Firestone (Pern)
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Firestone is a phosphine bearing rock found on the fictional planet Pern. When chewed by the Pernese dragons, they are able to produce phosphorus gases, which then ignite and are used, primarily, for burning Thread out of the air. It exists in two varieties. One variant is highly unstable in nature, often prone to releasing their deadly and potentially explosive gases on contact with even the slightest bit of moisture. This type of firestone is extremely dangerous to mine, store and use. The other variant is relatively stable, and require the rocks to be somewhat "digested" in the dragons second stomach's acid before the phosphine gases are released. This was the variety initially discovered on the beaches of the Southern Continent in Dragonsdawn and used in all Pern novels following Dragon's Fire's place in Pern's chronology.
Firestone renders female dragons sterile, thus requiring queen dragons to use flamethrowers when fighting Thread. This side effect is beneficial, however, with regard to green dragons (which are also female) — being rather promiscuous, green dragons would cause Pern to quickly become overpopulated with small dragons unsuitable for Thread-fighting duty were it not for the sterility caused by chewing firestone.
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