Gem

Gems are crystals ranging widely in shape and color that appear sporadically throughout the world. They contain large amounts of raw energy that affect the world in unique ways.

Utility

Gems take the form of crystals, varying widely from quartz to diamond. They are concentrated pockets of creative energy from The Two Storywriters left from the creation of the world. As a result, they radiate powerful, often unstable energy.

Sycta's Gems

The rarest variety of gems are closely associated with Sycta. Many become stronger in moonlight and tend to attract Starhunters. The chaotic energy can be used to temporarily transcend the limitations of both Elemental magic and Alchemical Magic, greatly boosting a user's magic merely by having the crystal on their person. The crystals tend to behave unpredictably and uncontrollably, although they normally have a blue or purple hue.

Invicta's Gems

Both more common and more controllable are the gems associated with Invicta. These gems have elemental properties related to their color. (i.e. ruby-colored gems radiate heat, aquamarine-colored gems chill the surrounding area, some gold-hued gems give off electrical energy.) These gems are often Gems are embedded into weapons by Professional Hunters to harness their properties.
Side note: Gem-based energy was one of the first ranged weapon to be widely used. Rudimentary guns are generally considered less reliable and more costly to use. The energy of gem-based guns match the colors of the gem, and often still retain their elemental properties. Some models have a chamber that allows the gem to be changed. The blasts in general have no recoil or knockback, but leave patterned burn marks.

Synthetic Gems

Various Aeris and Raposa developed a method of producing synthetic crystals after the development of Alchemical Magic. It involved the collecting and concentrating of energy from multiple Souls. A few surviving documents of research still remain intact in various locations in Victoria
Synthetic gems do not behave remotely like their counterparts. However, synthetic gems can be embedded or worn close to the body in a way that allows one to harness his Soul's energy as a physical extension of light, similar in appearance to a hologram tethered to the individual. This plasmodium manifests in the color of the gem and the user can project shapes it mentally in various forms. (Known forms include a translucent armor, energy blasts, tendrils, and curved, blade-like projections)