Everstone

Everstone is truly a curious thing. Easy to change, yet impossible to destroy. And once changed it can never be turned back into everstone. Believe me, I tried. And many others did too.

— Dalra Rubbleston

Everstone, also sometimes called the fifth element, is a highly rare material characterized by its unique characteristics and magical abilities. Most notably, everstone is not made out of the four basic elements that constitute the foundations of the physical world. Stretching out beneath the earth of the world in root-like structures, the mere existence of the pale white ore-like substance has puzzled scientists for centuries, raising questions about the common understanding of reality as such.

Physical characteristics

Few things puzzle scientists and geologists as much as everstone. It is widely accepted that the physical world is made out of four basic elements that are produced from the elemental cores. Yet everstone cannot be classified into one or more of these basic elements. On the contrary, every research points at everstone being a completely different material altogether.
Physically, everstone can best be described as a semi-translucent, pale white material, resembling stone or ore. A chunk of everstone is firm, yet feels inexplicably soft to the touch, and weights more or less the same as a piece of iron of the same size. Even though everstone is easy to carve by even the dullest knife, the material itself is impossible to destroy through elemental powers or brute force. Similarly, everstone is not manipulable through the use of elemental magic since it does not consist of such a basic element.

Magical characteristics

Transformative nature

The transformative nature of everstone is perhaps its most known feature. Even though everstone cannot be altered using elemental magic, it can be changed by using one’s Will. Even the smallest piece of everstone can be transformed into any given object, regardless of size, element or other physical characteristic.
By using one’s Will, a person can craft any kind of object from everstone. After this transformation, it is however impossible to change the object back into everstone. Instead the created object displays all elemental characteristics of a normal object of the intended kind. From that point onward, the created object can be altered and destroyed using usual techniques, including elemental magic and physical force.

Elemental holding

There is one important difference between a normal object and an object created using everstone: the object based on everstone can hold elemental cores. Under normal circumstances, only beings with a Will can hold these elemental cores and produce magic with them. Artifacts made out of everstone are the exception to this rule. Consequently, many powerful artifacts are crafted from everstone by using a technique called evercrafting.

Value and importance

Due to its exceptional characteristics, everstone is highly sought after and considered the most valuable material in the world. As most superficial reservoirs of everstone have already been depleted, the stone like substance can now only be gained from deep within the earth or the mountains of the world. Additionally, everstone that is actually transformed into another object can never be turned back into everstone. Pure, unused everstone is very rare and consequently of immense value. When traded, everstone is carved and polished into little gems. The value of an everstone gem is usually ten to twenty times higher than the value of a similar sized diamond.