Golden
Five or more Hall of Honour voters raise a submission to Golden.
These are not ordinary gems, these are Thrar Stones. They are rocks that have been caught in the trunks of growing trees. Over thousands of years they are forged from stone to gem.
Gems, Diamonds, Crystal, Gold, Silver and all other valuable metals are made beneath the great weight of mother earth over millions of years. Though there are some that differ from this, like pearls which are forged in shells. This made me think, in what other ways(fantasy ways mind you), could precious metals be made?
Thrar Stones
There is a certain kind of trees named Silver Fir’s in the common tounge. Of old they are called Shelegran`s. These trees can grow to be up to a 100 meters long and have thick trunks. The wood is black and hard as stone. The needles are of a slight silver color(as the name suggests). No one has yet seen the natural death of a Silver Fir, at least there are no records of it, but the oldest one recorded is six thousands years(roughly). When these trees are at a young stage in their life, different objects can be melded into their trunks as they grow. Over thousands of years being polished and gnawed upon under a tremendous amount of pressure by this hard rock like wood, they are slowly forged into gems.
These gems are of a deep brown color with a hint of a slight glow from within. Their size may wary but none has been seen one bigger than a hand. Usually they are the size of a thumb. They are perfectly round and smooth.
They are so rare, as are the trees that many consider them only a legend or mythic. It is said that the tree slowly work the stones out of the trunks, this also helps in the process of their making, constantly being moved slightly out of the tree. When they have made their long yourney towards the light(lasting three thousand years or so), they fall from the tree like ripe fruit.
Though other say that there is a tool made of old to cut the wood of the Silver Fir. But the secret of these tools are lost and new gems will never appear. The Thar Stones are are subject to many stories and theories like these. But nontheless, there are people that claim to own them. Some even suggests the idea of a secret underground marked that trade in these stones and sell them to rich collector. If you are ever offered to buy one of a simple merchant on the street it is guaranteed to be a fake.
There are also many stories concerning the different magical properties of this gem, great powers, strenght and so forth. But none of these are true, it is true however that the owner of one is slightly more lucky than what normal folks are.
Magical Properties:
Said to hold the power of true luck.
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Whoa, lots of questions for me Ria, I will try answering them one by one.
1. More of a psychological thing since I am wery a wery low magic person.
2. No magical properties in the trees, least none discovered.
Nobody knows how to get bark loose from the trunk.
3. The trees grow in the deep, deep woods in the given fantasy world which you choose too place them in(a temperated zone).
4. No one have heard of the stones being used in spells. But since they are so rair and mythical a wizard might try.
X. There are some qualities the stones have that I can not mention as of yet since they are currently being used in the online RPG here in Strolen; The meeting in Rhur Corell.
I like this. It's an interesting way for a gem to be created. I can see that Simply FINDING one of these trees in the middle of an unexplored forest might be considered a good omen. And to find a Thrar gem at the base of the tree would be magnificent. I imagine due to their rarity, they could be sold to gem collecters for quite a hefty sum.
4/5
Pretty good.
I like it, though I don't really understand the concept of 'true luck'.
4/5.
This is a really impressive idea. I would think,and this is just my extrapolation of the idea, is that the trees would only grow in areas of a certain magical nature, such as the confluence on ley lines, or other sites of power. Even better in a low magic setting as the trees would be both rare, and hard to find.
4/4
Conserning the consept of true luck;
People say that things, items, artifacts bring them luck.
People say that going under a ladder or breking a mirror brings bad luck. But there are limits to how much they really belive in it. You could say that this is my lucky hat!
But though you consider it to be your lucky hat, would anyone else that wears it feel this luck of yours? I would say no!
But conserning the stones however, they are said to bring luck to everyone that owns them. They are a 'breed' of lucky stones:) Whereas your hat brings 'luck' to only you...
Did I make the consept a little bit more clear?
Hope so.
Got to love it!
I have similar tree-made gems in Coldforged, though the actual process is different. In Coldforged some rare trees' resin harden over time into metallic, yet translucent and coloured stones. The elves have learned to shape these and often arrow heads are made of this material.
I will post these items when the Coldforged Equipment List is published
Very good.They could be set in a royal crown because of their rareity.
Should not be lost...
To me, Thrar Stones evoke a grim northern land of boreal primeval old-growth. Maybe bears and boars sometimes swallow these gems confused as to their nature. One in a thousand hunters might find these stones in the bladders and stomachs of said creatures
Pearls of the Forests...Great stuff!!
Iiiiinteresting.
Updated: Tightened it up a little, added bold and such.
Can't really add much that hasn't already been said, other than to point out that I really like this.
Simple, believable and not too powerful - with an added touch of mystery
To be honest, I'm only commenting to bring this back onto the front page - because it really deserves to be read
Anyway: 4/5 for adding a bit of mystery to and gameworld
What has emerged from the silent tombs of the citadel?! :D
A Golden Sub? That's just. I don't know what to call it. Thank you everebody.
I cast the deciding vote. :)
5/5 For a very well thought out item.
Congratulations on the Golden.
I, like DL would like this to grace the front page once again for some of our newer members to feast their eyes on..
Forgot to HoH it, please excuse the double post.
I imagine these would be considered far more valuable than mined gemstones due to their rarity and the process that creates them.
In a higher magic setting they would work well for holding enchantments (ie, being turned into magic items.)
A deceptively simple concept, that could still use some expanding. You say that 'different objects can be melded into their trunks', yet mention no variation in the type of stone that appears. This seems like such a waste! Can you imagine the variation in powers, colors and shapes you could get by experimenting with bits of bone, metal, wood, etc?
Artifacts of power, originally arrowheads or other weapons embedded into the trees during battle, could resurface after millennia. Thousand-year feuds could resurface when these relics of the past are dropped into the unwitting laps of an adventuring party. I could write a dozen subs based on this one idea and still not exhaust the subject. Well done!
Dossta,
I agree, it is a simple idea that could easily be expanded upon. As it is my second in the citadel post made nine years ago I am a bit reluctant to expand on the post itself. But, if anyone feels like adding to it I would more than welcome just that.
But your lengthy comment opens up an important discussion. How long do our posts need to be if the basic idea is a good one? I will not voice my opinions myself, suffice to say: I have made written extremely long plots and short and sweet items like this one.
Predicting what others will find useful or wondrous is not easy, and right there we are at the core of what Strolens is or should be. Anyway, glad you liked it.
*Withdrawing once again into lurking mode aka background static*
What an excellent item to bring to the world, and one need not grant any magic for it to be worthwhile! Like other gemstones, the Thar stones have their uses for rituals, magic, alchemy and folklore. Pearls of the Forest might have been a more evocative title, but still, a great post.