Lightning Glass
Fulgurite
Lightning glass, also called lightning stone or lightning sand, is a natural material found worldwide. It is created when lightning discharges melts and fuses moist sands along with other mineral grains into a glassy material. Lightning glass rods, as stated, can be found anywhere in Aldern, though most common in deserts after storms. The west of the Desert of Anbarr, along the Cota Ocean is known for its stormy spring and fall seasons. As a result, lighting glass hunters flock to the region in the summer month to gather the material. The Cavea city of Uosar has become famous for its glass markets where much of the lightning glass used by modern artisans can be found.
While lightning glass' properties vary in quality, it is also a useful item in constructing Magic items, having properties that will hold Solanon energy for extremely long periods. It is also an excellent conductor of this magic, focusing it as it travels through the glass before release. This makes the material is preferred in use in the core of items that hold magical charges that can be released from the item on a user's command.
Anbar lightning glass, and the afore mention Cota coast is known for producing the highest quality lighting glass. According to legend, this is due to the desert once beingKarasaanu, the Great Forest of the West, as well as the Areian Nations. It is believed this means magic is deeply infused into the grains of the desert.
Though not as conductive of magic as Copper, it is often favored over the more readily available material for its uniqueness and strange beauty. In turn, while not as powerful as its counterpart Dragon Glass, the rareness of dragon glass makes lightning glass the more commonly used material when creating the 'batteries' of magic items.
When lightning glass comes to mind, most think of it as looking like traditional glass, however, it rarely does. Many amateur hunters walk past the glass as they search. Raw lighting glass, called fulgurite, are clumps or columns of sand fused together in lighting shaped patterns. Experienced magic-users know this is the best form to use it in, chipping and cutting away the excess into the shape, often a cylinder, to be used as a core in their Wand or Staff without any processing or polishing. Some, however, will break the fulgurite apart, finding the pieces they desire and fusing them together into the shape they desire. It is rare for the pieces to even be clear like artificially made glass. However, these clearer glasses do exist, often in pebble sided pieces within the sandy columns. These are often the most potent concentration of magical energy and are highly valued for their beauty and power. They can go for astronomical prices in markets, and many will destroy rods fulgurite searching for the one tiny pieces of the clear glass.
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