Skystone

Overview

Skystone is a mineral necessary for the propulsion and bouyance of any skyborn stucture or vessel. Skystone is imbued with latent arcana, enchanted naturally with this capability. Skystone's gravity-defying properties are brought to bear when concentrically placed rings of the stone with their crystalline structures oriented at opposite directions are spun at a fast enough rate.

Skystone is very rare since mining operations outside of Novus are difficult to pull off. Skystone can sometimes be found in massive floating islands of rock in the skies of Vespala. These islands tend to be the best natural sources of the rock.

Whatever calamity struck Vespala in the fall and the subsequent arrival of miasma has had a profound effect on the nature of skystone. Within weeks of Novus's fall, all skystone was rendered inert. It took hundreds of years of innovation to discover how to magically revitalize skystone so that ships could fly once again. It is believed by many Deerai Collective scientists that skystone may be the key to raising the the city once more.

Skystone is profoundly susceptible to anti-magic effects, particularly that of miasma. For this reason, a skyship lost within a miasma cloud is considered as good as gone.

Cicereth Caeldion as holder of the Brass Ring of Skies is tasked principally with the duty of securing more skystone for Novus.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Skystone appears as a slightly cloudy blue white crystal. In its raw for, it is quite jagged and sharp with its crystalline structures.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Skystone is slightly warm to the touch and faintly humms with arcane energy. It appears to those capable of detecting magic as deeply embedded with Enchantment magic. In its natural state it is quite brittle. Refining processes look for ways to densify, compact, and polish the natural stones without breaking them. Larger, denser stones are capable of lifting heavier weights.

Compounds

Unrefined skystone dust is a key ingredient for alchemists in the creation of potions of flight.

Geology & Geography

Skystone today is primarily found in floating islands in the skies of Vespala. While skystone can be found on within the earth of Vespala, it is almost always in its inert variety.

Life & Expiration

A fully charged skystone can last for several years, though some records recovered from pre-fall Novus show skystone having a near infinite lifetime. it is uncertain what led to this change or if there are further advances that can be made to unlock the potential of skystone.

Color

Faint glowing blue-white

Common State

Crystalline solid