Drakepowder

**Drakepowder** is Ucril's magical alchemical equivalent of gunpowder.

A small pile of Drakepowder

> *The lonely dwarf slouched over his table. Days of sleepless work with this new ore had resulted in something that served to lift his spirit. As he dragged his fingers through the grainy orange powder, he felt tingles of embers as it flared and glowed where he touched.*
>
> - A Dwarvish Folk Tale about the creation of Drakepowder

## Creation

A well guarded dwarvish secret for decades, the creation of drakepowder is a mixture between a innately magical ore called Draaki, as well as other alchemical ingredients such as charcoal and sulfur. The recipe, along with dwarvish firearm schematics were however stolen in 1297 PA by the infamous criminal artisan Arnold "Long Shot" English who proceeded to sell the recipe off to merchants in the Dhrakari Borderlands along the Path of Platinum. However due to the nature of Draaki formation, it was rare to find it in large quantities outside of common dwarvish lands.

A variety of liquid drakepowder was created using the gland fluid of red dragon kin, however due to the difficulty of obtaining it, this has remained mostly impractical.

## Availability

### By Region

* The Torveil Highlands have an abundance of drakepowder due to it being the home of it's creation. Experimentation with the substance here is common, and has become a staple of large dwarvish kingdoms economics.
* Milleryn has large amounts of drakepowder at it's fingertips being one of the most successful trading empires within Ucril. They have become the common place for southern regions to import drakepowder from due to its accessibility
* The Caradon Badlands have close access to it, but due to weather conditions in the region itself, they rarely have large quantities on hand.
* Lands of the Thera Backlands have difficulty maintaining small stockpiles in large trading regions because of on land travel efficiency and their distance from the Meddlebrooke Passage.
* The Braum Thicket has large trade route passages towards the north, allowing them to have a fair amount of the substance transported from the Torveil Highlands. Their costal settlements such as the city of Maridock have allowed them to benefit from the exports of Milleryn as well
* The Bracheright Expanse is still under development in most territories, and show little interest in experimentation with the substance overall.
* The Drhakari Borderlands are the second largest stockpilers of drakepowder, and are the most advanced in terms of drakepowder weaponry outside of the dwarves.
* The Bakard Isles use drakepowder primarily for ceremonies. These celebrations are usually in the form of ornate cannons.

## History

Modern drakepowder has been used and experimented with by dwarvish kind for around a century. It is belived that dwarvish spellcasters, and in particular evocationists, knew about the existance of Draaki long before it was common knowledge in mining communities; These spellcasters were thought to use arcane foci made with Draaki to enhance the evocation of fire.

Around 1280 PA, large dwarvish mining colonies such as Gral Ultan, began to experiment with the application of drakepowder to weaponry. This is largely in part to the War of Noraz Valley beginning to take hold between clans of Mountain Dwarves and Valley Dwarves.

Following the release of powerful schematics and instructions in 1297 PA, many provinces began to pass laws to regulate the use of drakepowder. Many prohibiting carrying over 3lbs of the substance without consent from higher authorities. Most trading caravans were limited to 30lbs of drakepowder, and quantities over that amount could be punishable by hefty fine or a revoking of mercantile license within said province.

In addition to the importing limited amounts of drakepowder into civilizations, merchants were required to leave their stock with proper authorities. Where they would be able to ascertain individuals who wished to purchase it. This sometimes came with an additional fee directly given to said authorities to pay them for their allocated time watching over it.

In 1315 PA, drakepowder experimentation was outlawed from being performed within 1 mile of Civilizations the Braum Thicket, Milleryn regions. However, usage of ammuntions containing drakepowder were able to be used under the condition it does not cause harm to property or people intentionally, as well as not being a potential saftey hazard to areas around its usage. These ammunitions were to only be sold by vendors having the proper licensing. In addition to this, Milleryn began to experiment with tiny regiments of elite soldiers and guards who utilized drakepowder weaponry.

Despite there being trade laws in place, drakepowder trade is unrestricted in the Torveil Highlands among dwarves. This is due to their Codes of Honor leading dwarves to grow a knack for the substance and learn to use it responsibly.

## Reputation

Drakepowder is infamous for its incredible danger throughout Ucril. Those who manage to tame it and use it to their whims are both feared and respected. It's usefulness as a potential component for fuel however is looked upon brightly by civilizations with higher technological advances.

## Trivia

The noise that was given off by firearms using drakepowder is compared to that of a low pitched crack and hiss of a dragon.

Drakepowder is traditionally called "Drakongeth" by dwarves, roughly translating to "Dragon Sand".

Drakepowder is described to be similar in texture to sand, and is a bright orange color. It glows and heats up as it is moved or agitated.

It is said drakepowder can be used as a more potent alternative to sulfur when casting spells that evoke elemental fire.

Alchemists have described the smell of drakepowder to be like freshly charred wood unburnt and a more potent smell of sulfur when ignited.

The name of martial users of firearms are known by their dwarvish denominations of Drakon Wielders or Drakegunners