Ora Crystals

Songs of woe and songs of wonder, legends, myths, laws, and rituals have been spun into existence, inspired by the majesty of Ora crystals. This rarity among treasures is the most sought after and idolized mineral in Karavas. Not only does its beauty perplex the mind, but its application is the tangible form of salvation, protection, warding, and power. These gemstones of deepest scarlet shine with an innate brilliance from within its glittering facets and despite their precious value, are rarely used in trade and currency except in illicit affairs. 
Ora crystals are instead a tool, a shield against the darkness of Vesper, used to draw the dark tendrils of Vesper into the crystals' prismatic well. Wielded by the famed Order of Oraks, the crystals are embedded into Aegis Relics: the blades, shields, and armor of Karavas' greatest paragons of valor, courage, and service in defense of the defenseless. 
These chosen elite warriors venture into regions where Vesper has been sighted to siphon the shadows and slay the beasts that release the toxic matter. But while Vesper sightings seem to only increase, the number of Ora crystals in circulation among the order wane with each passing year either becoming lost in clouds of Vesper or by shattering when overloaded with the noxious fumes. 
Veins of Ora crystal have dried up with the last mine having been found over a decade ago in the jungles of Azkosh. As the resource dwindles, fear rises and the future has become ever more uncertain as the sparce Order of Oraks is stretched thin across the known lands. This fear has turned into a foreboding dread and heightened tensions between nations who covet their neighbors' Aegis Relics. 
Ora crystals are the only known substance outside of Fiends themeselves that have any connection to Vesper, but the reason why is not itself known.

Manufacturing

Sages have attempted to manufacture Ora crystals from other crystalline structures and gemstones, but there has been no progress in this effort and has largely been abandoned.

Social Impact

The world-wide adulation of Ora crystals has seeped into religion, politics, economics, as well as fashion. The crystals are widely considered to be magical in nature and connected to the spirit. It is extremely common to find Neonatans adorning their bodies with imitations of the Ora crystals, primarily upon their brow representative of the mind's eye and sight into the invisible world of spirits.

Access & Availability

Ora crystals are the property of the domain in which they have been found and are pooled by those monarchies and distributed to the Order of Oraks to be used in service of their nation to defend against the plague that is Vesper and its brood of Fiends.

Discovery

Ora crystals were first discovered on the island of Skagerak by the first Lord of the Citadel who had been stranded on the rocky island and left to his fate in the hunting grounds of ancient Fiends with nothing but a simple spear. But when he returned with the head of a fiend and clutching a brillient gemstone that glowed from within, he was declared to be divinely crowned as king, choosing for his seat the very island to which he was banished.