Dendrobium (OU)

Dendrobium was a volatile gaseous substance that occurred naturally in the nebula that was home to the Shangri-La system.

Description
Dendrobium was an incredibly unstable gaseous substance that was only known to occur naturally in the nebula that was home to the Shangri-La system. Due to its volatile nature, it was impossible to travel or teleport through; even Sefer Yetzirah, who was renowned for her incredible teleportation abilities, could not pass through dendrobium. Because of this trait, the hollow dendrobium nebula that contained the Shangri-La system served as a natural fortress of sorts that made it impenetrable to all but the Takemikazuchi Empire, who controlled the only passageway in and out of the nebula: a small, heavily-guarded tear whose diameter was roughly equivalent to that of Earth's Moon. This tear was maintained by ten "dendrobium gates", which prevented the tear from shrinking and created the tunnel that any ships entering or leaving the system had to pass through. The dendrobium nebula was known for its incredible beauty, resembling a great, pink fire. Though very few non-Takemikazuchi were ever permitted entry to the system, the sight of it even from the exterior was regarded as one of the many wonders of the universe.

Dendrobium was a major export of the Takemikazuchi Empire, being partially responsible for its incredibly strong economy. Dendrobium was mined heavily on the gas giant SL-08, which was mostly composed of the substance.

History
In 150,084 CMT, Gasuhigann contacted the Takemikazuchi Empire with a proposal to trade several tons of a special liquid with medicinal properties (which was a substance unique to Gasuhigann) in exchange for a shipment of dendrobium. Under ordinary circumstances, the Takemikazuchi would follow their standard trade protocol (which would be to ship the dendrobium, receive the payment, and leave promptly in order to avoid entangling themselves in foreign affairs), but on this occasion, Sefer Yetzirah decided to keep the Divine Providence in the orbit of Gasuhigann for a much longer period during the negotiation because her spies had informed her that the Gasuhiganni had also recently attempted to trade with the Republic of Luria, which led her to suspect that the offer could have drawn the Kindred of Dawn to Gasuhigann.