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Deathstone is an opaque, pure black stone that reflects
very little light. Through some trick of the eye, deathstone
crystals seem to reduce the fire of faceted gems placed
near them. Since deathstone absorbs light in this fashion,
it cannot truly be faceted, and simple cabochons are
most popular in jewelry.
Location:
The best-known source of deathstone is Teras Isle,
but other mines do exist. All are under dwarven control,
and they are scattered widely across Elanith.
Lore:
The Faendryl have discovered that, if treated properly,
deathstone has certain powers that can aid in the workings
of necromancy or in casting curses. It is said that
even those who are not sorcerers can sometimes use deathstone
to ward off the undead, but it is also said that the
undead may gain control over the living person through
the magical channel, and attempting the feat is an inherently
risky and desperate venture. It is an ill-luck stone,
and it has no healing properties.
Deathstone's only purpose in divination is to foretell
catastrophe for the diviner. Given its associations,
many diviners balk at this, saying that deathstone actually
invokes catastrophe rather than foretelling it.
As the name suggests, there are no nice reasons to
give deathstone to someone else. Giving someone a piece
of deathstone jewelry implies that you hope ill or death
will come to the person. Certain groups of assassins
use this as a fear tactic, placing pieces of deathstone
in a victim's home before finally committing the murder.
Some suggest that deathstone is affiliated with Onar,
but, notably, none of those who do so are themselves
aligned with the Patron of Assassins. (Not that Onar's
worshippers are likely to admit their allegiances, but
typically their kills are accompanied with more subtlety
and efficiency.) Others, noting the remarkable arcane
differences between deathstone and other variants of
quartz despite their mundane similarities, believe that
deathstone is a creation of Fash'lo'nae.
According to dwarven legend, deathstone was first found
by a large dwarven family who exulted with delight over
their remarkable discovery. As they settled into mining
the vein, however, dark thoughts began to creep into
the minds of the dwarves, and each dwarf began to wonder
whether his relatives might not cheat him of his share
of the fascinating jewel or poorly handle the raw stone.
Tension built over months until it erupted in a bloody
massacre, and, in the violence of their battle, the
roof of the tunnel collapsed, trapping them all. It
is said that another group of dwarves tunneled into
the area months later to find rotting corpses scattered
all over the chamber. The final dwarf had etched the
record of their struggle upon the pure, smooth face
of the deathstone vein. While some modern-day dwarves
discount this tale, common dwarven superstition still
holds that deathstone can be mined only in order to
be sold and that a horrible fate will come to those
dwarves who keep it.
Despanal
Value:
Extraordinarily rare.
Appearance:
Despanal is actually a transformation of alabaster,
which becomes despanal after it has been exposed to
an intense degree of uncontrolled sorcerous magic. Like
alabaster, it is sometimes translucent and sometimes
opaque, but it is more commonly found than alabaster
in an opaque form. Despanal is a striking dark red stone
that may be shot with veins of black, wine purple, or
gold. It is significantly more sought-after by jewelers
in its gold-streaked form than in either of the others,
and the others are sometimes termed "dark despanal"
or "dead despanal" to reflect this lack of
value.
Location:
Despanal can be found in Rhoska-Tor, beneath Old
Ta'Faendryl, in New Ta'Faendryl, near the Demonwall
in the Turamzzyrian Empire, and in other locations where
significant deposits of alabaster have been exposed
to strong sorcerous magic. Some reports also suggest
that despanal may be found in the lands of the Erithi,
but the Erithi are notoriously close-mouthed about their
home's riches and refuse to discuss the matter at length.
Lore:
Despanal is nicknamed "banshee stone"
because it was first discovered in Rhoska-Tor after
the destruction of Maelshyve. It has a variety of properties
related to sorcery, but it is most notable for assisting
summoners in bringing demons between worlds. Using despanal
is a two-edged sword, as it increases the demon's power
without increasing the summoner's control. Despite its
lack of value in jewelry, dark despanal is more sought-after
for by practitioners of the arcane, because gold-streaked
despanal is less magically active than the other two.
Despanal has no healing properties. When ground finely,
however, despanal powder makes a startlingly effective
poison.
