Turtledove
Advertisement
Cinnabar

Cinnabar is the common ore of mercury.

Cinnabar in Darkness[]

Cinnabar was used to feed dragons. Thus, it was crucial to any war effort to have a great load of this mineral as dragons were imperative to war in Derlavai.

In the Derlavaian War, the cinnabar-rich Mamming Hills were the target of a huge Algarvian offensive against Unkerlanters with the aim of getting the minerals for their dragons. Knowing this, the Unkerlanters put up a ferocious defense which culminated with the Battle of Sulingen.

Literary comment[]

In the World War II metaphor, the Mamming cinnabar is analogous to the oil reserves of the Caucasus region.

Advertisement