Sharowood

Description
Sharowood is the name of wood that has been treated through a special process making it almost as hard as steel but more flexible and just a fraction of the weight. It was perfected by the Tyderians with legend saying that Sharo himself gave the details of the process to them, hence the name. It is a two-part process that involves taking wood and soaking it a boiling mixture of herbs and minerals that make the wood more pliable and tougher. Then the wood is slowly heated. The soaked wood does not burn during the heating process but as the absorbed liquid is burned off it hardens and shrinks as it is compressed and becomes sharowood. Any cutting and shaping is usually done after the wood is boiled and becomes a little easier to work with. There is a finite amount of time when the wood comes out of the solution to be worked on so the skill of the craftsman is extremely important. Sharowood has a variety of uses. It can be used for buildings and structures where weight must be saved. It is sometimes used in armor for the Tyderian Rangers. The most well-known use however, is in the making of a Tyderian Ranger's hornbow. It can be sharpened but not to the level of metal so it is not generally suited for bladed weapons. However, other types of weaponry such as staffs and bludgeoning weapons work well. They are also often used as axe handles or inlays for swords. It is a well-guarded process that often relies on the specific nuances of a woodsmith's recipe of ingredients of the solution or method used for compression. The process only works with a select few species of wood. All of which, are Tyderian hardwoods from their forests.