Despanal is rarely used in divination by most seers,
as it tends to twist the results not only to display
but to invoke the worst possible outcome in any possible
situation -- self-fulfilling prophecies are not a possibility
but a certainty when trying to divine with despanal
implements.
Most of the elven cities presume that Despana's magic
created despanal, resulting in the name, but the Faendryl
believe that their sorcery was responsible for its creation
rather than Despana's. Outside Ta'Faendryl, despanal
is not usually an appropriate gift to anyone who does
not practice the sorcerous arts, though it is acceptable
to purchase and wear despanal oneself. Among the Faendryl,
a gift of despanal is a compliment to the recipient's
skill and power, even if the other person is not a sorcerer.
Most of the sylvan folk make a point of avoiding the
stone entirely.
Diamond
Value:
Extremely rare to extraordinarily rare, depending upon
the variety.
Appearance:
The easiest way to recognize a diamond, according
to the dwarves, is to attempt to scratch it with another
rock; unless you use another diamond or a magically
hardened substance, it is impossible to scratch true
diamond. The elves dismiss this technique in favor of
magical recognition, as, not living underground, they
are less likely to encounter true diamond and have no
desire to accidentally put a scratch on a lesser stone
that might resemble diamond. While the most commonly
found diamonds are colorless with a very faint yellow
tinge, diamonds do come in every hue of the rainbow.
Most of the shades are faint, but there are exceptions;
one of the most notable is the diamond variety known
as maernstrike. Maernstrike diamonds are actually iridescent,
producing a fiery play of brilliant color that is truly
unlike any other gem. Two other unusual varieties are
the star-of-Tamzyrr diamond and the dragon's-tear diamond.
Star-of-Tamzyrr diamonds have a lesser fire than other
diamonds, but display a peculiar sky blue star with
hundreds of delicate rays when turned to catch the light.
Dragon's-tear diamonds display shades of scarlet and
cerulean in their pervasive fire, but show not a trace
of any other color in the spectrum. There is also a
variety of vivid pink diamond that is mined by the Khanshael
beneath Dhe'nar lands, but it rarely leaves the hands
of the dark dwarves.
Location:
Various diamonds may be found all over Elanthia,
but some are geographically limited, such as star-of-Tamzyrr
diamonds (which are found only in the southern part
of the Turamzzyrian Empire), maernstrike diamonds (which
are found only in elven lands), and large yellow diamonds
(which are found only in the arctic north near Icemule
Trace.) The legendary diamond mines at Kherram Olt Dzu
are the finest in Elanith, if not the finest in the
world.
Lore:
Worshippers of Eorgina associate all hues of diamond
with that goddess, but black diamonds are pervasively
known as Eorgina's sign -- a truth that is particularly
strong among the elves, where legends of the Li'aerion
Artisans still endure. Few elves will wear black diamonds
unless they mean it to indicate that they share Eorgina's
views and ideals, for, while they do not worship the
Arkati, they do recognize their presence and power,
and those unwilling to serve Eorgina have no wish to
attract her eye.
Virtually every culture has something different to
say about diamond, but all Elanthian races save the
sylvans hold it in high esteem. (This is not an impressive
exception, since the sylvans have never had much use
for gems, preferring unadorned silver or mithril in
metalwork jewelry.)
Diamonds are useful as focuses in all varieties of
magical working save one -- that of sorcery. Diamonds
innately resist having more than one variety of mana
channeled through them at a single time. Using diamonds
in attempts to enhance sorcery will often hinder spells
rather than enhancing them. At best, the stones are
inert; at worst, they explode. Still, the Faendryl find
them attractive, and there is no danger of explosion
if the diamond is not deliberately included in the spell.
Although the Erithi rarely wear diamond jewelry, preferring
the elegance of agate and jade, they do recognize that
this jewel possesses greater power to enhance the mental
arts of transference than any other stone. The greatest
savants of the Eloth Dai create teleportation talismans
of remarkable power from owl feathers with diamond beads
upon their shafts. These talismans are attuned to their
creators and resist use by anyone not of the Eloth Dai.
