Charcoal

Charcoal was a form of processed wood used as a fuel, similar to coke and coal.

Properties
Charcoal was a hard, black, ashy, carbon-rich mineral-like substance that burned readily. It was extremely light, weighing per.

Availability
Charcoal was the common and standard fuel of choice for much of Toril. It was made by slowly burning wood or peat in a kiln, turf-covered mound, or clay-choked fire over several days, turning it into the ashy black remnant. The large amounts of wood required for charcoal production necessitated constant logging of forests such as the High Forest. Charcoal burners were also known as colliers.

Aurora's Emporium supplied high-quality charcoal intended for priestly rituals for 1 gp per pound.

Usages

 * Charcoal made a good general-purpose fuel, such as for use in braziers. It was also commonly used to fuel high-temperature furnaces for the working of metals. It was well-suited to smelting raw iron, and would be stacked in layers along with the ore and limestone flux.
 * Tinderboxes could be used with charcoal briquettes to provide the initial fuel for a fire.
 * Charcoal sticks and pencils were common writing and drawing implements used by artists, and could be colored for extra effect.
 * Zakharan samovars used burning charcoal for their heating.
 * Skin-blackening makeup could use charcoal, though it could irritate the skin. Charcoal and soot were especially popular for thieves who wanted to hide any exposed skin.
 * Dark stains and tints such as with lacquers could use charcoal as a pigment.
 * Explosive gunpowder used charcoal as an important ingredient, and charcoal may have been a key ingredient in the secret recipe for smokepowder.
 * A candle of exploding was made using a complex recipe including charcoal.
 * Vitriolic sphere could be neutralized with charcoal, among other substances.

Spell Components
A large number of spells used charcoal as a material component, particularly for those involving fire.
 * Animate fire used a handful of charcoal, soda ash, and sulfur.
 * Dark fire used a piece of charcoal to cast.
 * Find familiar used a brass brazier of burning charcoal for the ritual.
 * Fire breath used a red hot glowing piece of charcoal clenched in the caster's teeth. Fortunately, this did not burn the caster.
 * Fire storm used charcoal from a cremated magic-user.
 * Fire trap could be cast by tracing the enclosure in charcoal.
 * Halaster's blacksphere used a piece of charcoal.
 * Heat wave used a piece of charcoal, some sulfur, and a small paper fan.
 * Internal fire used an iron brazier filled with hot charcoal.
 * Lose face used a piece of charcoal.
 * Neutralize gas used a bit of charcoal and treant bark.
 * Neutralize poison used a piece of charcoal to cure poisons.
 * Plague used a pinch of charcoal or soot.
 * Plant door used a piece of charcoal.
 * Steam breath used a glowing hot piece of charcoal that got doused in water.
 * Flame whip could use a chunk of charcoal to cast.

Other

 * Serplars had a strange biology, and could feed upon soot and charcoal from chimneys.
 * The Charcoal Palace in the City of Brass was made of a dark gray basalt, and so resembled charcoal.