Squawkrock

And, see that stone there with the symbol on it? That's called a squawkrock. What is a squawkrock, you ask? That's a gooooood question...

— Granisth, Nocturnal Gryphon Archeologist and Adventurer

Properties

Material Characteristics

Appearance-wise, Squawkrocks bear resemblance to any typical rock formation, except they are generally triangular in shape and bear symbols engraved in ancient Winder. It is unknown whether these rocks were shaped into a triangular shape or have been present in nature already and then engraved.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Squawkrocks bear special meaning to all Gryphons from historical standpoint. Firstly, they are the earliest recording of the Winder alphabet and Secondly, touching them imprints onto the recipient a memory of the Gryphon who engraved it.
These memories are varying in nature, and most of them are almost laughable by today's standards. A Squawkrock for alphabet "D" for example, explains from a memory of an ancestor that "one shouldn't eat dandelions." And the very last letter "Ž" explains from memory of a gryphoness how egg-laying works.

Geology & Geography

Squawkrocks are scattered across the fields bordering Air Kingdom within the Greengrasp Mountains.

Origin & Source

It is presumed that these Squawkrocks were created back in the Age of WisdomNot long after the first Twilight Gryphons first arrived in the world and learned these first steps towards Artificing.
The unenchanted rock itself is fairly common within these parts of Greengrasp Mountains, however it is a mystery how were Gryphons back then able to cut the stone so cleanly. Many assume that some help from the side of Kateraks was provided, while others refer to a long lost technology or power of these first gryphons.

History & Usage

History

Information on the original names of these rocks by Gryphons has been lost in time, since as time went on, Air dragons took over more and more land from the East, including the Squawkrocks.
Upon discovering them and their usage, several Advisors have ordered them to be defamed or destroyed, however, that proved to be near-impossible endeavor as the Artificing skill of those that enchanted these stones was surprisingly high and part of the enchantment itself is making it invulnerable to outside influence. Some of these stones were damaged over the hundreds of years, by various unnatural means and experimentation, but none were completely destroyed as of yet as it was deemed too expensive and arduous to break them.

Discovery

Since anyone or anything that touches it experiences the memory of the Gryphon who enchanted it, this oftentimes causes wildlife fauna to become startled, specifically, birds that descend on these rocks tend to make quite a ruckus before they flee from the vivid memories they don't understand. Thus, Air dragons named these stones Squawkrocks, as the area of their vicinity is sometimes quite noisy.

Everyday use

Currently, there are better ways for Dragons to learn the language of Winder, and scrolls and tablets detailing this language are possible to purchase is specialized markets and bigger settlements, however, there is no disputing that these stones were used by Twilight gryphons in the past to pass some basic knowledge about the world to each other.

Cultural Significance and Usage

Squawkrocks are far too remote for Gryphons to visit nowadays, with most of them being within glide distance of Air dragon settlements, however, many disputes were had over it and several bands of semi-organized clans formed in attempts to retake it. None succeeded, except for Night Hawks lead by Falth, The First Ember Wielder in Battle of Greengrasp

Type

Ore/Mineral

Taste

Salty

Color

Yellow-brown tint

Artwork by Blajnart, owned by Granistad. Used with permission.