In elven heraldry, diamonds are the royal jewel of
House Illistim. As well as bestowing the heraldic honor
upon their own people, monarchs of Ta'Illistim will
often bestow diamond jewelry upon those who particularly
please them, a sign of royal favor that may be extended
under rare circumstance outside the race of elves. One
case of such an occurrence came upon Eoantos 13 of 5103
in the city of Ta'Illistim. After announcing that the
Aelotoi would have the right to hold full citizenship
in the elven cities, Queen Myasara presented Braedn,
ambassador of the Aelotoi people, with a maernstrike
diamond pendant crafted in the sign of a peacock to
represent her esteem for him.
Beneath the ground, diamonds are not particularly uncommon,
but dwarves have a great love for diamonds. They feel
that the gem is an excellent expression of the dwarven
spirit -- unimpressive at first, but sparkling with
a fire like no other once cut -- and diamonds are the
traditional dwarven courting gift. Some dwarves give
rings when expressing their passion this way, but larger
pieces of jewelry are more common, such as bracelets,
circlets, beard ornaments, and necklaces. While diamonds
are mined in many parts of Elanith, the marvelous diamond
mines at Kherram Olt Dzu are really without parallel.
The fame of the Oltregek Clan as gem-miners began with
their discovery of diamonds at Kherram Olt Dzu, and
it has only increased ever since.
Once a miner parts with a diamond, and once it has been
cut and polished, another culture's interest in diamonds
becomes particularly apparent. While gnomes traditionally
delight in all "sparklies," they are especially
drawn to diamonds, an interest that crosses almost all
cultural boundaries within the race. Nylem rogues ensure
that no jeweler's strongbox remains safe when it contains
a selection of diamonds, resulting in many gem sellers
who desperately offload diamonds before the gnomes discover
that a new shipment has arrived. The Withycombes take
great pride in gem cutting, and, as they value the sparkle
of a gem above all its other qualities, they prefer
diamonds above all other gems. Among the Vylem bloodline,
the adolescent gnome queens take great pride in bedecking
themselves with the gems in imitation of their chosen
patron.
The most disconcerting use of diamonds in gnomish culture
(to outsiders, at least) is doubtlessly the coming-of-age
ritual of the Felcour bloodline, in which the young
gnome is given a knife and challenged with defending
himself against a hardened warrior. Under rare circumstance,
the diamond does not come into play, but the young gnome
is not expected to prevail. Typically, the warrior beats
the adolescent brutally into unconsciousness, and then
someone implants a jagged shard of diamond beneath the
young gnome's skin and stitches the wound closed. When
the shard works its way out again, the gnome brings
it back to the warrior and is deemed an adult from that
day henceforth. Some groups of Felcour use the same
diamond over and over again to induct their adolescents,
while others permit the youth to retain the diamond
shard afterward. One particularly savage group is distinguished
by requiring the young gnome to hold the shard of diamond
while a trained battlechanter shatters it with his voice.
This leaves a particularly distinctive scar on the hand
that these Felcour call "the second bloodmark."
Star-of-Tamzyrr diamonds were named when Selantha Anodheles,
first Empress of the Turamzzyrian Empire, scorned all
other gems to wear these jewels in her crown during
her coronation. By wearing diamonds on her brow, in
the eyes of her people, Selantha called on the power
of the diamonds to enhance her keenness of thought.
Selantha herself was not noted for superstition, being
a practical, deadly sort of woman, but it enhanced her
reputation for intelligence. The crown itself was a
foot-high marvel of white gold worked into twisted,
diamond-inlaid flame shapes. For safety, the crown is
worn only at the highest court occasions.According to
the traditions of human healers and mages, diamonds
strengthen particular bodily functions depending upon
where they are worn. It is said that wearing a diamond
above the pulse in your wrist will increase your physical
strength, wearing diamonds at your earlobes will increase
your perceptiveness, wearing a diamond pendant over
your heart will inspire you creatively, wearing a diamond
on your ankle will make you surefooted, and wearing
a diamond ring will inspire passion within you -- which
is why human tradition requires that diamonds be given
when courting or wedding. The ring is the most common
marital diamond gift because, when compared to other
pieces of jewelry, rings are extraordinarily difficult
to steal, and they are attractive at even a small size
-- an important consideration when finances are a concern.
Giantmen traditionally believe that a spirit inhabits
every diamond. Dark-hued diamonds are believed to be
inhabited by female spirits, while pale diamonds are
inhabited by male spirits. It is considered unwise to
wear diamonds unless you are a cleric or otherwise trained
in spiritual magic, and it is seen as particularly dangerous
for people of a fertile age to wear diamonds opposite
their own gender, as the diamond's spirit will battle
with the potential parent's spirit and cause deformity
in his or her children.
