steps out of the shadows for a new chance at understanding.

Everyday use

Aside from it's frequent use in construction, Everpine is also a very popular material for magical wands and staves, despite its rarity. The wood not only is strong and sturdy, turning a well-crafted magical focus into an impromptu bludgeon should the moment require one, but also is less likely to be damaged in the event of backlash. This is exceedingly helpful for necromancers, whose backlash has a withering effect on the casters body or magical focus.

Industrial Use

Everpine wood is dense, sturdy, and nigh-immune to rot, making it a perfect foundational wood for all manner of constructions. You'll often find softer and lighter woods being used for the paneling and roofs, but Everpine makes for good bones on a house. A lot of smaller construction like crates or stalls also use the wood, although the weight can lead to complications if one isn't careful enough in their construction.

Manufacturing & Products

Everpine is mostly cut down into usable lumber for construction, with some larger chunks being custom-cut for the purpose of wood art. Smaller pieces of lumber or the branches are often turned into magical wands or staves.

Byproducts & Sideproducts

There is a vested interest in somehoe extracting Pinsoluho from Everpine wood for its anti-rot properties, but so far all attempts to seperate it from the wood have failed. Other than that, the dust when mixed with glue makes for a good sealent, and the pines are aromatic. The bark is a touch too brittle to be used for common use, but many small animals use it in their nests or burrows.

Environmental Impact

One must always be careful when it comes to harvesting from Hippolyta's forests. The verdant lands have a wealth of arbor options, but not all of them replenish quickly. Everpine Trees, being a rarer type of tree, are regulated in how much is legally allowed and safe to be harvested at one time, and those who can sell and fell the trees are very limited. Intense fines or prison time is on the table for those who violate those rules.

Reusability & Recycling

Aside from being a sturdy building material, the wood also has quite the long burn time making its chips and pieces good firewood. The sawdust also makes for a good filling when mixed with glue to cover holes and patches in other wood constructions.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Furniture and crafts made with the wood go for a pretty penny to both practially minded folks and wealthy collectors. As such, the trade of the wood itself is costly and in high demand as well. This has forced the Hippolytan government to put down strict limits on the harvesting and sale of Everpine Wood, with only a handful of state-approved lumber companies being able to legally sell it.

Type

Wood

Value

Quite valued

Rarity

Decently rare

Odor

Pine with a hunt of nuttiness

Color

Light tan with darker rings

Density

Moderately Dense

Common State

Solid

Related Species

• Everpine Trees