Ships and the Seas
Sea travel on Xar'raj proved to be a great challenge. The seas of the world contain a chemical similar to the salt in Earth's oceans that eats wood and metal alike. A ship would only hold together for a day at best. Many of the planet's greatest minds worked for many years on the problem and a solution was soon discovered. An old human alchemist discovered a treatment that could be applied to wood in order to repel water.
-Ship Hull Treatment-
In order to create the wood treatment a large pot of wax must be heated until all wax has melted and begins to boil. Once the wax is boiling, a small cup of ground fish bones must be mixed into the wax. Next, a very small sprinkling of lodestone must be mixed in with the other items. Once this is done, a spell must be cast on the mixture. Once the spell is complete, the new mixture must be sealed to keep it from drying out. After about 24 hours the mix will be cooled and ready for use.
Wood that has been treated will repel water, keeping a distance of approximately 8 feet in any direction. This allows ships to sail just above the water's surface. The treatment also reduces the friction significantly, and it reduces the mass of the wood without compromising strength. This allows tremendous ships to be built, and these ships are very easy to move. Very small sails or very few oars can be used to move the ships over water. Even the largest cargo ship only needs about 20 oars and rowing men.
