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[Pilsu]

Mermaid scales should be grindable into turquoise dye. Needless to say, it should be quite valuable as a pigment.

[therahedwig]

Sounds good, but then, I think, we should rehash the painting system a bit.

In the real-world, a lot of durable pigments were made from mineral and metals. And I think you should be able to do so in DF as well.
Like, vermillion is made from cinnebar, and ocre, sienna and umber are made from their respective clays.
Lapis Lazuli in particular is famous for being used as the blue pigment for paintings in the egyptian tombs. It was also known as being quite expensive.


Ofcourse, this'll lead to nobles mandating you give them a lapis-lazuli coloured <<*cave spider silk dress*>>, so I don't know how much we would want that...(Then again, it could make trading interesting again...)

[Pilsu]

The color is more vivid and satisfying when you butcher a beautiful, gentle, kind-hearted creature to get it.

Unicorn horns might make for a nice pure white. Perhaps they could even change color depending on the frame of mind of the creature. Long term horrific pain and madness would render the horn a striking pitch black.

[Mel_Vixen]

  The color is more vivid and satisfying when you butcher a beautiful,   gentle, kind-hearted creature to get it.
 
  Unicorn horns might make for a nice pure white. Perhaps they could even   change color depending on the frame of mind of the creature. Long term   horrific pain and madness would render the horn a striking pitch black.
 

So how would then demonic pigments look like then? Ever moist with a little blood colored reflex in shape of *corrupt acts*, *Nightmares* and *torture?*

edit:I like the idea of additional dyes with special traits. The statement above isnt meant to be sarcastic in any way. I just think that a demonic dye should have some randomness too.

[Pilsu]

Shifting colors and patterns are an option but I don't see moving paint sticking to clothing. Any paint that isn't static would likely require containment of some sort, for instance the glazing of pottery or glass. Pixie dust being alchemically mixed into dyes to produce different results is worth exploring though. I could see it losing it's glimmer over time, making such luxury clothing require replacement. Dressing that flamboyantly doesn't seem very dwarfy though.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Demons have changed so I'm not entirely sure whether the whole torture & destruction motif applies anymore. They're certainly destructive, there just isn't a way to determine whether the Underworld is intended as corny ol' hell or just a layer of another, twisted world.

[Mel_Vixen]

Demons have changed so I'm not entirely sure whether the whole torture & destruction motif applies anymore. They're certainly destructive, there just isn't a way to determine whether the Underworld is intended as corny ol' hell or just a layer of another, twisted world.

Hmm ok lets say dyes from object which share the corresponding Spheres. In my example "lust" "torture" "Chaos" etc.

[SlipshodDorf]

...why would you make dye out of mermaid scales? Aren't they supposed to grant longevity or immortality or something along those lines?

Of course, i could always see some natural dyes from things like berries and such being used as coloring for foods and drinks (hell, i use a touch of paprika sometimes just for the color).

[Pilsu]

...why would you make dye out of mermaid scales? Aren't they supposed to grant longevity or immortality or something along those lines?

Turquoise as a mineral has a very rare hue to it. Unique in nature in fact. Thing is, the merperson raws state that they should have turquoise scales. I've never heard of mermaid scales having unique qualities and while making little trinkets out of their bones is all well and good, I'd like to put this rare resource to use. Dye lends itself to things the gemstones do not.

[Lancensis]

Should be able to add a reaction to turn mermaid leather (or raw hide) to a custom dye.
I'm all for being able to make certain minerals and animals into dye, but I've never heard of scales being used in that way - only insects and the occaisional snail.

[therahedwig]

I guess that's because most fish-scales is too soft to be ground properly?

Hard enough scales should be able to be ground, but I'm not certain if such scales exist.

[Pilsu]

Their properties could be alchemically altered to be more suitable for grinding. Has the added benefit of making it feel a bit more special than say, carmine.

[Dante]

Should be able to add a reaction to turn mermaid leather (or raw hide) to a custom dye.
I'm all for being able to make certain minerals and animals into dye, but I've never heard of scales being used in that way - only insects and the occaisional snail.

If not, I'm fairly certain you could make a reaction like this:
mermaid hide -> 'mermaid scales', some sort of plant that doesn't actually grow anywhere -> plant is millable at a regular mill.

[Kilo24]

...why would you make dye out of mermaid scales? Aren't they supposed to grant longevity or immortality or something along those lines?

You'd use it for the same reasons dye-makers in the real world made rare dyes - making unique colors that the overly rich could use to show off their great wealth.

About the suggestion: I like it quite a bit.  What I really want to see in DF (and fantasy in general) is fantasy elements being creatively used for more than adding on plusses to swords - getting unique trade goods from fantasy creatures is an excellent way to do that.  I'd like to see interesting trade goods derived from other fantasy races too, to help distinguish fantasy races after they're dead.

It's making me think about getting special resources from the corpses of forgotten beasts, actually.  It would be pretty neat to have uniquely colored dyes from the corpse of Worldswallower the Anvil of Hatred to dye the king's robes and the royal guard's vestments, shooting their value way up.

[Sabin Stargem]

Yup, eating mermaid flesh is supposed to extend your life.  I think that giving fantasy creatures special properties like that could make them sought after, especially if used with Alchemy and the like.

Mermaid Flesh:  Adds +100 years to the [maxage] tag for the consumer, and gives this being a preference for hunting and eating mermaids.

Unicorn Horn:  Valued for the healing and purifying properties it possesses.  Dipping the horn into a liquid will purify it, while feeding a person a powder made of the horn will heal and cure them.  Virgin maidens can easily approach unicorns, despite their beards.

Dragon Heart:  Eating the heart of a dragon is supposed to confer great physical abilities.

Vampire Blood:  To consume the blood of an vampire will make a person an immortal monster themselves, bringing the curse upon them.  However, the further removed you are from the original generation, the weaker the changes will be.

[AngleWyrm]

Also, a rope made from mermaid's hair could have special properties, like maybe it can bind a prisoner.