Soulstone
Soulstones are the product of a lost magical art, a stone capable of trapping the souls of the dead in a physical embodiment. Though the secret of making more soulstone has long since been forgotten, it retains a number of uses that ensure that the material remains extremely valuable to the right buyers. Soulstone is sought after by certain highly skilled runesmiths for its uses in their own trade, though oftentimes the nature of Soulstone means that such trade is highly discouraged, and often illegal. This illicitude however means that trade in the material is made only more valuable, as a certain measure of discretion is valued when dealing in the material.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Soulstone is usually found as a rough cut stone, generally surrounded by other precious ores, platinum being particularly common. The stone itself is generally white, but can sometimes be blue or green, and is known to glow faintly both in its natural state, and when worked and cut into a refined gemstone. Perhaps most uniquely, Soulstone is known to smell slightly of cinnamon, particularly when worked. Even when in its rough 'natural' state, Soulstone feels relatively smooth to the touch, and emanates some amount of heat into its environment.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Soulstone to the uneducated is simply an oddity, a strangely odorous stone that glows lightly at all times. To those with some knowledge of gemworking, jewelling, and smithing, Soulstone is also noteworthy in that it is rather resistant to attempts to cut the stone, and is quite difficult to work with, meaning that use of Soulstone in common crafts is usually limited to those with access to high quality tools. To those that are familiar with the art of Runesmithing, Soulstone has one unique, and highly special property, Soulstone is used to capture souls, usually of the dead.
Geology & Geography
Soulstone is found entirely in Galisea, with no currently known deposits of Soulstone in either Leandris or Felora. It is primarily found in large caverns that have some signs of having been worked in the past, and almost always is found near other stores of precious metals. Geographic distribution within the continent of Galisea is hard to pin down, but it would appear that the greatest concentrations of the material are in south central Galisea, including the eastern Indric Moutains, and the Hazzal Mountains though places as far afield as the Guixiang Mountains and the Odric Mountains have supported veins of Soulstone.
Origin & Source
Given the archaeological evidence of the sites where Soulstone has been found, in particular always having been found in large caverns with signs of mining, usually being found around other precious metals, and other similar circumstances, most modern scholars with knowledge of the subject agree that Soulstone is an artificial ore. The knowledge of how to produce this material however, has long since been lost to anybody except possibly the Giants, who have not shared this process if indeed they know it at all.
History & Usage
Cultural Significance and Usage
Soulstone is used in certain powerful spells, usually necromantic in nature, that pertain to souls. In particular, Soulstone is valued highly in resurrective spells as Soulstone is much more resilient than diamond to the power of those spells, and can, sometimes resist destruction when used to cast the highest order resurrective spells, though the less careful mainuplation of magic in lower order spells does mean that lower order spells still destroy the Soulstone. It can also be used in higher power necromantic spells, and other soul mainipulating spells to great effect.
Manufacturing & Products
For advanced runesmiths, Soulstone has a single invaluable purpose, to capture the souls of the deceased and bind them to various magic items. This is of particular use for sentient items, such as Holy Avengers or Helms of Concentration, where a sentient being's soul must be used to grant the object intelligence. It is also used for soul trapping items, such as Soulcatchers, or almost any Lich's Phylactery. These uses has resulted in the material being seen as somewhat dangerous, and restrictions on its use are in place in most civilized parts of the world.
Soulstone by Javak
Type
Stone
Value
Generally 100 gold coin per gram
Rarity
Very Rare
Odor
Faint smell of cinnamon
Color
Usually white, sometimes blue or green
Common State
Rough Gemstone
Related Locations
Related Items
Related Professions
Uses of Soulstone
Spells
Magic Items
- Greater Holy Avenger
- Helm of Concentration
- Soulcatcher
