[✓] [World Lore] - Chorustones

[NightOfTheWind 3226]

Chorustones

 

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Background

A mineral that has been around for some time, only to be discovered in this era. Magic is a strange thing, and can affect the land in ways that some may find to be strange. The exact origin of how Chorustone was found in the first place is a debated topic amongst amateur historians, though only one story through word of mouth is the real one; in a part of Aevos exposed to much magic, a group of men were sent to set up a stone quarry. It took many months for it to be shaped and excavated, and one night a small cave was exposed–a wall of pale amber crystals visible in the moonlight. Entering the cave took bravery as the miners could hear multiple voices coming from within, although no one was found. It was not until later that they learned why this had happened. The crystals were mined and sent to their capital to be appraised; amongst the excavators was someone that was able to perceive something strange about the cave, and when they sought to bring some of the stone home they found it changed into a red crystal overnight. It took some time and much research before the crystal’s properties were researched and perceived, along with the connection between the moonlight and the sudden shift between crystal and stone. They found that the crystals only seemed to appear within already-existing cave systems where there had been a high population of mages or events relating to magic. After some time, these stones were given the name Chorustone, and were rapidly sought out by mages after an article of their properties were published. Since its discovery, it’s been given many more names by different groups depending on the region such as Chimestones, Tonestones or Quorus whilst those with a flair for the dramatics have simply called them the Singing Stones. It’s also been dubbed with more unique names such as Suundstones and Glymjarok by the dwarven people or Blahgund by uruk kind.

Description (Raw Form)

In its initial state, Chorustone looks exactly like and has the same properties as regular stone. There is nothing magical about the rock whatsoever besides one property, which is why it has evaded the attention of any prying eyes for so long. This property is how expert foragers of Chorustone gather the material; by first gaining the ability to see the flows of mana, either through some source such as alchemy or through some unnatural ability. When perceived this way, the stone can be seen in its gemstone form, although its color is dull and gray. They’re usually abundant in a few medium-sized clusters lining the caverns they manage to form in. Chorustone is completely useless in its stone form and has no applications until it is revealed to the moonlight–however, it’s preferred by many that if necessary the stone must be shaped and filed before refining it.

Spoiler

Red Lines (Raw Form)

♦ Chorustone is a player-signed material and therefore does not require an ST signature.

♦ Chorustone in its raw form (before being exposed to the moonlight) can be seen as a gray gemstone when looked at with something or someone able to perceive the flow of mana (like arcana flow goggles).
♦ Chorustone only appears in already-existing cave systems beneath a place that is familiar to any concentration of mana-based magic or mages.

Refining Technique

As stated prior, the connection between Chorustone and the moon is currently unknown and yet the fact remains that they are closely linked. The way to refine this strange stone was discovered by accident, and is an easy yet mysterious process. Should Chorustone in its unrefined, stone-like state be open to the moonlight for a few mere moments, the stone would crystallize to form a slightly opaque gemstone, its shape remaining the same. The combination of the mana in the air as well as its ability to change composition in the moonlight causes it to retain mana-compatible properties. Refining the stone has shown that the color of its crystallized form depends on the phase of the moon. To put it simply:

 ⊳ Full Moon - White or Black
⊳ Waning Gibbous - Red
⊳ Third Quarter - Green
⊳ Waning Crescent - Violet
⊳ Waxing Gibbous - Yellow
⊳ First Quarter - Blue
⊳ Waxing Crescent - Orange

Spoiler

Red Lines (Refining Technique)

♦ Chorustone’s color cannot be changed after refinement, and must follow the guidelines above to see what color is given. Any shade of color is fine as long as it’s a shade of that color.

Description (Refined Form)

The refined version of this stone is mainly why it is sought after especially by mages due to its uses and connections with magic. On the surface, Chorustone in its true state seems like any other crystal. After crystallizing, it becomes more durable than stone and gains a colored hue. The color of this hue depends on the state of the moon; mages that share their experience of refining their first Chorustone all assume a superstition that each Chorustone is unique as they come in different shades and the brighter the shade of that color, the more gifted they will become in whatever mystical arts they’re studying. Perhaps its most curious property and the reason why it got its name is the stone’s ability to produce sound. Large clusters of Chorustone, such as the patches found in caves when they are exposed to moonlight, resonate with each other and harmonize to form strange and mysterious melodies. For this reason, some do not attempt to excavate the Chorustone or moderate how much others attempt to attain.

