Ether Core

Ether cores are small spheres that hold an etherbeing together. When an etherbeing dies, it's body disintigrates and becomes ambient ether, but the ether core is left behind. Cores are exceptionally rare because mortals can't poach etherbeings for them, as well as being highly valuable as objects of research. There is very little market for them among civilians, as many believe that being near an ether core can cause etherification. However they can be sold for a very high price to collectors or researchers.

Uses

Ether cores are very efficient at absorbing and redistributing ambient ether. They have been used by the Seekers of the White Sign in their experiments into etherification. Subjects that etherify while in posession of an ether core are far more likely to survive the process and maintain their consciousness than those without one due to the core acting as a stabilizer. Experiment subjects without a core did not survive the transformation.
Keepers collect the ether cores of etherbeings they kill. Ether cores can be consumed by a keeper or their reaping weapons to expand their power. Occasionally, keepers may use ether cores as a form of currency among other keepers; this practice is completely nonexistent among mortals.

Manufacturing process

Formation of Ether Cores

Etherbeings often come into existence in areas with high levels of ambient ether when the ambient ether comes together to form a creature. It's unknown how or why ether is attracted to a specific point in order to create an etherbeing. An ether core is created during this process when the ether compounds, putting pressure onto itself causing a small portion of the ether to solidify into the etherbeing's core.
This core becomes the anchor to which the rest of an etherbeing's ether is tethered. The formation of an ether core stabilizes the etherbeing. Etherbeings which did not attract enough ether during it's initial development do not form cores, and without the core they are highly unstable. Etherbeings that don't develop ether cores tend to fizzle out of existence after a short period of time.

Etherbeing Death

Etherbeings that have formed ether cores do not die the same way mortals do. When an etherbeing is killed, the ether that makes up it's body is released back into the etherstream, returning to ambient ether. The ether core is unable to be dispersed in this same way, and is thus left behind.
Ether cores are very rare for this reason.

Item type

Magical

Rarity

Extremely rare

Raw materials & Components

Pure ether (solidified)