Seeing-Glass

Mentioned in Rider

A seeing-glass is unlike anything else, so it's hard to describe through words.  Yet, that is my task.  Let's see...
Picture a perfect sphere, made of glass.  It is smoother than anything you've ever seen.  Hold it in your hand.  It cools you while you hold it, giving you respite from the heat of the day.  You can see it absorbing and refracting all the light around you.
Now invert the sphere.  Turn it inside out.  That's what a seeing glass is.

Seeing-glasses are pieces of equipment used by Riders in order to aid in their observance of Rifts and Riftbeasts.  They take in images from behind the Rider and present them in the centre of the glass.  This allows Riders to avoid looking at Riftbeasts or Rifts directly, which would often be dangerous or fatal.

Manufacturing process

In order to smelt the glass, a very hot furnace must be used to ensure the purity of the glass. If the seeing-glass has any remaining sand particulates in it, it will not function correctly, and as such the sand is typically fired at temperatures exceeding 2000 degrees celsius. For this, special furnaces are required, and often yellowgrass is taken from The Cada Cratal Rift to ensure high enough temperatures are maintained.
After smelting, the glass is placed in a metal mould to give it its characteristic spherical shape.  Once it cools, it is removed from the mould and placed carefully on a workbench.  There, it is treated with several Preservewrits, ensuring that it will not shatter or chip in the course of its expected use.
After this, the final stage of the treatment requires the seeing-glass to be exposed to a Rift.  Today, they are typically exposed to the Cada Cratal Rift due to its relative safety.  Once placed next to a Rift, the seeing-glass is left for 48 hours before being retrieved.  At this point, it has gained its characteristic "inverted" nature and is ready for use.

Significance

Seeing glasses are the mark of a Rider, and perhaps their most important item of equipment.  They are often requested as proof of authority when a Rider needs something from a settlement or requests to speak to an official, and they give prestige to anyone who can claim to have seen or touched one.

Item type

Sensory / Aid

Rarity

Rare.  Seeing-glasses are given only to Riders.

Dimensions

Able to be held in the palm of one's hand.

Base Price

Unbuyable

Raw materials & Components

A seeing glass is composed of the finest quality glass, fired from fine sand from the realm of the Sea Queens.