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Varies with variety. White jade is uncommon, green jade
is rare despite being the best-known variety, and other
varieties are infrequently found.
Appearance:
The most commonly known color of jade is green,
but jade also occurs naturally in yellow, white, and
brown hues. It is opaque to semi-translucent, with a
fine, rich luster.
Location:
Many fine jade deposits exist throughout Elanith,
but the finest are found in the frozen north, particularly
the region of Icemule Trace, the territory of the Mhoragian
halflings, and the wastelands favored by the Wsalamir
giantmen. There are also several noteworthy deposits
upon the Erithian continent, where white jade is by
far the most common of the varieties.
Lore:
Jade serves as an excellent conduit for invoking
the blessings of various spirits, particularly when
worn as an amulet. However, if jade is overexposed to
elemental magics, it may become discolored, as its natural
affinity for spiritual magic conflicts with the elemental
magic and the two combine to produce a sorcerous taint.
(In moderation, jade assists in sorcerous magics as
well, but an excess of elemental magic can destroy the
stone.) Noting this odd property, the Erithi have developed
a sophisticated technique for dying jade through careful
exposure to elemental magic. Cracking open a piece of
dyed Erithian jade reveals that the hue extends only
the thickness of a fingernail into the stone, leaving
the natural white jade beneath. Some jewelers are experimenting
with cameos and bas-relief carvings that take advantage
of the contrast between the dark, dyed portions and
the pale hue within.
Elven tradition holds that amulets, medallions, and
other jade ornaments are said to encourage calm and
deep thought in their wearer even if they have not been
enchanted. Talismans made of jade spheres enclosed in
lattice-worked wood lockets are common gifts from parents
to children in Ta'Ardenai.
When a courtship shifts from playful flirtation to
a serious romance, a Paradis man will often signal the
shift in his intentions by presenting the object of
his affection with a talisman of snow white jade. The
talisman is carved with an image that is either supposed
to represent the woman or some aspect of the relationship
between the pair. Iceblossoms, wolves, and pine trees
are particularly popular images for these talismans.
The Wsalamir also place significance upon jade. When
a Wsalamir woman weds, her husband will tie a leather
thong about her left wrist to make a crude bracelet.
If she bears a child, then, upon the child's naming
day, she will untie the leather thong and add a green
jade bead to it to represent the baby. The bead is engraved
with the Saramar rune that is the first in the child's
name. When the child reaches maturity, the mother will
exchange the green jade bead for one of brown jade.
If the child dies, she will wear a white jade bead instead
of brown or green to represent the lost child's spirit.
In human lands, green jade is often associated with
legends of the Arkati Ivas. Priests of Koar often tell
stories of the horrors of Ivas's bedchamber in order
to warn young men and women against the dangers of physical
intimacy before marriage, or, after marriage, to warn
them against infidelity. According to these stories,
Ivas routinely walks among mortals to tempt them into
licentious behavior, and she transforms the most favored
of her conquests into statues of solid green jade. Completely
aware, but completely unable to act, these undying statues
witness every cruelty inflicted by the flesh-eating
Arkati upon her less-favored conquests. As a result,
many clerics of Ivas delight in jade, but it has sporadic
popularity among other humans due to these legends.
Jasper
Value:
Common.
Appearance:
Jasper is an opaque stone that may be black, red,
or yellow. It can be rather pretty when polished, but
it is quite unimpressive in its rough state.
Location:
Jasper can be mined worldwide.
Lore:
Jasper is quite well-suited for channeling and redirecting
elemental energy, as many wizards have discovered while
experimenting with a certain commonly-used spell that
creates temporary storage containers. Of its three common
hues, yellow jasper is the most useful in elemental
magics, red jasper is the second most useful, and black
is the least useful, with the last of the three sometimes
producing unreliable results. Alchemical recipes for
the summoning and binding of various elementals will
frequently include yellow jasper dust as a necessary
component.
Jasper is also associated with thieves, and, while
it is difficult to learn the complete truth of any matter
involving the Rogues' Guild, there is one commonly-known
explanation. The Grot'karesh giantmen do not shun sorcery,
considering it one more weapon against Despana's return,
and many skillful hexers can be found in the fortress
city of Kilanirij. Because jasper is a cheap, ready
available gem in the Southron Wastes of their home,
many Grot'karesh travelers took to carrying a cursed
piece of jasper in their pouches to fend off pickpockets.
