Astral Diamonds

Astral Diamonds (or "Astrals" as they are commonly referred) is a currency in the Outer Planes, originating in the Sea of Stars and "minted" in the Eight-fold City of Libra.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Each Astral is a transluscent, pale, shining, gold, perfect octahedron. The smallest Astral is 8 cubic cm (~1/2 cubic inch).

Physical & Chemical Properties

Each Astral is slightly warm to the touch and radiates a faint golden light
If you take 8 Astrals and push them together, they will fuse into a new, larger Astral twice the size with the worth of the combined diamonds. If you hit one, if it is larger than the base size, it will break into eight of the next smallest size, each an eighth of the original's worth. It's possible to destroy an astral diamond by using it to make a magic item, but that's about the only way. They cannot be made smaller than 8cm in size.
Astrals slowly emit residiuum at a barely perceptible rate, about 1gp worth per day for the smallest size. Some owners of astral diamonds carefully store them in vials so that the tiny amounts of residium produced each day can be collected, but in the Outer Planes the residuum is negligible at best.

Compounds

Magic Items can be created from them in place of Residuum. They count for double the gold value of residuum.

Geology & Geography

Astral Diamonds are found amidst the Sea of Stars among the floating rocks and ruins or simply by themselves.

Origin & Source

The origins of Astral Diamonds are unknown. Some believe they are the solidified pieces of some dead Power or Powers, fragments of creation left over from the beginning of the universe, or a material that simply exists and may exist in even greater quantities outside the universe.

Life & Expiration

Astral Diamonds do not tarnish or deteriorate. They are only destroyed through the use of them with magic (IE: by creating magic items with them or using them to as material components)

Color

Pale gold and silver

Common State

Solid (Crystallized).