Sunstone

A More Beautiful Light

Saleh'Alire » Raw Materials Precious & Semi-Precious Stones

  A strange cross between marble and typical quartz, Sunstone was originally mined by the Phet centuries ago when they still lived in the citadels beneath the mountains. At some point they developed methods of enchanting the stone to provide light, and hung them about their citadels so frequently that it looked as if their buildings sparkled... Now, ages after they vanished, Sunstone remains the most common method of bringing light not only to the people of Saleh'Alire, but to many of the other Planes as well.

Appearance & Structure

  As a conglomerate of limestone and quartz, Sunstone is largely a byproduct of Marble mining; predominantly found in the voids between marble veins, these stones grow in a manner similar to standard Quartz crystals- naturally forming in a hexagonal shape with 12 points, with one end (the root) typically attached to a seed bed on the exterior wall of the void.   Sunstone comes in several colors, including various shades of grey, orange, pink, and sandy brown- though gold and white are the most commonly sought after. Regardless of color, however, all Sunstone is variously translucent with more opaque banding that can be between 2 and 5 shades darker than its base color, as well as a golden hue; this is created by mineral inclusions within the stone (usually micro deposits of mica), which gives it a shimmering or glistening effect.   As a conglomerate stone, its hardiness frequently rates between 4 and 7; soft enough to be carved or chipped, and polished- but not so soft as to to lose its shape or be easily damaged.  

Distribution

  Sunstone can be found nearly anywhere that marble is formed- giving most Marble mines dual output. That being said, the highest known quantities of Sunstone (and Marble) come from the Domur Mountains in Southern Olienn, and in the mountains at the border of Olienn, Castrillis, and Martova. The third largest known deposit- now nearly depleted- comes from Rei Anhur in Gwyn Tira'Kie, Tolara.   Being a subterranean species whose lifestyle hinges on mining, Dwarve arguably mine the largest quantities of Sunstone. Close second are the Elves, who value it overall for its ease of enchanting- not just as a light source; Human, Genasi, Orkind, and several other races rarely mine Sunstone themselves, prefering instead to purchase it from those who do.  

Common Uses

  As a hardy stone, Sunstone is frequently used in jewelry making; higher quality Sunstone may be cut into various gemstone cuts and cabochons, and mounted into rings and decorative brooches- while lower quality stones are often tumbled for use in bracelets, and necklaces. Large spheres and carvings are also frequently cut from Sunstone- including small statuary, especially for temple use.   In addition to these uses, Sunstone is also carved and then fashioned into panel insets. These are commonly used as minor decorative elements on buildings- such as in the case of Orlion Manor on Olienn. Its remarkable ability to hold magic well, too, means it sees frequent use as the flooring tile in Way Hall chambers meant to house Transference Circles or other various portals.   The most common and affordable use of Sunstone, however, is as a light source; when carved into points, pears, or other shapes of various sizes, and then enchanted, a Sunstone can give off light for centuries at a time. Moreover, this light source does not come with the fire hazards and health concerns of other sources such as torches- making it the most widespread use of the material- especially among the Dwarves whose unique settlements require alternatives to fire based light sources.
Item type
Raw Material   Rarity
Incredibly Common
Prices
1 CP Small
2 CP Medium
3 CP Large
5 SP Very Large
Average Weight
1 lb / 0.5 kg   Average Height
6 in / 15 cm   Average Diameter
8 in / 20 cm
 

Adornment

Though rare, some opt to have Sunstone decoratively carved and set into jewelry as a regular stone. Common cuts include Ball, Pample, Drop, and Pear- most often set into pieces such as tiaras, brooches, pendants, and hair combs.   When set in such items, the resulting light enchantments are usually gentler in nature- typically designed to produce a subtle, glistening lighting effect, as opposed to the usual bright, clear light Sunstone is enchanted to produce.


Cover image: Gemstones by Chan Walrus

Comments

Author's Notes

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I absolutely love getting feedback on my setting and its worldbuilding. I love it even more when people poke and prod at it, and ask questions about the things I've built within it. I want both. I actively encourage both. And it makes me incredibly giddy whenever I get either. However, there's a time and a place for critique in particular- mostly when I've actually asked for it (which usually happens in World Anvil's discord server). And when I do ask for critique, there are two major things I politely request that you do not include in your commentary:   ➤ The first is any sort of critique on the way I've chosen to organize or format something; Saleh'Alire is not a narrative world written for reader enjoyment... It's is a living campaign setting for Dungeons and Dragons. To that end, it's written and organized for my players and I, specifically for ease of use during gameplay- and our organization needs are sometimes very different than others'. They are especially diferent, often-times, from how things "should be organized" for reader enjoyment.   ➤ Secondly, is any critique about sentence phrasing and structure, word choice, and so on; unless you've specifically found a typo, or you know for a provable fact I've blatantly misued a word, or something is legitimately unclear explicitly because I've worded it too strangely? Then respectfully: Don't comment on it; as a native English speaker of the SAE dialect, language critique in particular will almost always be unwelcome unless it's absolutely necessary. This is especially true if English is not you first language to begin with. My native dialect is criticized enough as it is for being "wrong", even by fellow native English speakers ... I really don't want to deal with the additional linguistic elitism of "formal english" from Second-Language speakers (no offense intended).   That being said: If you want to ask questions, speculate, or just ramble? Go for it! I love talking about my setting and I'm always happy to answer any questions you have, or entertain any thoughts about it. Praise, of course, is always welcome too (even if it's just a casual "this is great", it still means a lot to authors)- and if you love it, please don't forget to actually show that love by liking it and sharing it around. Because I genuinely do enjoy watching people explore and interact with my setting, and ask questions about it, and I'd definitely love to hear from you... Just be respectful about it, yeah?


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