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Feystone occurs in two distinct varieties: periwinkle
feystone and violet feystone. It is not considered a true gem, but
an artifact of magic. Every feystone has four layers, which can be
clearly distinguished from one another when looking at the gem. The
outermost layer is transparent and violet-hued, the second layer
sparkles with hundreds of tiny silvery vaalin inclusions, the third
layer is reflective enough to produce a distorted image of the
jewel's surroundings, and the core of the stone glows. Feystones are
found only in cabochon form, though it is possible to facet them if
proper care is taken. The largest known feystones are the size of a
pebble, while the smallest are the size of a grain of sand.
It is commonly known that feystones are created by
the fey, a marvelously magical race living deep within Wyrdeep
Forest. They leave their wooded home only rarely, but those who live
closest to the Wyrdeep avoid feystone for fear of attracting fey
attention. The man foolish enough to enter Wyrdeep and unlucky
enough to encounter one of the fey may be blessed or cursed at a
whim, helpless in a place where no magic save that of the fey works
reliably and where time itself may be twisted to seal his fate.
Those who venture in and avoid fey attention are sometimes lucky
enough to find feystones lying upon the ground. Some call this the
blessing of the fey upon a good soul, for those who enter from
desperation instead of greed seem more likely to emerge again. Some
others believe the fey bless none but their own and say that bad
luck follows their stones.
Because most people avoid the Wyrdeep, it would
seem as if feystone should be far more rare than it is, but there is
another source. Feystone can often be found in the possession of
orcs, trolls, and other bestial yet intelligent creatures that roam
through the wilderness surrounding the elven city-states. Why this
should be, not even the orcs or trolls can say -- even under
torture, they shake their heads dumbly or say, “I found it on the
ground.” Considering the vast amount of feystone recovered from such
creatures, it seems as though there must be a hidden lode somewhere,
but no research of this kind has ever borne fruit. Even to the
scholars of Ta’Illistim, the surfeit of feystone so far from its
only known source is a great mystery.
Most jewelers will not facet a feystone because of
the great difficulty involved in doing so. It is safe to reshape the
outermost layer and the vaalin-flecked layer, but even the lightest
scratch along the reflective layer will cause the feystone to be
ruined, for its glow will die and the rest of the stone will turn
opaque grey.
Because of the fragility of the stone, feystone is
most often worn in earrings, pendants, ferronierres, or other
protected pieces of jewelry; rings, bracelets, and anklets rarely
last intact beyond a month or so. This led to a rather odd insult in
Ta'Vaalor; if a Vaalorian says "That man would put feystone on his
armor" or "That man would put feystone on his shield," then it means
that the person in question is a fool with little to no combat
experience.
Feystone produces odd, chaotic effects when
mingled with spirit magics. As a result, few practitioners of such
magic are willing to wear the jewel, not wishing to offend the
greater or lesser spirits with a feystone-twisted spell. There are
two exceptions, however: Wendwillow gnomes and worshippers of Zelia.
Both appreciate feystone because they delight in the peculiar
distortions that it causes. Aside from the spiritual distortions,
feystone is inert to the three spheres of magic known to Elanthia. |
