Kava Wood

Nature's concrete

The wood of the Kava tree is extremely sturdy. Although it burns easily, it has a tensile strength greater than steel, and a compressive strength greater than concrete. The wood proved to be a sustainable, impressive material, and was subsequently cultivated and used in place of asphalt and concrete in the building of drone centers.

— Environmental Impact Statement, Drone Headquarters

The wood of the Kava tree is a very sturdy wood, especially in comparison to its relative light weight. Harvested from the Kava tree, endemic to the Salt Plains, the wood has proved adaptable to a variety of purposes.

Properties

Physical & Chemical Properties

Material	Density (g/cc)	Compressive Strength (MPa)	Tensile Strength (MPa)
Kava Wood	0.9	~600	~100
Steel	8	~500	~250
Concrete	2.3	2-5	30

The Kava, while less dense than water, still has a compressive strength approximately three times that of concrete, and a tensile strength significantly greater than that of steel. However, its greatest weakness is its vulnerability to fire. As with bamboo, the kava plant is highly flammable, and its strong threads of cellulose burn like cotton. Also of industrial importance is its relatively weak resistance to acid.

History & Usage

Everyday use

The kava plant is the Swiss Army Knife of plants... utilized for any and all purposes, shaping itself into firestarter or clothing or scaffolding.

— An internal memo circulated within the Analyst Drones

The kava wood has many uses. A short list of the most common uses are below:

• Construction:
• Boats and Watercraft
• Roads
• Personal Housing
• Tall buildings
• Scaffolding
• Fuel:
• Firestarter
• Fuel wood
• Charcoal
• Clothing:
• Fabric [processed wood]
• Body armor
• Helmets
• Knives and other tools
• Beer brewing

Cultural Significance and Usage

After the Halora achieved bronze technology, they were able to begin usage of the Kava. The plant was sustainably harvested, as in their religion it is both a symbol of strength, adaptability, and head god Kali, Bringer of Peace.
In the drone world, farming is done on a large scale to produce bamboo in industrial quantities for terraforming of the world. All drone bases are made of fireproofed bamboo, as well as roads and cities. Small plots of bamboo are also grown aesthetically.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Let the ruler control the price of the grain, so that when grain is cheap and unvalued, she buys as much as the government can hold. Then, when the grain is in shortage and wanted, she may distribute grain at her price. This method, if executed correctly, can apply to any commodity, and can ensure that the city is never in shortage of anything.

— Classic of Law

As dictated in the Classic of Law, and implemented across the Salt Plains, a government company of kava wood is established. When the wood is pouring in at a surplus, and the price of wood drops below a certain benchmark, the company buys. When wood is needed, and the price rises above a certain benchmark, the company sells at an affordable price, both filling the coffers of the government and guaranteeing that the price remains stable. The wood is semi-common, and is often used to make "higher-class" buildings, as a symbol of status.
This does not mean that corporate logging is banned: no, indeed, several companies exist to log wood, and earn healthy profits. However, some chafe at this idea of regulated logging. A minority of loggers illegally cut down the highly-valued wood, running the risk of meeting a patrol of guardsmen and being heavily punished for the crime. Black markets for this sacred wood are few: many refuse to buy from such a source, preferring the legal government.

Law & Regulation

The Salt Plains gates make sure to implement strict limits on kava logging. A limited license is established every year, which endows the licensee to a certain amount of kava logged from the forest. Only one hundred thousand licenses are given out every year, and this guarantees that the half-billion trees of kava in the swamp may be kept healthy.

Type

Biomaterial

Value

10-15 Tongbi per meter

Rarity

Common, but expensive

Odor

Vague pineapple or pear smell

Taste

Like blood, since you broke your teeth while eating it. However, the wine brewed tastes light and sweet.

Color

Light brown, with a hint of green

Density

0.913 g/cc

Common State

Solid

Related Locations

• Zentland
• Salt Plains
• Salt Range

Related Species

• Brown Halora

Related Professions

• Woodsman
• Carpenter

Cross-Section of Plant by ElementalShrike

The strong cellulose rods are what gives the plant its strength. Have you ever tried tearing a grocery bag? You can tear it easily if you rip it properly, but if the plastic gets in a single rope, it gets near impossible to break. That's why the rods make the plant so strong (besides its naturally hard wood)

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Kava as perfection

Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.

— Bruce Lee

The kava plant is very much revered by the Brown Halora, so much that it is an example used to teach young halorin how to behave. It may not be the strongest of plants, indeed being a grass, but it still stands head and shoulders above any tree.
Integrity, tenacity, and elegance are all shown in the bamboo, according to halorin philosophers. Bamboo does not attempt to stand straight, to pretend to be a tree (integrity). It sways in the wind, but the wind cannot break it (tenacity). It is made up of tiny, simple, segments, and yet it towers hundreds of meters above (elegance).