See ix KRIMSKEL FIBER, (also, Claw Fiber ) A lightweight rope woven from strands of hufuf vine, a growth native to Ecaz later success fully transplanted to Yorba It was the rope of choice for bonds, snares and similar uses for many centunes owing to special proper ties of the vines from which it was produced In his definitive book on the subject, The Strangler Vines of Ecaz written in 6854 Holjance Vohnbrook describes the hufuf as dne of the greatest natural dangers on that world Or, in his words as traps for the unwatchful and the unwary A mature growth of these vines can vary m length from fifty to one hundred meters and various offshoots from the main vine can ex tend the plant s control to a radius equal to its overall length the unfortunate human or animal who wanders into the heart of such a controlled area finds that the vines react violently to the slightest disturbance snaking around the limbs responsible Once the plant s grasp is secure, unaided escape is next to impossible as the many skeletons found in hufuf patches will attest The plant s seed pods, prized for their oil, and lengths of the vine itself were consid ered so valuable that entrepreneurial groups often ventured into such areas despite the dangers Once severed from the trunkvine the smaller vines could be split and woven into knmskel the rope retained enough of the plant s natural characteristics that a knot tied in it would continue to draw itself more tightly together (by means of ' claws ' small KYNES LIET 358 KYNES LIET hornlike protrusions) when lines leading to it were pulled The advantages inherent m such a rope were obvious Captives tied with krimskel could choose between remaining still or hav ing their bonds tighten unbearably The fiber was often employed as well in boobytraps and other snares Placing a loop of krimskel where a would be thief or intruder would have to step was a time honored method of insunng that the trespasser remained in that spot Krimskel fiber fell briefly from popular use when shigawire was introduced but returned to favor when the hazards of usuig shigawire as its replacement were more wide ly known (Because of its extreme thinness and tensile strength shigawire was capable of severing the flesh that it bound at the slightest pressure Krimskel fiber while pain ful to those who struggled against it, was seldom fatal, shigawire often was ) It is still considered extremely useftii on a number of worlds, primarily as a means of hobbling or securing livestock, Further references- ECAZ, on, LEKS, smoAwatE, Holjance Vohnbrook The Strwgler Vines of Ecax (Grumman United Worlds) KYNES.