Kin of Raaldin

The kin of Raaldin are rubies that have been blessed by Raaldin, an enormous ruby who is also a god. Smaller rubies that spend enough time near the god will sometimes begin to form a sort of spiritual connection with it, which will grant the lesser gemstone some of Raaldin's power. The ruby becomes slightly sentient, able to communicate empathically with its carrier by telepathically sending its emotions, and also gains some protective magic which can defend the carrier especially from simple magic attack spells. Whether the stone gains its own spirit through this process or takes a small part of Raaldin's is not clear.

Kin of Raaldin are of great value to dwarves, for whom Raaldin is their patron deity. Most dwarves who are in possession of one of these rubies consider them valuable allies and even friends. Most of the time, they are worn on necklaces, and are passed down as family heirlooms. Many dwarves leave valuable rubies in Raaldin's presence, sometimes for years, hoping they might grow into kin of Raaldin, and there are caretakers who watch these rubies and keep records of which ones are the property of which dwarves.

While the dwarves who do this often leave the most beautiful rubies in their possession, this does not seem to increase the likelihood of one becoming a kin of Raaldin. In fact, the first kin developed before the dwarves had found Raaldin, from the unmined rubies in the surrounding stone. Once they were mined and cut, it was found that some had rather glaring impurities.

Destroying a kin of Raaldin is a serious tabboo to most dwarves, especially to Raaldin's worshipers, who view the stones as a source of connection with their god. Those who possess a kin of Raaldin often use it in their prayers, and some will pray to the kin itself as well as to Raaldin. Similarly taboo is the act of embedding a kin of Raaldin in a weapon. As protective items embodying Raaldin's ideals of friendship, placing one in an instrument of violence is seen as an insult.

Significance

Cultural

Item type

Jewelry / Valuable

Rarity

Rare

Art attribution: Anhult.com World Trinkets created by Gege Escriva and George Sanders.