Soulstone

"So you're saying that my elemental abilities are in that thing?"

"Yes! Well actualy, it contains the part of your soul that ENABLES them..."

"And once i have it back, i'll become a mage?"

"You were always a mage, Calydan, but now, you'll be able to live like one."

-Benars reasuring Calydan

A Soulstone is a Lycanite crystal that was previously emptied of its wild mana before being subsequently refilled with parts of a mage's soul, preventing them from performing Magic.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The unique internal structure of the crystal allows it to store a small part of a human soul indefinently. Theoreticaly, at least. It is the only known material, natural or otherwise, that is able to do so. The current theory is that since souls are made up of a exotic form of wild mana, the crystal's structure is able to hold it as if it was actual Wild Mana. However, if/when the crystal is broken, the soul fragment escapes back into the body of the mage, regardless of the distance it has to travel. If the mage dies without it, the fragment will simply stay inside, leaving the soul unable to leave the mortal realm, transforming it into a Ghost.

Manufacturing process

Step 1: Find a Soulweaver

Only a Soulweaver has the ability to cut and extract a fragment of a mage's soul, as they are able to physicaly interact and manipulate with the souls of any living beings

Step 2: Find an (unwilling) mage subject

A soulstone can be created from the souls of both Elemental Mages and Soulbound Mages. The operation is very painful for the subject, and so they must be sedated or otherwise knocked unconscious in order to prevent a Mana burning event. Once the subject is rendered unconscious the Soulweaver can begin the proceedure.

Step 3: Extraction

For the specifics of creating a soulstone, the soulweaver must extract the soul fragment that links the rest of the mage's soul to their core. This will shut down the core's mana production and cause it to Atrophy. To cut that connection, the soulweaver needs to physicaly remove that soul fragement, which causes the mage extreme pain if they are conscious.

Step 4: Storage

Once the fragment is extracted, it must be urgently transfered and stored inside the Lycanite crystals. However, to avoid any complications, the crystal must be fully emptied of its Wild Mana Wild mana content, otherwise, it will negatively affect the soul fragment, damaging and mutating it, to the point that it would no longer be compatible with the rest of the mage's soul, preventing them from being able to do magic in the future.

Step 5: Safeguard

Once the soul fragment enters the crystal, the latter will begin to glow again, in a similar way as when it was full of wild mana. However, leaving the crystal unprotected like this is unwise, as the crystal becomes even more reactive than normal. As a result, it is important to keep them away from any external sources of wild mana as the soulstone could react to it and explode, thus liberating the soul fragment inside and undoing the whole operation. A simple way to keep them stable is to coat the crystal in a thin layer of bronze before putting the fragment. The fragment can pass the metal barrier amd settle inside the crystal, while the bronze coat stabilizes the input of mana from the outside, preventing it from destabilising and exploding.

History

Soulstones were developed by alchemists who believed in the cause of Sokralism, which is an anti-mage cult that developed during the later years of the Second Age. To its believers, Mages were unpure beings, who had been corrupted by magic. As such, the soulstone was seen as a "humane" way to "purify" them, by removing their "corruption", which to them, was their magic abilities, without having to kill them.

However, the process of discovery for these devices was long and bloody. Journal accounts and witness testimonies describe unspeakable horrors commited to many hundreds of mages, in the pursuit of this inventions. Upon the removal of their core fragment, the mages would become regular humans, albeit not a very happy one. Many thousands of mages, mostly in Enaskia, were made magicless involontary, and many would not live long after, due to a combination of distress and illness caused by core atrophy.

It was made illegal to own and use by the vast majority of countries at the end of the second age, as the cult was vanquished and became irrelevent. This was vehemently advocated by mage communities throughout all impacted regions, as they saw soulstones as nothing more than a tool that served only to rob them of a part of themselves.

Item type

Magical

Manufacturer

Sokralism

Rarity

Soulstones are incredibly rare. Not many mages would give up their magic abilities wilingly and not many Soulweaver would agree to do the proceedure anyways or even know how to do it proprely.

Weight

Very Light

Dimensions

Variable sizes, but most easily fit inside someone's palm The smallest ones can be fitted onto a necklace.

Raw materials & Components

An empty Lycanite crystal, melted bronze alloy and the soul fragment of a mage.

Related Materials

• Lycanite crystals