Marine Sapphire

"Forget it. Not for twenty marine sapphires."
-a Barkosian mercenary when approached to assassinate a Kalriv Sun Legate in their own fortress

Marine sapphires are among the most precious gemstones that can be found on the face of Annyrion itself. They are the gemstone from which the Sapphire Sea (and by extension the Sapphire Coast) takes its name, and are a very difficult to obtain but priceless gemstone, prized and sought after by the most intrepid wayfarers and wealthiest nobles in the world.
Marine sapphires are found in the 'mouth' of the sapphire clam, a large bivalve mollusc that dwells on the ocean floor of the Sapphire Sea, and are retrieved by specially-trained divers who free-dive to the bottom of the ocean; a profession recently aided by the introduction of the Avadian bronze bell into the Sapphire Sea. The average marine sapphire is perfectly spherical, about the size of a large marble, and is a brilliant blue colour. From deep within the stone is a faint blue-white luminescence, which greatly increases when it is held and squeezed in a person's hand.

Properties

Geology & Geography

Marine sapphires are to be found exclusively in the Sapphire Sea; more specifically along the coastlines of eastern Arikanda and far southwestern Sembar.

History & Usage

Everyday use

Marine sapphires are sought out by the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world, their luminescence and beauty providing value in and of itself. They are often used as adornments, such as being set in a circlet, necklace or bangle. For some of the wealthiest people, they are used as display pieces in their homes, or even as a source of illumination to serve as a fashion statement.
Marine sapphires are also studied by natural philosophers at the Academy of Arikanda and by priests of the Essene Templar, who believe the sapphires may contain metaphysical or religious significance.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Marine sapphires are sold from divers and adventurers who are able to brave the depths of the Sapphire Sea to acquire the gemstone. They are usually sold to Avadian merchant sailors or to particularly influential trader caravans, who will buy a single marine sapphire for enough Avadian hex to keep a diver fed for the rest of their lives. While that amount is enormous, it pales in comparison to the amount a trader will make selling it to a powerful noble, Archon or king, making a trader fabulously wealthy.

Type

Stone

Value

Priceless

Rarity

Unknown

Common State

Solid

Related Locations

• Sapphire Sea