Kethendian Anoa Wool

The stony anoa of Kethendia is especially popular because it grows a thick, soft wool year-round which can be shorn in spring to produce thread, yarn, and fabric.

Kethendian anoa wool, when shorn, is a dirty grey color and typically full of burrs, tangles, and leaves. Additionally, the anoa produces oils from its skin which work their way into the wool and act as a water-resistant barrier. These oils must be removed before the wool can be processed into more usable forms. The wool is carefully washed with soap and cold water, such as found in mountain streams full of snowmelt, and then allowed to dry in the sunshine. This helps restore the wool to its original soft grey color.

The wool is then picked and carded to create a soft web of fibers that can be divided into smaller pieces for formation into string. The string can be twisted into yarn or used as is for sewing. The yarn is knitted or woven into cloth for many different purposes.

Anoa wool cloth is a very popular material for many clothing articles and decorations, and can be dyed in a wide spectrum of colors from its base light grey. Wall hangings woven by Shieldbreaker dragonborn into intricate designs are especially popular in other parts of the world, though expensive. Likewise, blankets with colorful patterns have appeared in places across Galactus, although the price of such bedding is very high and only feasible for those folk which are quite well-off.

Clothing made from this material has several advantageous properties. It is typically treated with small amounts of anoa oil that are collected very early in processing, making it water-resistant and excellent as outerwear. However, this is not recommended for use as underclothing, as this very same property will keep any damp from sweat against one's skin and could contribute to heat-related stress.

Anoa wool clothing is also very warm. The wool is an excellent insulator given that anoa live in the colder mountaintops, and many explorers travelling to more extreme locations such as Chiarei will use coats, hats, and sweaters from this material to keep themselves as warm as possible.