Oratic Crystal

Properties

Material Characteristics

Oratic Crystal grows in large hexagonal columns and resembles a clear type of beryl. Unlike clear beryl, Oratic Crystal has a unique iridescent sheen to its surface. When tumbled, it is smooth and mostly clear, with a slight milkiness. Someone who didn't know better could easily mistake tumbled Oratic Crystal for opalite, otherwise known as opalised glass.

To O-Positives (not the blood type, but people who test positive for O-Radiation in their blood) Oratic Crystal may look predominantly one color: the pigment equivalent of their O-Signature. So to someone whose O-Signature is somewhere in the blue domain or K-Group, a chunk of Oratic Crystal will look predominantly blue instead of having a multi-color sheen.

Physical & Chemical Properties

To someone with enhanced senses (Oratic Sensitivity, Oratic Mutations, Silver Compound, etc.) Oratic Crystal can sound or feel like it is buzzing or vibrating. This is actually caused by the O-Radiation emanating off of it. O-Radiation is a fascinating type of radiation, and, in fact, it has been debated whether or not it even is a type of radiation at all. It causes the crystal to feel warm and induces numbness in the flesh of whatever is holding it.

People who've had limited exposure to Oratic material, not just crystal, have reported experiencing migraines, lightheadedness, and mild hallucinations that last for a few hours after the exposure. Prolonged exposure to Oratic Crystal can cause Oratic Poisoning, which resembles a severe version of the flu that may, in some cases, result in death in organic lifeforms.

Geology & Geography

Oratic Crystal is found deep underground worldwide, though most significantly in the New England are of the USA. It is most commonly found in earth that rich with life, often in underground sources of water.

Life & Expiration

So long as it has a living host, the lifespan of Oratic Crystal will only increase because it hitchhikes onto living cells to reproduce itself, which is why it grows around life. It is this trait that's earned it its nicknames, the "Crystal Parasite" or "Crystal Cancer". When on it's own, it will continue producing O-Radiation for up to 150 years or longer depending on its environment.

History & Usage

History

"Oratic" is a corruption of O-Radioactive. Oratic Crystal is most prominently used by the People of Ore, who call it Ora instead of Oratic Crystal. It is used in jewelry and for ceremonial decoration, but, most importantly, its effects on the human body defines Ore culture. A young Person of Ore isn't considered 'of age' until they're made O-Positive via crystal exposure. Ore royalty would embark on a special trial to come of age, which involved diving into an underground pool of Oratic water. It was, initially, not used for its radiation because the People of Ore didn't have much to power, but it would eventually by sought after for this property. In the modern age, it is outlawed, mostly owned by illegal dealers who use it in contaminated youths and capturing them to sell as slaves or fighters.

Discovery

While commonly used by the People of Ore, Oratic Crystal wasn't discovered by the surface dwellers until the 1960s when a young geologist named Katherine Duan uncovered a small deposit beside the bank of a river in the wilderness of Vermont. Fascinated, she brought home a sample to research and soon became O-Positive. After this, Katherine would call herself Marvelous and work in both entertainment and law enforcement a "marvel to mankind". However, after her death and the creation of the anti-O organization, Achroma, the small deposit would be excavated and removed and the People of Ore civilization would be discovered, the people exterminated, the settlement looted of all Oratic material, and the entire underground chamber collapsed and sealed. This wouldn't account for the temple, which possesses its own large deposit of Oratic Crystal, located past a series of interconnected maze-like tunnels filled with traps and dead ends.

Everyday use

Outside the People of Ore, Oratic crystal can be used as a power source if a converter is available. At this point, it is too feared to ever actually be used as a source of energy. The crystal itself isn't used that much aside for its energy, but is has unknowingly been used and sold in jewelry and decorations, leading to many unexpected and accidental infections.

Cultural Significance and Usage

To the People of Ore, Oratic Crystal is everything. It's what they're language, LAO, is based on, it inspires the way they design their clothes and buildings, and it can even determine the social class of citizens.

Traditionally, it meant to be used in ceremonies held by the People of Ore. Royal People of Ore cannot take the thrown unless they undergo a specific trial that involves traveling to Sutol Derei and diving directly into water containing Oratic material, where they have to swim to the bottom and collect a fragment of crystal. Regular People of Ore are treated to something much simpler: they only have drink water with pulverized Oratic Crystal mixed into it, made from a crystal they picked themselves from the mines. The pattern in the crystal is what determines their third names and is what their languageis based on.

Byproducts & Sideproducts

When Oratic Crystal dies and no longer produces O-Radiation, it leaves behind and empty crystal husk. This dead crystal is practically useless and takes up space. It is eventually used as the main ingredient in Achroma's Silver X Compound.

Hazards

Exposure to Oratic Crystal can lead to O-Positivity and Oratic Poisoning.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Oratic material can be sold and purchased on the black market.

Storage

It is typically stored in lead containers in vaults.

Law & Regulation

Possession of Oratic material is illegal and punishable with up to ten years in prison due to the danger surrounding it and the fact that most owners of Oratic material use it as a way of infected people, kidnapping them, and selling them to be used as slaves or for fighting in a betting ring.

Or

Type

Ore/Mineral

Value

Oratic material can sell for thousands of dollars on the black market.

Rarity

It is uncommon in circulation, but abundant in nature.

Odor

It smells like most other rocks with an acrid hint of someone else.

Taste

It should not be consumed, but if someone was to taste Oratic Crystal, it would have a slight stale vinegar-like flavor.

Color

Mostly colorless, but with an iridescent sheen.

Common State

Solid

Related Locations

• Sutol Derei
• Sutol
• Sutol Prai