Leindar

General introduction

An especially pure form of clay is known to the Duiniken, ever since they first moved into Nuat Duinis Talou. This clay burns white and is slightly transparent, making it a material much cherished by the Duiniken, who have a deep love for the colours white and silver especially. Leindar is found in a handful of deposits, so it is not overly rare. Pottery made from Leindar has the drawback of needing exceptionally high firing temperatures but requires no glazing.

Leindar is used for a wide array of applications, though it is more costly than other types of ceramics. This makes it a more exclusive product, mostly restricted to nobility, rich merchants and other people who acquired some level of wealth.

Sources and harvest

Seven deposits of leindar are known so far. They are all found in the northern third of Nuat Duinis Talou and are of comparable quality. To collect the clay, the covering layer of plants, roots and dirt is removed. To keep dirt from coming in, the workers digging up leindar use big pieces of cloth to cover open deposits. Leindar is transported in wooden boxes or buckets, as to draw exces moisture from the material or to keep it at an exceptable level. The boxes or buckets are soaked in water before filling in leindar, in case the material is a bit dry, so it can rehydrate through the wood.

Transport of leindar is difficult, as it has to be kept moist, otherwise it is difficult to rehydrate, much unlike other types of clay. To pull the carts of leindar-buckets, people are cross-breeding 'Emoun, a hybrid of a Duinis Kén stallion and a mare of a type of wild donkey that is home to eastern and southeastern Erana, the Muinidh Fhoul. These animals are short legged, robust creatures having little trouble dragging bigger weights, if enough and good food, especially grass and gout, is provided.

Properties and use

Leindar is particularly soft and tenacious which renders it not easy to use. So another factor that plays into leindar-products' relatively high prices is the need of skilled and well trained craftsmen to produce these goods. A leindar is easily spoilt, not many additives are known which improve its workability. Leindar itself can be fired and ground up to become grog and be used as an additive to add to a forming objects stability. Furthermore different feldspathic rocks are powdered and added sometimes. If the feldspar is relatively pure, this can contribute to the final objects translucence, while at the same time lowering the firing temperature a bit.

Most objects are platters, bowls or cylindrical, but not too high shapes. Especially nimble craftsmen also sculpt the material into small figurines or into applications for vessels. This is often achieved by grogging the leindar at the expense of translucency. During the firing process, the object shrinks cosiderably, especially if the leindar is ungrogged. It becomes very dense and less susceptible to breaking than other types of clay. If during the drying process it is trimmed or after drying sanded or plained, it can be worked incredibly thin. The finest wares almost look like frosted glass.

One special use this material has is for charms. Many sanctuaries commission charms for certain festivities. These can be bought to plead for personal luck, healing or whatever else an individual might need. White is seen as the sacred colour, so chosing this material for religious items is nothng out of the ordinary. Unlike other pottery objects, those made from leindar develop no patina. Once fired they remain unchanged, only taking on superficial colouration from dust or foods, that are intense in colour, like beetroots. This property can only by changed by covering an object with glaze before firing, given the glaze is rougher in texture or shows crazing.

Type

Ceramic