Arcstone

Bridging Magic and Technology

Arcstone is a rare mineral mainly extracted from Elgen Isle. Popular throughout Avalǿn as a modern substitute for Dark Amethyst, it harnesses the ability to store a small amount of magic within it, resemblant of a Glyph of Warding.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Arcstone is a hard, crystalline material, semi-translucent and ruby red in colour.

Geology & Geography

The mineral is found where the planar fabrics between the Material world and the Underdark are the thinnest (for example the Astral Vault at Elgen Isle)

Life & Expiration

Unused, natural Arcstone can keep its potency for upwards of 200 years. This lifespan decreases with the arcana each crystal is used to draw (e.g 1st level spells glyphed onto Arcstone can remain for months, whereas some 6th/7th level spells can only be imbued once before the Arcstone loses its magic. Arcstone isn't a powerful enough arcane conductor to draw from 8th or 9th level spells.)

History & Usage

Discovery

The first deposits of Arcstone were discovered on Elgen Isle in 144 AXR by a Dwarven mining company that was hired to investigate a disturbance that thrown the natural magics of the island out of balance. Trees began to lose their leaves in Vivili, Sòlmic days were colder than Nǿrdic nights and the gravitational field around the island felt slightly weaker. They eventually discovered that the source of this arcane disturbance was a blood red mineral, around the same density and hardness of Quartz that had similar magical properties to Dark Amethyst, which made sense considering its proximity to the Planar Gate. Several large deposits were harvested and soon found their way back to mainland Σu'ryxia, where they were marketed and sold as a miracle rock that could return Avaløn to its former technological glory.

Everyday use

In everyday life, Arcstone is used by mages and artificers to create sources of magic that can passively cast a single spell over and over again for a prolonged period a time. In other cases, Arcstone can be imbued with raw magics, such as graviturgy magic to help create flying machines and airships, illusory magic to maintain an arcane projection, or transmutation magic to lock an object in a particular form. The mineral is fantastic for storing lower level spells, though quickly becomes very expensive when trying to store higher level magic within them, meaning that Arcstone isn't usually used to store powerful, experimental magics.

Refinement

Raw Arcstone can be used to store magic, though it loses its potency incredibly quickly and can be quite unstable, causing occasional wild magic reactions to occur. Refined Arcstone works much more efficiently, so many artisans choose to put the mineral through the refining process. To refine it, first the Arcstone is crushed at a mill and then heated at the heart of a Dwarven Forge to obtain it in its liquid form. Then the molten Arcstone is mixed with molten Adamantine metal to suppress its chaos magics and Platinum metal to increase its lifespan. The alloy is then cooled back into a solid, where it is then cut into rough chunks to be used in the wider world. Other optional steps include precisely cutting into specifically sized cubes at a sawmill, sanding at a grindstone and then polishing the material where it is to be used in bulk, such as being used a power source.

Byproducts & Sideproducts

Rogue, elemental chaos is discharged from the Arcstone during its refinement stage, which can be used to enhance the dynamism of wild magic.

Hazards

The chaos is extremely dangerous for non-magic users, as the elemental magic has the power to mutate them into wild magic sorcerers with no control of their powers, or in more extreme cases, fully fledged elemental beings.

Environmental Impact

The extraction of Arcstone negatively impacts the natural environment of the places that it's mined and refined from, with pop-up quarries and refining stations destroying habitats, killing wildlife and reducing biodiversity.

Reusability & Recycling

After Arcstone has reached its 'point of impotence', it has no further use, becoming an inactive mineral that can't easily be disposed or recycled.

Value

98gp/lb (unrefined), 252gp/lb (refined)

Rarity

Rare

Color

Ruby

Boiling / Condensation Point

2230°C

Melting / Freezing Point

1650°C

Density

2.65g/cm³

Common State

Solid

Related Locations

• Elgen Isle

Related Items

• Dark Amethyst

"The day the dwarves learn how to industrialise magic will be the day the world ends."

— Seward Broyden, 102 BXR