Applications (Refined Form)

Surprisingly, the ability to change material and sing aren’t the only properties this gemstone has. Chorustone has many applications discovered mainly by mages who first attempted to attach them to their wands or staffs due to their appearance. In doing so, they found that the Chorustone resonated with their casting and allowed them to use it as a focus point for showing the tells of their mana-based magics. Moreover, they found that they were able to cast spells from that point as if the gemstone was a part of their body, giving a deeper connection between the mage and their chosen tool. The Chorustone becomes a conduit for their spell, and is able to change the hue of the caster's magical aura should the mage desire. The Singing Stones are objects with a voice, and once given a dose of their wielder’s mana the Chorustone’s voice is changed to reflect the spell or casting tell that causes the gemstone to glow. These sounds usually mirror what is being cast through them and can change pitch based on the swish or movement of the stone.
After finding much of what Chorustone had to offer, those who wanted to see what else they could gain from this material took their stones to those who were experts in processing such minerals. In doing so they found that the gemstones had strange properties when put under extreme heat, and they were able to melt down into a gel-like substance that would harden after a while in contact with the air. This not only allowed craftsmen to shape Chorustone like glass, but it also allowed them to mix two or more gels together to create different colors or seal things within the material–an aesthetic choice of many mages. This process did not come without its grievances, as they found melting down the Chorustone multiple times caused it to become weaker and thinner with each melting cycle until it became like water and wasn’t able to harden again. Though this too could possibly have its use to the more creative mind, such as tattoos made from the liquid.

Spoiler

Red Lines (Refined Form)

♦ Chorustone in its refined form is more durable and harder than stone, but melting it down and allowing it to harden in a mold or cast multiple times over weakens the material each time (by how much is up to the player), until it's not able to harden anymore and remains a liquid. 
♦ Chorustone in its liquid as well as its gelatinous states still retains the same properties as its more durable counterpart, save for the fact that its singing property sounds more drowned out the thinner it is.
♦ Casting spells from Chroustone can only be used in a way that allows it so that nothing changes about the spell, no combative advantages are allowed, it only adds another aesthetic of casting magic.
♦ The larger the piece of Chorustone, the louder the voice it emits is so a staff would produce a greater sound than a wand. However, this effect is only for aesthetics and cannot be used to gain a combative advantage.
♦ Mages that rely on mana may transmit their tells or a simple glow to Chorustone if and only if they are wielding it–they cannot do it remotely from a distance.
♦ Only mages that rely on mana-based magics may use Chorustone’s mystical properties (such as Voidal magic or Housemagery)

♦  Chorustone can be used as a casting point for Voidal, Deific, and other types of Magic as long as they use mana as their power source. This includes a mana-source under another name.

Harvesting Method

Harvesting Chorustone in its unrefined form is exactly like harvesting regular stone. All of the difficulty in harvesting Chorustone comes from whether or not the one gathering it is actually gathering it. It’s not uncommon for those gathering this elusive mineral to end up with plain old rocks instead. Having all the same properties of stone in its default state, any mundane tools like a pick or hammer and chisel may be useful. On the other hand, harvesting Chorustone in its refined, crystallized form is a bit more challenging as it is more durable than its duller counterpart–a sharper tool like a pick and a steady hand is required to mine it from the walls of the cave it had formed in.

 

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Spoiler

Final Words

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Purpose

Chorustone is something I made with the intent to improve casting aesthetics but also have the ability to give more life sound-wise to magic which I personally think is a side of roleplay that many seem to forget about when emoting casting tells.
 

Citations

Made by @Xx_BloodStalk_xX

 

[Ardory 2978]

Infinity Gauntlet.

[winterblood 11181]

nice ultralore, ultracal - this will be ultraaccepted because your ultraname is ultragreen right?

[Islamadon 9158]

of course the djinn is trying to recolor voidal fire through crystals . . .

[NightOfTheWind 3226]

16 minutes ago, Islamadon said:

of course the djinn is trying to recolor voidal fire through crystals . . .

i know alchemy oppenheimer isnt talking to me rn

[Mescaffier 6197]

Focus crystals with the Quietus spell dye effect 🔫🔫🔫

[Rusty Derringer 1182]

Orange is my favorite lightsaber color.

[Pharoahdabz_yt 121]

What happens if we layer the stones? 

[NightOfTheWind 3226]

13 hours ago, BenVader said:

What happens if we layer the stones? 

 
They will work as one Chorustone-- this is how you make different colors or different patterns. If you combine two Chorustones in their gel form, they'll mix like paint. So mixing White Chorustone Gel and Red Chorustone Gel would give you Pink Chorustone Gel, which can be hardened into a Pink Chorustone Crystal over time. You can do the same thing with liquids of course. 
Mixing the two Gels can give you a complete solid color or a mixture of the two depending on how well you mix it. Like I said, it's like paint. The blue and purple crystal picture in the post is an example of this. Two colors in one crystal. 
Mixing Chorustone Gel with a Chorustone Crystal would give you This same affect, which is what layering the stones would be. 

tl;dr, make whatever color/design/pattern you want for your Chorustone using these methods, but know it'll only be ONE singular Chorustone. 

[Islamadon 9158]

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.