As many clerics of Tonis have close relationships with
members of the Rogues' Guild, the clerics rapidly noticed
this trend. One of these clerics communed to Tonis and
asked for his aid, telling the Arkati, "Your hands
are so fast that you can touch it and never draw forth
the curse, but ours are only mortal!" The Arkati
responded by changing a pile of the cursed jaspers so
that they all were blessed with the ability to remove
a curse, and the cleric spread the jaspers throughout
the Rogues' Guild. Each piece of jasper had been marked
with the sign of a pegasus, and the pegasus-carved jasper
rapidly became a recognition sign for traveling thieves.
Many clerics of Tonis also wear jasper in honor of this
story.
The legend of the blessed jaspers has also worked its
way into rogues' slang. Among rogues, someone who is
a "yellow jasper" is a rogue who uses his
skills for the benefit of the city and his fellow citizens,
normally through picking locks and disarming traps rather
than through pickpocketing, and he will not steal from
someone unless provoked. A "red jasper" is
a rogue who steals, but who will not steal from empaths,
clerics of Lorminstra, other rogues, or those who aid
him. A "black jasper" makes his living from
pickpocketing, and such a rogue considers few targets
off-limits, if any. Related slang includes "She
has a jasper wedding ring" (meaning that someone
is married to a rogue), "Not a jasper in his jewelry
box" (meaning that the person is too snobbish to
associate with rogues), and "Give him a piece of
jasper" (which is one thief suggesting to another
thief that someone would make a good pickpocketing target.)
Jet
Value:
Uncommon.
Appearance:
Jet is a glossy, transparent black stone that is
difficult to distinguish from glass.
Location:
Jet can be found along the eastern side of the DragonSpine,
in various small deposits throughout the southern part
of the Turamzzyrian Empire, and in limited areas in
the Sea of Fire.
Lore:
Some of the human desert tribes that inhabit the
Sea of Fire consider jet a material that is sacred to
the most evil of spirits, and members of these tribes
will not speak with those who wear jet for fear that
they are possessed by such spirits. Knowledgeable Hendoran
traders whisper that this has something to do with the
doom that befell the accursed Tehir city of Bir Mahallah.
The Tehir themselves will not discuss the story with
outsiders, and some react quite violently if it is mentioned.
Outside the Sea of Fire, traditional human lore holds
that jet will aid people in hiding, sneaking about,
and blending into the night. As a result, jet talismans
are often favored by thieves, snipers, and others who
require the cover of the shadows. Because of the gem's
glossy shine, however, these talismans are usually worn
inside clothing or otherwise concealed, because they
will otherwise draw attention to the person who is trying
to hide!
Current elven lore also relates jet to the art of concealment.
In Ta'Nalfein, if a person wears a jet earcuff or a
pair of jet earrings, it is a signal that someone practices
undercover arts and is currently available for hire.
Such pieces of jewelry are often enchanted with potent
charms to assist in stealth, hiding, and eavesdropping.
In any of the elven cities, particularly Ta'Nalfein,
a gift of jet jewelry should be taken as a direct threat;
symbolically, it means, "I know what you are trying
to hide from me."
In contrast to their city cousins among the elves,
the sylvans mistrust jet, and this is due in large part
to its resemblance to amber. They consider amber to
be a sacred stone, and they believe that jet is a cursed
form of amber. More than one sylvan tale exists in which
some poor innocent's soul is sucked away by wearing
a piece of jet against the skin.
The sylvan belief most likely dates from the year -15,188,
and some of the other beliefs may stem from that time
as well. In that fateful year, Faendryl sorcerers lost
control of their summoned creations and demons decimated
the sylvan legions along with the armies of Despana.
To distinguish the demon-summoners from the other Faendryl
spellcasters, each of the Faendryl sorcerers wore a
signet ring set with a gleaming jet stone. At the time,
the logic went that jet was cheap, attractive, and could
easily be marked with the crest of House Faendryl. Afterward,
the memory of light gleaming off so many jet rings remained
with the survivors as a mark of taint.
Despite the many negative associations of jet, it is
also called “the sleeper’s friend,”
for jet is the sacred stone of Ronan. Parents of many
cultures will set a carved jet statue beside a child’s
bedside and speak a prayer over the statue to keep nightmares
away. These statues are traditionally unicorns or mounted
knights, but any shape that the child finds comforting
and reassuring is beneficial. Wearing a bracelet or
anklet of jet can also aid with insomnia, perhaps due
to the gem’s faint magical affinity for warding
the mind against intrusion.To distinguish true jet from
glass, jewelers place a sample of the jet in a candle
flame. True jet produces white smoke and turns white
about the edges, while glass bursts from the heat. If
it is true jet, the residue upon its surface can be
cleaned away with a damp cloth after it cools, and the
gem will be undamaged by the test.
