Krystal Shards
Krystal shards are a major currency in the world of Torandielle. Krystals have an unusual influence on people making them want to collect more of it. So they have been using it as an international currency for nobles and royals. The peasantry around the world tends to be rather superstitious (rightly so) about the Krystal currency, so they avoid using it. So the nobles use Krystals as their currency, and the commoners use gold or silver coins. The Krystals are cut into different polyhedrons. The more sides the Krystal has, the larger it is and the more valuable it is. They are referred to by their polyhedron name, so a 6-sided Krystal would be a hexahedron Krystal (or shard, possibly), more commonly known as a hexa Krystal (or shard). Just for the fun of it, and to show off their wealth, the nobility has had all the gold or silver coins made with holes in the center, with a corresponding shape to match a certain type of Krystal. So a coin that would correspond with a 6-sided Krystal would have a 4-sided hole. The nobles would refer to it according to the associated Krystal, so it would be a hexa coin, while the commoners, who don’t use the Krystals, would tend to call it a 4-coin, since they’re counting the number of sides the hole has. The Krystals may even grow as time goes on, becoming a larger polyhedron as it does. Given the right conditions, they may even split and create two Krystals of smaller size. And when a large enough amount of Krystals are brought together in one place, something happens. What that is, I’m not yet sure. Sometimes, all that happens is that a strange man shows up in town one day, and the next, all the Krystals are gone, and the weird thing that would have happened, either happens somewhere else, or doesn’t happen at all.
Properties
Material Characteristics
In its natural form, it's a type of multifaceted, iridescent crystal. It's color is pink and blue swirls, like a more intense version of the color of a soap bubble. During the cutting process, they're formed into polyhedrons, including tetrahedrons (4 faces), hexahedrons (6 faces), octahedrons (8 faces), decahedrons (10 faces), dodecahedron (12 faces), and icosahedron (20 faces).
Physical & Chemical Properties
This substance is a multifaceted crystal that is surprisingly warm to the touch. This is one of the reasons that people find it so fascinating.
Compounds
The only compound Krystals are used in is as part of decorative money. Nobles sometimes use their Krystal money as parts of elaborate decorations.
Geology & Geography
This material is found all around the world, at varying depths below the ground. No one has ever discovered why this material is so widespread, or why once a vein has been mined dry, by the end of a month the crystals have grown back.
Origin & Source
The Krystals that people have been mining are actually part of a much larger mass of Krystal deep within the planet's core. The Krystal is a sentient life form from another world that crash landed on Torandielle long ago and burrowed its way to the core, or has been the core all along, and the planet formed around it. I haven't decided yet.
Life & Expiration
There is no known limit to how long Krystals can 'live'. Its glow will always remain, and it will always be warm to the touch.
History & Usage
History
Krystal was first discovered by the people of Torandielle about 5,000 years ago. At first, it was just thought of as pretty gemstones that were used for jewelry by those who could afford it. Over the years, as the desire to collect more of it spread throughout the populations of the world, it began being used in trade, and gradually began to be used as a form of currency. It usage has since evolved into a strictly defined international currency system used by the nobility and royalty of almost every society on Torandielle.
Discovery
Krystals were first discovered in the year 632 by Fenton Gray
Everyday use
It is used as an international currency, mostly among the royalty and nobility. Commoners hold superstitions about Krystal Shards, and refuse to use them for the most part.
Cultural Significance and Usage
Krystal Shards are not restricted to any one culture and is used as an international currency for the nobility around the world. It's also used as a decoration for nobles when they have a lot of it. They decorate their homes with Shards, just to show off how much they have.
Industrial Use
Krystal Shards must be cut in order to be used as currency, otherwise it's hard to agree on the value of an individual chunk. They are cut into various polyhedrons, with very specific guidelines for size and shape.
Refinement
For the most part, Krystals must be cut into polyhedrons before they can be used as currency. For Krystals that aren't or can't be cut properly, they can be taken to a bank or a money changer and they will appraise the value.
Manufacturing & Products
Krystals are cut into polyhedron Shards and used as currency.
Byproducts & Sideproducts
During the mining and cutting process, some Krystal shards are basically just fragments or dust, and are therefore too small to use as normal currency. There are, however, established banks or money changers that can appraise the value of these leftovers, and keeping their money, and lending it out to them based on how much they have in their account.
Hazards
There are two hazards that come with Krystal Shards, neither of which are well known to the people who use them. The Krystals exert influence over anyone who collects them, making them want to collect more. The other hazard is that when a large enough amount of Krystals are gathered in one place for a long enough period of time, something strange will happen. Sometimes, all that happens is that a strange man will show up in town one day, and by the time he leaves, the large stash of Krystals has mysteriously vanished, or been depleted in size.
Environmental Impact
Krystals actively spread throughout the ground from the center of the planet, sending out tendrils in all directions. In areas of large concentration of Krystals, there is an abundance of magic, which can have various effects on anything in the vicinity.
Reusability & Recycling
It is reusable in that its main purpose is to be collected, and passed from person to person. Even the dust and fragments that can't be used as actual currency are able to be placed into a bank and the value added to a person's account.
Distribution
Trade & Market
Krystal Shards are an international currency for royalty and nobility, used for most forms of trade and commerce around the world, from small purchases, like buying an apple from a vendor, to large purchases, like buying a whole kingdom.
Storage
When not used as display items, Krystal Shards are stored in money purses, strong boxes, or treasure vaults, depending on how much a person has or wants to have on hand.
Law & Regulation
There are very strict rules about the proper cutting of Krystal Shards, to keep the international currency standardized around the world. Each polyhedron has a set value, and fragments and dust are valued by weight.
NonNone
None
Type
Ore/Mineral
Value
Variable
Rarity
Fairly common
Odor
Vaguely metallic
Taste
The only taste it has comes when it is crushed and ingested. At that point, it tastes like sand
Color
Iridescent, like a soap bubble
Boiling / Condensation Point
None
Melting / Freezing Point
There is no known way to freeze or melt Krystals
Density
Variable
Common State
Solid
Related Locations
Related Species
Related Items
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