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Many kinds of quartz exist in Elanthia, each with its
own unusual appearance and quirks. Color is the primary matter that
differentiates the varieties of quartz: carnelian quartz is
primarily orange to red, citrine quartz is lemon yellow, rose quartz
is blush pink, blue quartz is a striking robin's-egg color, smoky
quartz is grey with a possible hint of violet, and milky quartz is
white. Cat's-eye quartz is grey and black with a distinctive silver
line that results in its name. Rainbow quartz contains every color
in wide, even stripes. Amethyst is said to be the purple variety of
quartz, but its lore is addressed in its own category, as is the
lore of rock crystal. Various types of
quartz are located all across Elanthia.
According to sylvan lore, blue quartz is found at
the top of the sky, and it is a sacred stone to the greater spirit
Jaston. After his death in the Ur-Daemon War, Jaston was returned to
life by the permission of Lorminstra and the will of Imaera, and
Imaera had given six marvelous white-feathered wings to him. Imaera
charged him to be the patron of birds and the caretaker of the Four
Winds, but, before he took on these duties, the Arkati permitted him
to go and speak with his people, who were awed by the wondrous
transformation. Seeing his wings, a sylvan child asked him what lay
at the top of the sky, and the spirit promised to find out. He flew
so high that they could not see him, and he did not return for six
days. When he came back, he bore a piece of quartz in his hand that
was just as blue as the sky, and he gave it to the child, telling
her, "This is at the top of the sky." Seeing the stone's beauty,
other children asked for similar pieces of quartz, and, the sylvans
say, Jaston has never forgotten them -- from time to time, he will
go to the top of the sky and bring back more blue quartz, scattering
it through the world for children's delight.
Halflings of the Shirelands enjoy scaring each
other around a late-night fire with a story about a carved carnelian
dragon that came to life and ate livestock. As a general rule,
however, halflings consider carnelian quartz to be an ill-luck stone
and prefer not to wear it. In particular, the Paradis seem to draw
some association between carnelian and demon-summoning, although the
Faendryl have never found any such connection (to the annoyance of
many experimenters) and dismiss the matter as foolish superstition.
Halflings also attribute a number of powers to
rose quartz, but these are beneficial rather than malicious.
Supposedly, carrying a rose quartz crystal or wearing a rose quartz
amulet engraved with a wildflower will bring you true love, and
giving a piece of rose quartz jewelry to someone that you love will
place them under Oleani's protection so long as the person wears it.
Human stone-tenders also attribute benign power to rose quartz; they
use it to restore lost blood, to lessen bruising, and to mend cuts
and scratches.
Citrine quartz is sometimes called "Grandfather's
stone" or, alternately, "folly's stone." This dates to a young
Illistim alchemist's discovery that, when sufficiently heated,
amethyst will transform into citrine. In usefulness, this was
considered to be a feat akin to transforming gold into lead, as
amethyst is deemed more valuable and attractive than citrine. The
young alchemist held the knowledge-hungry Fash'lo'nae as his patron,
but he was studying with a master who preferred the ways of the wise
Arkati Lumnis. According to the story, when the master alchemist
came by to see the apprentice's progress, he stared at the chunk of
citrine and slowly said, "My student, just because you _can_ does
not mean that you _should_." Disgusted by his master's rejection of
his discovery, the student determined to find three useful things
about citrine, which he did. First, he discovered that citrine,
being attuned to the element of fire, is particularly useful for
holding a warming enchantment that will fend off the cold of
Whistler's Pass. Second, he discovered that citrine may be used to
divine destructive impulses in others. Third, although his master
was unimpressed, the apprentice discovered that humans are quite
superstitious about eye-cut citrines. Possessing a distinct sadistic
streak, he was quite pleased about the stories of the "man with an
eye of yellow fire" that followed his travels in human lands. In
Phannus, where divination is practiced with the greatest skill in
the Turamzzyrian Empire, cat's-eye quartz is said to divine malice
and danger. If worn by someone with the proper sensitivity, it will
grow cold and tingle when in the presence of an enemy. Rangers and
worshippers of Andelas who hail from Seareach are particularly prone
to carrying the jewel.
Smoky quartz is favored by the Grishnkel Wolf
Clan, and many of these giantmen will wear small wolf talismans
carved from smoky quartz in addition to their traditional glaes
armbands. Smoky quartz is said to help people blend into the shadows
and to avoid detection. It is nicknamed the "stone of spies" in the
Turamzzyrian Empire. Diviners say that smoky quartz will assist in
revealing the presence of deception, but not its nature.
The Wendwillow gnomes know a peculiar story
regarding leopard quartz. According to the story, there once was a
leopard that was delighted to see another leopard when he looked in
a puddle. He wanted to play with the other leopard, but, when he
pawed at the pool, the other leopard ran away. The leopard was very
disappointed, and he searched all over the world to find his leopard
friend. Again and again, the first leopard found the second leopard
in puddles and pools, but the other leopard always ran away when the
first leopard tried to play. One day, however, the first leopard
came to a place where the dwarves had been mining quartz, and he saw
the second leopard in the polished surface of a quartz vein. The
leopard ran over to greet his friend, and, instead of colliding with
the rock, he passed straight into the quartz. This turned the quartz
all spotty. Somewhere inside any piece of leopard quartz, the two
leopards are still playing together. Like most Wendwillow stories,
it does not have a reliable moral, but the gnomes who retell it
always seem pleased with the conclusion.
Quartz - rock crystal, the most common gem variety of quartz
crystal, is, like all quartz, formed from the two most abundant
elements in the earth's crust: silicon and oxygen. Quartz is
colorless and transparent. Other
colors of quartz have special names such as:
rose quartz,
citrine, and
amethyst.
The name "quartz" comes from the Greek word "krustallos",
meaning ice, because it was thought that quartz was ice formed by
the gods. The Chinese believed that rock crystal quenched
thirst when held in the mouth.
Throughout history, quartz has been the common
chameleon of gemstones, standing in for more expensive gemstones
ranging from diamond to
jade. But the incredible variety of
quartz is now beginning to be appreciated for its own sake.
Using a gazing globe made out of rock crystal, future was foretold
by magicians from all over the world. Even now, many people
believe that wearing quartz crystals benefits a person's health and
spiritual well-being.
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