[✓] [World Lore] Glimmerstone

[Xx_BloodStalk_xX 2120]

Glimmerstone

Art by @Spleen

 

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Background

Found mainly in mines with low maintenance, this material was first recorded to have been found by one dwarven miner who had found a patch of them growing along the walls of his family’s private mine- which had been abandoned for years. The material was dubbed ‘Glimmerstone’ due to its texture and its likeness to many other minerals. Another quirk that was evident on first contact upon Glimmerstone was that when in complete darkness it proves specks of colored light across its outermost layer. For a good amount of time, not much was known about this material as many dwarves deemed it bad luck and unnecessary to remove from their mines due to how it lit their paths for them, saving them fossil fuels that they could use for many other uses.
Although this practice had not stayed for long, as it was quickly researched by more curious dwarves. Over the course of a few short years, Glimmerstone was found to not be the stone it had been named, but rather a fungus that only held a likeness to the minerals it looked like at first-glance. Along with this, they had found that the reason it only grew in man-made caves is because it only grows under very specific conditions. When miners use tools made from rusted metal, the particles of rust stick onto the walls of the cave and serve as food for the fungus to grow into its first state, something resembling white mold. It is speculated that the reason why Glimmerstone was not discovered earlier is because miners left their caves at the sight of the mold, or carelessly scraped it off due to the fear that it was bad for their health.

 

Glimmerstone, in its natural state

Description (Raw Form)

In the present, Glimmerstone is known as a plant that bears resemblance to a brittle, brownish-red stone that clings to the walls of mines. It easily crumbles under the pressure of one’s hand, only to briefly release a harmless cloud of smoke, recognizable as its spores. When a few small patches of Glimmerstone have grown, it offers enough light to illuminate a small mine in the dark, the color of these small specks seeming to be random yet always holding one solid color per patch. Originating only from damp and dark environments, this fungi first appears as a white mold that feeds upon the rust it grows from. While it expands and hardens, its mycelium begins to grow outward and sticks to the walls it forms upon. Not long after it gains its hard exterior its outermost layer gains its thin specks of bioluminescent light, always holding a solid color that is bright enough to light a small area of the cave it's in, making it easy to spot. Regarding its size, Glimmerstone can vary from its smallest recorded diameter being 7.4 inches and 14.8 at its largest.

A ring lined with Glimmerstone paint

Applications (Raw Form)

Glimmerstone was first used in its natural and untouched state to light the many mines it inhabits. It has many uses now, although it is mainly used by dwarves due to the amount of time they spend underground. After it was studied however the dwarves found that even after the fungus has ceased to live it still retains its soft speckled glow. Due to this fact many craftsmen incorporate this fungus into their paints and ceramic clay by grinding it into such in order to give their works of art speckles of light, an example of this could be to have the lights of a Glimmerstone reveal its glow in black paint - proving stars in a mural of a night sky. Another use however is its effective property in treating rusted metal. Treating a ferrous weapon with Glimmerstone spores can allow it to restore its material while it grows. Although, if left alone for too long after it has fully grown, the Glimmerstone will damage the metal by eating away at small patches of it after consuming the rust. Fortunately, adding crushed Glimmerstone to a base of paint or water only seems to dull its affinity to eat away at metal and keeps the pattern of its unique glow intact.

 

Spoiler

Red Lines (Raw Form)

• The hue of a single Glimmerstone’s light cannot be multicolored. The only colors that it can be are blue, green, yellow, pink, purple, red, orange, and white.
• The light of a Glimmerstone only carries itself in small specks that is binded to the plant itself, as well as not holding enough per patch to collect a ton of. Therefore, it is impossible to concentrate all of it into a specific area. It cannot replace something like Lunarite's brilliant gleam, or Night Glow's concentrated radiance.
• Glimmerstone cannot dissolve metal, but rather slightly dulls the edge of a blade or its surface after an extended period of time after it has fully grown.
• Glimmerstone is not safe to eat, the fungus producing a horrible stomach ache if consumed due to its terrible taste and heavy texture. This is in no way lethal, and simply acts as a flavorful consequence for someone who attempts to digest it.
• Glimmerstone easily crumbles after being squeezed into the palm of one's hand; it is also about as durable as any other fungus underwater, but under any heavy rapids it breaks apart. It does not wash off easily if it is mixed with any base or paint however.

