Cinnabar

Cinnabar: The colour of blood and fire of passion and of the beating heart. In a word: Life.

Travelling Spell Merchant

Cinnabar is one of several colours used in Braided Shore, and is the equivalent of red.

Lore

The culture of Braided Shore places importance on cinnabar being the colour of blood and fire and of the beating heart.

From this, cinnabar has been associated with

• Passion
• Life
• Fire

As colour is a significant part of the culture of Braided Shore, cinnabar and its meanings are reflected in the daily lives of Braided Shore inhabitants:

• Cinnabar carpet is used in kitchens, party areas and bedrooms of certain types of people.
• The Cinnabar Salt Gang is an established gang that specializes in violence.
• There are regional differences about the symbolism of cinnabar. In the North, pale cinnabar is treated as the colour of passion now faded or the last few flames of a once roaring fire. In the South however, pale cinnabar is seen as a the colour for younger, more innocent passions - the colour of a first crush or the young flames right at the start of a fire.
• Bakar is naturally sulphur in colour, however when the metal is forged, it usually results in items with a deep cinnabar-sulphur colour.
• Poppies are a common sight on the window sills of farmers' dwellings as a token of thanks to the Winds for the safety and hearth and home. Bouquets of ribboned poppies are traditional gifts when celebrating the birth of a child.

Miscellaneous

• Asken folk have many different eye colours, but the Selka only have cinnabar coloured eyes.

References

Selka come from way afar, they can't abide things Cinnabar

Trinket Hoarder