Sayles Marble

All that glitters

Ilysium: The shining city. Conversely, then, what do you call the city that has been robbed of its gleam? The city of grime? Of dullness? For that is what they think of us.

— Sayles, by Sagar Pol

The white towers of Ilysium, the pure shining stone, actually comes from deep inside the mountains of Sayles. Its discovery, and the intense desire for it back in the capital of the Empire, kickstarted Sayles', and the Free Worlds, rise to power.

History

Discovery

Sayles, or Arconsium, as it was originally known, was settled in 1226 CA. The main focus of the colonists was survival, and as the dry soil was unfit for growing crops, this meant shipping resources back to Ilysium. At first, the animals on Sayles were hunted and their hides sent back, but that quickly stopped being viable. Next the forests were stripped, and finally, mines were dug. All sorts of materials were discovered in Sayle's mountains, metal ores and rare minerals, which were readily sent back in exchange for food. It was not until a rainstormed washed the dirt and dust off of some of the discarded stone that the marble was discovered. A prospector on Sayles, trying to find out the viability of the colony as a whole, grabbed a sample and rushed back to the capital.

Colonial Rush

On Ilysium, desire for this new stone spread incredibly quickly. Shipments from Sayles quickly shifted from metals and ores to hulls full of unrefined marble, which would sell for incredible prices. Realizing an opportunity, droves of people purchased passaged back to Sayles, often selling themselves into slavery in order to be able to afford it. This was highly profitable, and almost all of the people who did this were able to purchase their freedom within a few years.

When our ancestors came to this island, many of them came in chains. But all of them were given the promise that they, too, if they worked hard, could be free. The slaves of today are not afforded that right. No matter how hard they work, they will wear their chains until the day they die.

— Descendants of Liber, by Sagar Pol

Slavery and Mining

Over the next hundred years, the workforce on Sayles transitioned from self-induced slaves to colony-slaves, those who had been born on the closed, crowded slave colonies. A very large portion of these slaves were sent to Sayles, where they served two purposes: Firstly, providing even more marble and resources to Ilysium at a much cheaper price; and Secondly, pushing native colonists out of the lucrative mining jobs.

The Bust

While the success of this marble trade lasted a long while, it was not infinite. Eventually, after nearly 600 years of lucrative trade, and after a major revitilization at the start of the Sorcerous Age with the discovery of Earthbloods who could purify some stone into new marble, the mines dried up. This caused a large amount of tension and unrest, and led to the overthrow of House Noclucor. The new independence the Clans of Sayles had after that point did help, but the tension remained.

Cultural Significance

The Empire

Trade Union

Due to its prominent use on the Imperial Palace, the marble is often associated with royalty, or at the least, Nobility. Due to its modern rarity, it also is often representative of an older, better, time. It is also what has given Ilysium the moniker of the shining city, and is very culturally important in that regard.

The marble of Sayles has been used often as the perfect metaphor for the long-term abuse of the people of Sayles. The marble was stolen, used to beautify Ilysium at the cost of the lives of the miners. Due to its modern rarity on Sayles, it also is a sign of old wealth.

The Name

It might seem obvious that Sayles marble comes from Sayles. However, this is actually backwards. The marble was named first, after either the miner who discovered it or the prospector who first sold it, depending on who you ask. When all of the Free Worlds got rid of their old, Imperial names, Arconsium was renamed to Sayles after the marble that had been stolen from it.

I don't think that anyone could claim that Sayles Marble was a driving cause of the Revolutionary War. Marble hadn't been shipped to Ilysium in nearly 2000 years. It was a clear example of "exploitation" that reactionaries could point to, but it wasn't actually relevant anymore.

— Selenium Iocundus, Imperial Archives Historian

Appearance

The marble is not that much different from other stones found on other islands. Many islands have a layer of pale stone, and a few of them are even close to white. However, within that layer on Sayles is some stone that contains small amounts of metals. These tiny flakes of ore, when polished and exposed to sunlight, glitter. From a distance, the stone even appears to glow or shine.

Rarity

This type of marble, as its name suggests, is found only on Sayles. Very little is left unexcavated, and though attempts have been made to recreate it using Earthblood sorcery, it is time consuming and expensive. When new Sayles marble is found, it is often because an old building that used it has been destroyed and repurposed.

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