Crystalglass, Nerusetem|Sun-Cleared Eye or Skarn-Breath|Flame’s Last Stillness
Crystalglass is most commonly found in a solid, cooled sheet or fragment form after extreme magical or solar heat exposure has fused high-silica sand and other ley-reactive particulates into a clear, razor-hard translucent material. Its appearance is like quartz given motion, shimmering internally with threads of iridescence that ripple slowly when exposed to heat, moonlight, or magic. In ideal conditions, it appears colorless, but exposure to various elemental influences causes permanent tinting—crimson from fire essence, violet from void magic, or gold from solar arcana.
To the untrained eye, it looks like ordinary high-grade glass, but to a mage, it hums with latent resonance and refracts spell-light unusually, often splitting enchantments or causing illusions to “double.”
Properties
Material Characteristics
Crystalglass is harder than steel, with natural resonance to arcane and radiant energies. It is warm to the touch in sunlight, but can cool rapidly when exposed to divine energy. While not flammable, it stores thermal energy briefly and can be charged with aether to emit light for hours.
It is brittle under sudden sonic shock, making it vulnerable to shatter if exposed to resonant weaponry or specific tuning frequencies. When broken, its shards retain magical charge, which can be lethally discharged if improperly handled.
Compounds
Crystalglass is used in the creation of arcane lenses, scrying mirrors, containment wards, and energy prisms. Zolan artisans fashion it into ritual chalices and solar-diadems, while Durrozhonth uses slivers of it in duel-seals, heat-trapping breastplates, and blood-reflector blades.
Blended with powdered goldroot and cooled in a lunar bath, it becomes the base for Spelllight Ink, used to record enchantments that cannot be copied on traditional parchment.
Geology & Geography
This mineral forms when high-purity sand mixes with burned spell residue or solar-charged particulate, usually in the aftermath of extreme arcane events. There is no “crystalglass tree” or “vein” per se—it is a reaction, not a mined ore. The raw deposits are found only where the sun or leylines have broken the land open.
In Durrozhonth, it is sometimes extracted from the aftermath of fire-ritual duels, where enough magic and heat are released to transmute sand beneath the combatants’ feet.
Origin & Source
Crystalglass forms naturally in the sun-struck impact zones of the Gleaming Wastes, particularly where Ashwurm eruptions or leyline fractures have scorched silica-rich sand into molten pools. These pools cool under extreme pressure, forming veins of raw crystalglass deep beneath the surface or along crater rims. It is most abundant along the Southern Gleaming Rift and rarely harvested from the mirage-etched cliffs near the Zolan border.
Life & Expiration
Crystalglass is extremely stable in dry, non-magical environments, capable of retaining stored energy for decades if not activated. However, when exposed to prolonged magical flux or spiritual conflict, it may develop fracture-lines or resonance scars, making it brittle or unstable.
In its refined form, such as arc-lenses or spell mirrors, its magical potency begins to decline after 10 to 15 years, depending on the intensity of use.
History & Usage
History
In ancient Zolan rites, crystalglass was considered too pure to touch, associated with the gods’ judgment during the Era of Twin Shadows. Only the High Sun-Eyes could wield it in sacred tools. Over time, with more refined methods of cooling and shaping, it became central to solar rites and dream recording.
In Durrozhonth, crystalglass was first harvested unknowingly during ritual raids on sun-mirror villages, when scorched sand beneath the dead was pulled back and found to hold “frozen light.” It has since become a symbol of endurance through exposure, a flame that hardened rather than burned.
Discovery
The earliest recorded use of crystalglass appears in a Zolan sun-temple archive from nearly eight centuries ago, referencing a bowl used to separate truth from falsehood. It was later refined in Qirinan arcane forges during their experiments with refractive magical matrices, leading to its black-market value rising across major ports.
Durrozhonth claims to have “birthed it in battle” first, though no records confirm this—only oral epics and bone-etched dueling masks.
Everyday use
In everyday life, crystalglass is far too rare for common use but appears in temple instruments, noble dueling tools, and high ritual focus objects. In Qirina, it is occasionally fashioned into surgical lenses for magical reconstruction procedures, while in Zola, shards are worn in braided cords during festivals to reflect lies away from the speaker.
Cultural Significance and Usage
Ritual use includes sun mirrors, eye-forging bowls, and initiation masks. Crystalglass is also burned as an offering during Desert Solstice Rites, its vapor forming shimmering arcs visible only to those with open minds.
Refinement
Raw crystalglass must be etched, cooled, and reinforced. The Zolan process includes binding it with goldleaf symbols and bathing it in sacred ash. In Durrozhonth, shard-tempering involves tapping the glass while heating it over volcanic steam, listening for flawless tone—a process more art than science.
It cannot be melted and reshaped conventionally; instead, it must be fractured and regrown in magical kilns fueled by leyline runoff or sun-catalysts.
Byproducts & Sideproducts
Crystalglass refinement occasionally yields a powdery slag, called Sunwaste, which is collected by Zolan scribes and used in protective glyph powders. In Durrozhonth, this byproduct is scattered across training grounds before warrior trials to scatter illusion magic.
Hazards
Unrefined crystalglass emits low levels of radiant bleed, which can cause eye strain, mild burns, or magical fatigue if left exposed to direct sunlight. Inhaling its powdered form (usually during chiseling or engraving) causes temporary blindness or sunhallucinations. It is non-toxic to the environment, but if shattered in large quantities, can disrupt spellflow in a small area, acting like an anti-magic echo.
Reusability & Recycling
Broken crystalglass can be melted down into scrying fragments, used in magical filtration devices, or even ground into spell-light paint for scrolls and sigils. Its ability to hold memory and resonance makes it highly reusable by those with the knowledge to shape it.
Its value is extremely high. Zolan crystalglass is considered more elegant and pure, while Durrozhonth shards are prized for battle-strength and heat-forging properties.
Distribution
Trade & Market
Crystalglass is rare and highly coveted, particularly in Qirina, where arcane engineers will pay dearly for whole sheets. Zolan temples trade it only through sanctioned priesthoods, while Durrozhonth sells or barters shards through ritual duel markets or salvage caravans. It is sometimes smuggled, though the risk of magical shatter-explosions during transport makes this rare.
Storage
Crystalglass must be stored in padded, obsidian-lined cases with rune-masking cloth to avoid accidental activation. It is often packed in lunar dust or mirrored sand, and must not be stacked or it may hum and crack.
Law & Regulation
Most nations require arcane licenses for transport or refinement, and in Zola, the unlicensed possession of crystalglass shards is punishable by magical branding and exile.
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