Echo Crystals
There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for where echo crystals appear. They are more frequent deep inside cave systems where there's water nearby, although this by no means assures one will show up there. While there are mines with a great concentration of gold, or emeralds, or any other such materials, there doesn't seem to be anything of the sort for echo crystals: they appear between other precious stones, other materials, even in seemingly random places, although usually there's always a source of water somewhere close, even if it's merely a stream, a forgotten lake. It's very rare to see a natural echo crystal, still in its dormant state, amid civilization, although there have been reports of people finding one in a well inside a city, or shining bright deep an artificial lake in their garden.
That's one of the things that differentiates echo crystals from other types of precious jewels: they emit a faint, constant light. Those familiar with them know to look for this type of light while searching in caves, or working in mines. To confirm they're the real thing they merely have to look at how clear these crystals are, and then conduct the final test: if they tap the crystal, it will greet them back with a single note, which will echo, echo, echo, three times before fading.
That was what gave their name, before their other properties were discovered. At first these crystals were thought to be mere pretty things, another crystal to add to the collection. But more curious minds figured out that they were much more than that. They could be imbued with magical essence, or specific magical spells, and serve as a conduit. They can hold these spells for a long time, and when imbued in this way, a cloud of fog will form inside, which will then slowly dissipate until it completely disappears, showing the strength of the spell still contained inside. Some crystals will last for several spells, while others will crack after a couple of uses.
Types of Echo Crystals
The Echo Enchanters, named after the crystals, are people specialized in taking these crystals and finessing them into something quite more powerful. It's a fine art, the one to imbue these gems with magical essence: the line between giving them just the right amount of power and breaking them if given too much, too quickly, is hazy, which is why only highly trained enchanters will be trusted with an echo crystal. Most of these live at The Nuvem Enclave, but some, after learning with the masters there, have settled in other cities.
These crystals are fairly uncommon. There are no known clusters of echo crystals, so they're found mostly through sheer luck, and sold for a lot of money. You could have a mine full of gold, but if a faint light is spotted anywhere, all workers within will rush to that spot for the chance to be the one to grab the infamous echo crystal, probably as valuable as everything else in that mine put together.
Echo crystals cannot be broken into smaller pieces to fit into jewelry or weapons. A break in these crystals will make them lose all their capability of holding a spell within, so if used as a necklace or a ring, it must be in their original form. There are some variations of echo crystals, depending on their color:
Yellow/Orange/Red: Found only in small sizes, no bigger than an elf's fist, or as small as pebbles, they're capable of holding spells of a smaller or more personal scale. They're often used as jewelry, or embedded into a weapon, with spells of protection, or illusion, which influence only the wearer or the person who holds them. Usually a spell will remain in these crystals until used, and it can't be renewed more than a handful of times.
Blue/Green: These crystals have a broad range of sizes, the biggest among them reaching the height of an elf's knees. Their size helps determine how long a spell will last, or how many times they can be used before breaking. Spells often last for several months at a time, and can be renewed around a dozen times, for a medium-sized crystal. Smaller crystals last for less time than bigger ones. They have a very steady and balanced nature, so spells used with these crystals usually involve maintaining an illusion over a large space, or even protection, specially if several of them are used together; they're also the most often used for the airships built at The Nuvem Enclave, spaced throughout the ship.
Purple/Violet: These crystals are quite chaotic. They can have sudden bursts of energy, which while not ideal for certain types of spells (no one wants their ship to suddenly change speed or altitude without any sort of control over it), are quite sought out for other magical effects, specially the ones capable of inflicting damage. One never quite knows how much time these crystals will last.
A mixture of all colors: The perfect crystals, and therefore the hardest ones to find. The Feywild isn't kind, after all. Their colors change and shift into all the colors of the rainbow. They don't last forever, but they last enough that it's almost the same. Some of them can even hold more than one spell at once.
There have been attempts at controlling the trade of these crystals, so they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. But given their random nature, it's hard to control where they will show up, or who will be the one to find them. Besides, can the expression "in the wrong hands" really be used here, where more often than not that is the case in the Feywild? The Nuvem Enclave might manage to buy and sell the majority of these crystals, but some never go near the city. That doesn't mean their owners have bad intentions... merely that they appreciate their freedom, and their secrets.
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