Chardalyn (/ˈtʃɑːrdɑːlɪn/ CHAR-dah-lin)

A rare, naturally-occuring substance mined in nugget form.

Properties

Material Characteristics

A rare black smooth stone, often described as "looking into the void itself." This stone is highly sought after for having magical absorbing qualities.

Physical & Chemical Properties

When a spell is cast upon a stone, it holds the spell until thrown. While holding a spell the stone does not register as magic, even to a detect magic spell. If thrown, the Gem is destroyed and the spell is cast as though from the stone.
Instead, as a reaction to having a spell cast upon you, a stone may be thrown at the caster of the spell, capturing it and striking the original caster with the spell instead.
Both uses destroys the stone. The stone can hold a spell up to 3rd level in a 1,000 gp Gem and up to 6th level in a 5,000 gp Gem and finally up to 9th level in a 10,000 gp Gem.

Powers

A single chardalyn could absorb one spell, which was released when the stone was crushed or destroyed. This was a natural ability of the substance and did not require any magical preparation or treatment beforehand. The spell stayed encased in the chardalyn indefinitely—it could be released seconds or centuries later. Usually, the spell was cast with the chardalyn as the target and it was absorbed without fail, but an empty chardalyn had a slightly better than even chance to absorb a spell that did not target it directly, as long as it was in the spell's area of effect. Once a chardalyn was imbued with a spell, additional spells had no effect on the stone. When shattered, the attributes (power, volume, duration, damage, etc.) of the spell were unchanged and the focal point was the exact location where the breakage occurred.
The ancient Netherese tried for many years to find a use for the powder residue left behind after smashing a chardalyn, but to no avail.
The epic arcanist spell Mavin's earthfast required six chardalyn imbued with transmute mud to Rock spells as one of its material components.

Origin & Source

When first discovered in Netheril, these oval-shaped black stones were described as "useless rocks" by miners, but their affinity for magic was soon discovered. These nuggets were as brittle as glass and turned into a powder when they were forcefully struck or when hurled against a solid object. Until the early 1370s DR, the rarity and fragility of chardalyns contributed to their high base value of 20,000 gp. Once techniques like Gem Magic became more widespread, the base value of chardalyns dropped to 8,000 gp for a large stone that could hold the most powerful magics, and even lower for smaller, more limited stones.
When the first Netherese and others from Toril came to Dierde they had long lost the secrets of Gem Magic and were unaware of any true source of Chardalyn in Dierde. From time to time there have been small natural sources of this element and rumors of those who know ways to "manufacture" it.

Type

Ore/Mineral

Color

Black