Samarak the Grim, first chieftain of the Grot'karesh
Hammer Clan, would often describe women who had earned
his respect as being "as wily as a black diamond's
fire!" Upon at least five recorded occasions, he
presented women in his newly formed clan with a distinctive
ornament that he called "a black spirit amulet,"
using it each time as a way to reward someone who had
aided the newly forming clan with a significant feat
of spiritual magic. Each one was made from a magnificent,
tear-shaped black diamond set in a disk of silver, and
leather bands spanned the disk in such a way that it
could be bound about the head, woven into the hair,
or worn as a choker with equal ease. No one ever knew
where Samarak obtained these diamonds. The Jastevian
priestess Anshosar, who lives in Kilanirij and advises
the current chieftain of the Grot'karesh, currently
wears one of the black spirit amulets. The whereabouts
of the other four (or more, if more than five were distributed)
are unknown.
Diopside
Value:
Very common.
Appearance:
Diopside is a green stone that varies in hue from
a dark forest color to a shade that is nearly black.
Almost all sufficiently thin pieces of diopside will
display a faint four-rayed star if held to the light.
The larger a piece of diopside is, the less the star
shows, resulting in a stone that may actually lose value
with size.
Location:
Diopside outcroppings exist all over Elanthia. It
is not quite as common a stone as its price reflects,
but it is not a popular jewelry stone among any race,
due in large part to its fragility. As well, diopside
is particularly prevalent near the Demonwall, which
has given it a distasteful reputation among human cultures.
Lore:
Sometimes called "poor man's emerald",
diopside is the cheapest gem with a true green color.
The dwarven name for diopside translates roughly to
"earthweed."
An old joke claims that no one bothers to mine diopside
-- the dwarves just kick it on their way past, and the
gnomes scurry after them to pick up the pieces.
Upon rare occasion, someone will discover a piece of
diopside that displays a six-rayed star rather than
a four-rayed star. Examination suggests that these diopsides
are crafted by exposure to sorcery, but, while it is
rumored that the Erithi know a technique for producing
diopsides like these, none of the races native to the
continent of Elanith know how to replicate the process.
Followers of Marlu treasure such diopsides and say that
they are created by the presence of the Demon Lord.
Diopsides can enhance spells related to demonology,
but only to a very slight degree -- diopside, being
a cheap, common gem, is simply not pure enough in its
composition to have any serious effect upon spellcasting.
Dreamstone
Value:
Infrequently found.
Appearance:
Dreamstone is an opaque stone with a satiny sheen.
Tiny, swirling trails of brilliant color cover its surface,
interrupted routinely by patches of shimmering white.
There are white, pink, red, green, and black varieties.
Location:
The legendary dwarven city of Kalaza held a remarkable
dreamstone mine, but it was buried and sealed after
the coming of the Red Rot, and the dreamstones lie somewhere
in the darkness with the dead of Kalaza. Today, the
best dreamstone mine is on Teras Isle, but other islands
on both sides of Elanith have since proven to hold deposits
of dreamstone as well.
Lore:
An old dwarven legend recounts that, although Lorminstra
had agreed to return certain souls into life, her clerics
were unable to find the dead bodies and aid them fast
enough to enact her will, and that Lorminstra turned
to Eonak for aid. Eonak crafted a huge bell of mithril
with a clapper of black dreamstone, and Lorminstra cast
her will into it. Whenever an adventurer dies, the mithril
bell will ring, and those who are properly sensitive
may learn of the death by sensing its toll. Clerics
and savants are most noted for this ability, but it
has been noted and recorded in people from every walk
of life, most of whom have chosen an adventuring life
themselves.
Dreamstones are remarkably suited to enhancing latent
telepathy and telepathic spellcasting, although they
convey a direct verbal component much more strongly
than other kinds of telepathy.
The communication-enhancing properties of dreamstone
were first discovered by the dwarves, but they were
first fully utilized by the elves when the dwarves came
to assist in the Undead War after the destruction of
Vaalor's forces at the Battle of ShadowGuard. Dreamstone
meant that battles could be coordinated by elves wearing
dreamstone amulets rather than through drums and banners,
and the incredible enhancement in communication was
directly responsible for halting the advance of Despana's
forces.
