Lightstones
Lightstones1 are luminescent crystals found in Vorran Peninsula and in the Vúrakesen Mountains in western Dragonía. They are mined both by Jaarels and Kroks.
Properties
Geology & Geography
Lightstones form veins where the element of Light is strongest in Dragonía, which happens to be in the Virrem Islands, western Vorran Peninsula and, to lesser extend, the Vúrakesen Mountains. The stones are found in tiny quantities in western Jarrak Forest and southwestern Ela'k Forest as well, though these are barely luminescent and are sometimes confused with mundane crystals.
History & Usage
Discovery
They were first discovered by the ancient Alalaríans millennia ago, though their Jaarel descendants were the first to systematically mine lightstones.
Everyday use
Among the Jaarels, the stones are a vital source of light in their subterranean homes, as they neither require fuel nor emit smoke like fire does, and don't need to be constantly replaced like töx mushroom-paste. Clear lightstones are often affixed to the ceilings inside the homes of upper class Jaarels, and both warriors on the march and merchants often carry such stones with them to light their way through the tunnels.
Cultural Significance and Usage
Lightstones are highly valued by Kroks as offerings to spirits and to adorn their temples, hatcheries and monuments. Jaarels sometimes offer the stones, especially clear ones, to their deities and ancestors, and wealthier Jaarels wear them as amulets against the evil beings believed to lurk in the shadows.
Refinement
Jaarel craftsmen polish and carve lightstones using harder materials, water and sand into a variety of shapes to be later affixed to jewels, walls and ceilings.
Distribution
Trade & Market
The Jaarels buy most clear lightstones from Kroks, while the latter often import colourful varieties of the stones as they are quite rare on the peninsula and many find them more aesthetically pleasing. In turn, the Útels of Ela'k Forest buy lightstones from the jaarels to use in jewelry of all sorts, specifically colourful ones, as the clear variety is almost exclusively used by the Jaarel aristocracy.
1Original icelandic: lýsisteinar, singular: lýsisteinn
Type
Stone
Rarity
Clear lightstones are quite rare outside Vorran Peninsula, as Kroks only mine exposed veins in small scale, while impure lightstones are much more common, especially under the Vúrakesen Mountains.
Color
Pure lightstones are clear and cast white light, those containing impurities can be of virtually any colour, the most common being orange, green, blue and pink.
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