Bide Stones

The stone seemed unremarkable. It was roundish, flat and black. It fit in the palm of the hand. It was the type of stone a traveler might pick up for a keepsake while walking the innerways or perhaps a rock that a child would skip across a still lake. For all of its plain qualities, it provided a comfort the instant it came to rest in their palm, until a creeping chill filled their hand.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Bide stones are jet black stones that vary in dimension. They range from smooth to porous. They are never brittle and always solid. When holding a bidestone in the palm of the hand, it should feel cold regardless of its previous state. A bide stone placed in a boiling pot of water for an hour and removed will still be cool to the touch.

Physical & Chemical Properties

The stone always feels cold. It appears to be heavy relative to its size. A bide stone cannot be destroyed by any power possessed by humankind. Bide stones do not react to acids or bases. Bide stones react according to the laws of physics whenever they are not held. The stone cannot transmit through other pieces of solid matter, therefore, a wrapping of cloth conceals the stone's chill. Within every bide stone, there is an imprisoned Elderage.

Geology & Geography

Bide stones can be found throughout Spindle but they are rare. They can be mined from deep within the planet's crust in the winding cave system rumored to connect all the landmasses together. A subterranean race of people, the Soan, know where to find these stones but are reluctant to remove them.
It's more likely that a bide stone be found in someone's possession than dug out of the ground.
The Northern Waste (The Pale Heart) held the most bide stones. The people that live there are all of mixed soan heritage.

Origin & Source

There are legends abound about bide stones. Only a heretic would believe anything other than what comes straight from The Abidement:
According to the Abidement, the purest of stones built Prominence. The bide stones were ripped out of the Green Mother Moon and became so angry at being born early that they screamed until all the stars brought them comfort. They rejected the hard earth. They tossed offerings of water. They even waved off the cool breeze. No star except Old Idris could calm them with its soft, warm light. And so it was then as it is now, they bide their time before screaming again.

Life & Expiration

They appear stable. They seem to deteriorate in that some are pockmarked. Most found are in pristine condition. No known expiration date.

Odor

The scent of pure steam.

Taste

Licking a stone has caused euphoria.

Color

Blacker than a deep set shadow.

Boiling / Condensation Point

None known.

Melting / Freezing Point

Bide stones do not have a known melting point. They always seem cold, and are always in a solid state, therefore they are technically at their freezing point already.

Density

It is denser than osmium.

Common State

They are always found in their solid state. No other known state has been discovered for them.