Amber
Amber, cuanóir (tears of the dream) in elven, is a golden jewel known to manifest in the border between the Material Plane and the Feywild. Amber varies in color, but is most famous for the golden hue of "true amber". Amber is used both for its aesthetic and magical properties, and many different cultures that live near forests use them in jewelry or use them for healing and in rituals to the fey spirits. In the Gold Empire, amber is a rare substance, either traded from the wood elves of Cathair Salann or bought from the amber deposits in East Sceya. It is a mark of wealth to be able to afford amber jewelry, and alchemist also use true amber to make potent health potions. While several forests and coasts in the Gold Empire have amber, most of these have been robbed of true amber. East Sceya is the last remaining place where true amber can be reliable mined.
History & Usage
Refinement
Amber grows in the hidden places between the Feywild and Material Plane, sprouting from ancient roots of Crann Domhanda as its golden tears. Amber can occasionally be found above ground near old trees, but this is rare and in order to find reliable deposits of amber one has to seek it out.
The Wood Elves solve this problem by using saggart crann, tree priests, who use their magical abilities to track down the magical resonance of amber. Once amber has been found in this way, the saggart crann will coax the tree spirits to bring the amber up. Such wood elven amber is always of the highest quality and often in large chunks, as they only seek the amber with the greatest magical resonance.
Imperial industry has found another solution, which yields less pure amber but takes out amber of a greater quantity. While the exact solutions have varied from province to province, they all rely on pumping forest soil full of water and then searching for amber, which will float out of the soil. This procedure is effective, and amberminers make a great deal of money for their labor. However, the technique is incredibly environmentally destructive and wastes a great deal of water. It takes years for the soil to regain its former properties, killing many trees in the area.
In the town of Ravå, which currently produces the most true amber per capita, several pumps have been installed by different companies and prospectors, draining water from Solsøen to fill the soil.
The Wood Elves solve this problem by using saggart crann, tree priests, who use their magical abilities to track down the magical resonance of amber. Once amber has been found in this way, the saggart crann will coax the tree spirits to bring the amber up. Such wood elven amber is always of the highest quality and often in large chunks, as they only seek the amber with the greatest magical resonance.
Imperial industry has found another solution, which yields less pure amber but takes out amber of a greater quantity. While the exact solutions have varied from province to province, they all rely on pumping forest soil full of water and then searching for amber, which will float out of the soil. This procedure is effective, and amberminers make a great deal of money for their labor. However, the technique is incredibly environmentally destructive and wastes a great deal of water. It takes years for the soil to regain its former properties, killing many trees in the area.
In the town of Ravå, which currently produces the most true amber per capita, several pumps have been installed by different companies and prospectors, draining water from Solsøen to fill the soil.
Manufacturing & Products
Jewelry
Potions
Magic items
Potions
Magic items
Distribution
Trade & Market
While amber is sold from amber deposits all over the Gold Empire, the largest and most important deposit is in East Sceya. The laws regulating the purchase and sale of amber is quite strict due to the crystal's magical properties, and overseen by the Brass Metal Church.
Before amber can be sold to from a prospector to a merchant or jewelmaker, it is required that the batch to be sold is looked over by a priest from the Brass Metal Church and an alchemist from the Yellow Order, in order to identify magical true amber. There is a tax on all trade in amber paid to the Brass Metal Church to pay for this system, and give money for the Church's other goals.
True amber may only be sold to the alchemists of the Yellow Order, who have first rights to use it in health potions and the construction of magic items. The Yellow Order pays very well for true amber, to the point where some prospectors don't even bother moving their less-valued merchandise to avoid the amber-tax, unless they have to in order to make ends meet.
Non-magical amber can be freely sold between merchants after it has gone through audit by the Brass Metal Church. However, the richest imperials truly desire to have true amber instead of the weaker stuff, and many are willing to pay a great deal on the black market to get their hands on it. A sizeable amber smuggling ring thus exists, especially in East Sceya.
Before amber can be sold to from a prospector to a merchant or jewelmaker, it is required that the batch to be sold is looked over by a priest from the Brass Metal Church and an alchemist from the Yellow Order, in order to identify magical true amber. There is a tax on all trade in amber paid to the Brass Metal Church to pay for this system, and give money for the Church's other goals.
True amber may only be sold to the alchemists of the Yellow Order, who have first rights to use it in health potions and the construction of magic items. The Yellow Order pays very well for true amber, to the point where some prospectors don't even bother moving their less-valued merchandise to avoid the amber-tax, unless they have to in order to make ends meet.
Non-magical amber can be freely sold between merchants after it has gone through audit by the Brass Metal Church. However, the richest imperials truly desire to have true amber instead of the weaker stuff, and many are willing to pay a great deal on the black market to get their hands on it. A sizeable amber smuggling ring thus exists, especially in East Sceya.
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