Labradorite
Value:
Common.
Appearance:
From most angles, labradorite appears to be a dark-hued,
dull mineral. When light strikes it correctly, however,
it will blaze with a specific kind of iridescence called
"labradorescence."
Location:
Labradorite can be found in the northern steppes,
among the peaks of Kragsfell, near the elven city of
Ta'Illistim, and in a variety of other places throughout
Elanith.
Lore:
Humans, particularly human peasants, believe that
labradorite jewelry has many protective qualities, including
saving its wearers from risk of death by falling and
from lightning strikes. However, experimentation by
various guilds suggests that its only true magical property
lies with a slight ability to enhance spiritual spells
of blessing.
The Sisters of the Hidden Eye, famed seers in Phannus,
are known to use labradorite talismans when testing
children for divinatory gifts. The children are ordered
to look at the labradorite, concentrate on the colors,
and picture themselves being filled with the same colors.
Bardic rumor holds that, no matter what disguise he
has chosen, Tilamaire can be recognized because his
eyes will shine in candlelight with colors just like
those of labradorite. Clerics of Tilamaire and bards
who hope to earn the spirit's favor often carry pieces
of labradorite.
Labradorite is nicknamed "peacock stone"
both for its remarkable ability to display flashing
colors and because of the mines near Ta'Illistim. For
a period of time, it was quite popular for citizens
of Ta'Illistim to wear labradorite jewelry in situations
where valuable jewelry would be too much at risk --
trials of combat, for example, or treks through the
woods. However, this fashion has fallen into disfavor
over the last hundred years.
Lapis
lazuli
Value:
Infrequently found.
Appearance:
Lapis lazuli (sometimes abbreviated to lapis) is
an opaque blue stone marked with streaks and specks
of twinkling gold. As a general rule, the deeper the
hue, the more expensive the stone, so long as it is
not flawed.
Location:
N/A
Lore:
Lapis lazuli is a useful magical catalyst when attempting
to work with opposing elemental forces, such as combining
fire and ice or combining air and earth in a single
spell.
According to human tradition, wearing lapis lazuli
will bring peace of mind and spirit. The stone-tenders
in Aldora believe that lapis lazuli is also useful for
easing fever and muscle pain, and suffering patients
are often requested to wear lapis lazuli on both wrists,
both ankles, and the forehead.
When crushed and added to appropriate substances, lapis
lazuli creates the most intense blue pigment known to
artists. This art was initially discovered by the elves,
and the Loenthran elves have a story about how it was
first discovered. The foundation of the story lies in
an ancient painting that depicts the young Arkati Niima
standing atop an ocean wave. The painting in question
is unsigned, but Loenthran records state that it was
created by Shirvande Loenthra, the youngest daughter
of Callisto Loenthra and also a marvelous artist. Supposedly,
Shirvande had seen Niima as she walked along the shore
one sunlit day, and she became obsessed with the idea
of capturing the moment in painting, but she grew dismayed
and saddened because she lacked an adequate blue pigment
for the brilliance of the sun-streaked water. After
two years of work, she went to destroy her canvas, but
Jastev suddenly appeared before her and asked her to
spare the painting. When Shirvande did as Jastev asked,
Jastev showed her how to crush lapis lazuli in order
to make a blue paint unlike any other, and she finished
the painting with the beautiful blue paint.
Lapis is also associated with the Huntress. Legend
holds that the Huntress was once the bodyguard of a
great king, but that the queen, jealous of her beauty,
betrayed her and sought to have Arachne slay her. Supposedly,
the token of favor that drove the queen over the edge
was a teardrop lapis amulet, given to the Huntress by
the king's own hands as he praised the Huntress for
her beauty and her loyalty. Worshippers of the Huntress
have been known to receive amulets in this style when
they have truly pleased their goddess. Such amulets
are called "the Huntress's tears," but the
name is linked to a parable-- it is said that the Huntress
wept only once in all her mortal years, and that time
only when the king reviled her as a betrayer. The spirit's
tears are stone because her heart is so hardened by
discipline that she would never weep.
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