The Salamander Curse, Or Why We Must be Careful With Our Guns on Kethos
One of the strangest mysteries plaguing Kethos is the “Salamander Curse,” the most common name for the mysterious curse that has severely hindered the development of explosives, firearms, and the harnessing of chemical combustion from generating power on Kethos. Too strangely specific to be explained away as a mere natural principle, the “Salamander Curse” only appears to affect discharge above a particular power threshold. Suppose primitive combustion engines or gunpowder weapons are used near any fires or in a battle where gunpowder has been used. In that case, there is a non-trivial risk that some fire elemental will manifest and begin to rampage. If available, they will attempt to consume any open, energetic fuel source, and failing that, fire elementals will try to start a conflagration. The size and power of the unleashed fire elemental can vary wildly but is usually proportional to the size and power of the combustion. A pistol shot will seldom attract the same response as a group of cannons.
The origin of the Salamander Curse remains unknown, though there are some theories. The modern versions of Gunpowder weapons have only existed for a couple of centuries. Still, the Salamander Curse appears to predate them by millennia – indeed, no living arcanists would be able to generate such an effect, global in scope and permanent in duration. It is usually explained away as simply “the will of the Gods” by commoners and priests. Some scholars theorize that it is a product of the Great Sundering. The First Elves or their mysterious unknown enemies used it to stop the other side from deploying gunpowder weapons or other strange devices. Dwarven histories hint that Dwarves attempted to develop such technologies several times during their period of dominance, only to give up on it after catastrophe struck repeatedly.
Humans, in a display of their ingenuity, seem to be the first race to devise effective countermeasures against the ‘Salamander Curse ‘. They created the ‘Red Powder ‘, a gritty crimson substance that neutralizes the risk of the curse when used in properly designed firearms. However, the recipe, which includes rare ingredients like Hekunite, is a closely guarded alchemical secret, making the production or purchase of ‘Red Powder’ quite expensive. Consequently, guns and cannons on Kethos, while still a valuable weapon, are not widely distributed or used by regular troops or warships, remaining a somewhat niche choice.