 

Harvesting Method

Harvesting Glimmerstone is fairly straightforward, so long as one carries a steady hand and the right tools. To do so, one must first locate the roots spread under the base of the fungus, then must carefully scrape it away from the wall it is clinging to. If the roots are severed then the plant will end up dying, and if the Glimmerstone itself is broken, its spores will be released into the air and it will begin to wilt. These are the most common outcomes for failure. Otherwise if the roots are scraped away from the surface the Glimmerstone is growing upon then it has been successfully harvested. 
To grow Glimmerstone from scratch, one must first locate some rust. The most common way of doing this is to take a piece of rusted metal and release the spores of Glimmerstone onto it, all the while having it be somewhere dark and moist for the fungus to grow nicely. After one month (24 OOC hours) the rust will begin to recede into a patch of white mold. The two months will consist of the Glimmerstone reaching adulthood in which the mold will begin to expand and then harden into its more well-known form. In conclusion, it takes three months (72 OOC hours) to grow Glimmerstone.

 

Spoiler

Harvesting Red Lines

• Increased pressure upon Glimmerstone will cause the plant to crumble into multiple pieces, forcing it to release its spores. This means that it has also ceased to live.
• Severing the roots from the Glimmerstone will result in the fungus dying, but it will still retain its unique bioluminescence.
• Glimmerstone takes three OOC days to grow from scratch, and a full patch cannot be grown unless from a pre-existing piece of the plant’s spores. The more rust there is, the more Glimmerstone will grow in a single patch.
• Since Glimmerstone is a player-signed material harvesting it is entirely up to a player's individual roleplay.

 

Item Description

A plant that fits in the palm of one’s hand, resembling a brownish-red stone in both texture and weight. This material is known as Glimmerstone; when in complete darkness, specks of solid light glow from the surface of this fungus to light one’s path.

 

Spoiler

General Red Lines

•  Glimmerstone is a player-signed material, and does not require an ST signature. 
• Glimmerstone nodes can be represented by generally any light source block to show different colors, such as a magma block.
• Glimmerstone can be represented by any item for the sake of convenience, but the standard are bricks or firework charges with dyes mixed in.
• It is possible for a druid to commune with Glimmerstone, due to it being a fungus. If its spores are released, it can no longer be communed with as it has technically ceased to live.

 

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Spoiler

Final Words

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Purpose

We wanted to provide a flavorful way to add onto dwarven architecture and we thought something like Glimmerstone offered enough to subtly add onto that without bringing something completely new to the mix.
 

Citations

Made by @Titanium430 and @Xx_BloodStalk_xX
Cover Art by @Spleen

 

Spoiler

Change Log:
- Changed the General Red Lines due to a copy/paste mistake. Important clarifications now added.

- Added clarification on druidic communion.

- Added clarification on pre-existing redlines.

- Added clarification on Glimmerstone's raw form. 

- Added clarification on the making of Glimmerstone-lined materials.

 

[Nooblius 5794]

lunarite 2 electric boogaloo

[H3nree 342]

Pog⁉️⁉️

[Norgeth 1110]

Titanium Lore?! Wowzers! Its good too! how wonderful! +1

[DahStalker 2839]

yh 1+

[Luciloo 2649]

Love it  +1

[Glade 521]

Looks nice +1

[Slorbin 1771]

make it edible 😡 😡 😡 😡 

[Xx_BloodStalk_xX 2120]

8 hours ago, Slorbin said:

make it edible <img src="> <img src="> <img src="> <img src="> 

There is actually I reason why I specified Glimmerstone being inedible.

So, giving a tl;dr of the lore Glimmerstone can do three main things without the need for heavy player creativity; lighting paths, added detail to player items and murals amongst the dwarven community, as well as its ability to treat rusted metal.
I thought since Glimmerstone can do so much stuff already, I might as well make it inedible since I know someone is going to try and put it in their mouths. 

[squakhawk 7303]

This Lore has been accepted. Moved to Implemented Lore, it will be sorted to it's appropriate category soon. Please note that if this is playable lore, such as a magic or CA, you will need to write a guide for this piece. You will be contacted regarding the guide (or implementation if it isn’t needed) shortly.