Frankincense trees were a group of related trees, notable for their use in making frankincense.[1][2]
Description[]
The archetypal frankincense tree had a very short, gnarled trunk and branches that fanned out in a tangled mass of spiny leaves,[3] with a white sap.[4] The trees grew best in hot, steady sunlight with limestone-based soil, moderated by the dew from wet coastal winds or morning mists.[2]
Availability[]
Frankincense trees grew among myrrh trees and dragons' blood trees along streams that flowed from the Desertsmouth Mountains into the desert,[1] generally along the eastern and northeastern edges of the Sword, as well as in the westward hills verging the Plain of Standing Stones such as the Hills of Scent. Frankincense also grew in isolated oasis such as Olomaa and the Well of the Cloven Rock.[2]
The D'tarig harvested some frankincense, but the vast majority was handled by Bedine people who sold it in exchange for metalwork.[1] Along with myrrh, cassia, and dragons' blood, myrrh was one of the luxury exports of the Anauroch region.[2]
Frankincense was found in Zakhara, with much of it grown and harvested in the Pearl Cities, especially Ajayib and Gana.[5][6] The dry lands north of Ajayib were dotted with the trees and harvested for export,[7] while the aptly named Realm of Bleeding Trees west of Gana held naught but frankincense trees and the nomads who harvested them, often joined by out-of-work pearl-divers.[8] A variety of red-sap trees grew in a genie-controlled grove in the Great Anvil of the Haunted Lands at Ubar.[9]
Usages[]
Frankincense trees were harvested by cutting or scraping the bark away and allowing the sap to well up and then solidify over several weeks. These "tears" turned clear as they aged, creating the much sought-after resin frankincense.[2][4]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ed Greenwood (November 1991). Anauroch. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 31. ISBN 1-56076-126-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Ed Greenwood (November 1991). Anauroch. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 42–43, 51. ISBN 1-56076-126-1.
- ↑ Troy Denning (July 1991). The Parched Sea. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 15, p. ?. ISBN 1-56076-067-2.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara). (TSR, Inc), p. 5. ISBN 978-1560763291.
- ↑ David Cook (October 1992). “Map Booklet”. In Bill Slavicsek ed. Golden Voyages (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 978-1560763314.
- ↑ David Cook (October 1992). “Home Port: Wherein the Tale Begins”. In Bill Slavicsek ed. Golden Voyages (TSR, Inc.), p. 32. ISBN 978-1560763314.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara). (TSR, Inc), p. 86. ISBN 978-1560763291.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara). (TSR, Inc), p. 88. ISBN 978-1560763291.
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur (November 1993). Secrets of the Lamp. Genie Lore. (TSR, Inc.), p. 36. ISBN 978-1560766476.