Certain factors heavily impact the tool-using human civilization on Maroon. Chief among them is the much greater reactivity of metals of any appreciable mass. Iron, copper, nickel, tin, and other common ores of metals are highly dangerous to smelt, refine, and even mine. This has hindered the development of industrial technology in Vindulan. But human ingenuity has solved some of the problems this wrinkle posed for the formerly starfaring settlers.
- === Keramika ===
The key to the development of an alternative to metals in fashioning durable and effective tools lies in the nature of the riverbeds of Maroon. The early settlers endured the seasons poorly (see Calendar). The abundance of river clay, and the formation of the clay pebblebeds that preserved the flow of water even in the height of the Firewalking, led the adoption of sod, mud, and later brick structures.