After the destruction of Maelshyve, Illistim mages
discovered a way to imprint the peculiar properties
of dreamstone upon a small globe of rock crystal, creating
the first common crystal amulet. For over ten thousand
years, only the elves controlled the secret of crafting
a communication amulet that was not composed of pure
dreamstone, and they guarded the secret closely. When
attempting a quite different experiment, however, a
dwarven mage of the Gulroten Clan stumbled across a
viable method for imprinting the dreamstone essence
not only upon crystal, but upon a variety of other gems
as well, and he spread the word until the dominance
of the elves in this realm was no more.
Among the elves, a gift of a dreamstone means, "I
wish I understood you better." If a husband gives
a dreamstone to his wife, or a wife to her husband,
then it is both an admission of marital trouble and
an expression of the desire to overcome that trouble.
The one exception is a black dreamstone, which is an
expression of despair and of a separation that will
only cease in death.
Emerald
Value:
Extremely to extraordinarily rare.
Appearance:
The rich, intense hue of a high-quality emerald
has captivated interest through the ages. Tiny inclusions
and fissures often mar emeralds, preventing them from
growing to any large size, but dwarven miners delight
in finding the rare specimen that escapes the hazards
of its creation. Some fine specimens display a beautiful
six-rayed star.
While most emeralds show a faint blue or yellow tinge,
rather than displaying a pure green, there is a variant
of emerald called the dragonfire emerald. As light falls
through a properly-cut dragonfire emerald, some of its
facets display an intense reddish-gold color, while
the others are the same deep, piney shade that one would
expect of a proper emerald. Dragonfire emeralds are
particularly beautiful when displayed in golden imflass
settings, and they are particularly prized by the Ardenai.
Since emeralds can be particularly fragile, there is
actually a specific jewelers' cut called the "emerald
cut", which reduces mechanical strain with its
beveled edges while allowing the intense hue to be properly
seen through the rectangular or square upper surface.
Location:
N/A
Lore:
Emeralds are often used in stone-tending as charms
against poisons, particularly snakebite. They can also
be used to avert panic and seizures. In Aldora, emeralds
are avoided as jewelry stones for precisely this reason
-- in a place where stone-tenders are so common, routinely
wearing an emerald suggests that the gem was prescribed
to help combat an ailing will.
When used as a tool in divination, emeralds are used
to predict the best or worst outcome of a possible situation
or decision. This should not be mistaken for emeralds
having any power in divination, for diviners often utilize
many things as tools that possess no innate magical
link to divination. Magically, emeralds possess power
over the element of earth, raising mountains or stilling
quakes when correctly bespelled.
In the county of Torre, devotees of Aeia hold that
the emerald is her sacred stone -- a gem as beautiful
as the gardens she creates. Outside Torre, others associate
the emerald with Imaera, many saying that the jewel
was created by Eonak to remind the dwarves of the beauty
of his wife's kingdom. However, Luukosian followers
also prize emeralds, particularly those with a strong
golden-yellow tint to their green color. To complicate
matters of symbolism further, lore holds that Koar's
eyes are an intense green hue, and a legendarily rare
type of emerald -- the Eye-of-Koar emerald -- bears
his name.
Emerald was the heraldic jewel of Ta'Ashrim. As well
as granting the right for an emerald to be displayed
in a traditional elven crest, Ashrim monarchs often
gave beautiful pieces of jewelry wrought from pearls
and emeralds to those elves who pleased them particularly
well.
Legend holds that some amount of Lorminstra's power
was placed into the Griffin Sword. A similar legend
holds that Luukos also placed some of his power into
a physical object -- a perfect, golden-green emerald
as large as a giantman's fist, which, instead of a star,
was marked with a line of light like the line on a cat's-eye
moonstone -- a serpent's-eye emerald. The stone was
mentioned briefly in the memoirs of a guard to Southern
Sentinel Marcus Calquinor -- the guard claimed that
he saw a vision of a snake-eyed priest bearing the emerald
in the hour of Marcus's assassination. The precise whereabouts
of the stone, if it truly does exist, are unknown.
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