Arn Froststrider's Black Stone
Also known as: the warm stone, Arn's relic, the dead rune stone
Arn Froststrider's Black Stone is a fist-sized fragment of dark, smooth stone recovered from the ruins of a pre-Frostborn structure whose origin is unknown to current scholarship. Unlike every other material found in the Frostbound Wastes, the Black Stone is permanently warm to the touch — not uncomfortably so, but with a steady, unwavering heat that persists regardless of ambient temperature, season, or any magical influence applied to it. It is entirely impervious to runic inscription: runes attempted on its surface simply do not form, the markings fading within hours regardless of the care taken in their application. Its dark color and absolute resistance to both the cold and to Runecraft make it one of the most anomalous objects in Frostborn possession.
Artifact Details
- Type
- Relic
- Rarity
- Unique
- Origin
- Discovered by the hunter Arn Froststrider during a deep-ice expedition several generations ago while exploring structural remnants beneath the ice in the far northern territories — ruins that no other Frostborn record mentions and whose location Arn reportedly could not relocate after returning with the Stone. The fragment's nature as a piece of pre-Frost-Spirit civilization ruins is the leading theory among Frostborn shamans, though what that civilization was, how it produced a material impervious to Runecraft, and why it vanished are questions that remain entirely without answers.
- Current Owner
- Held in the Frozen Archive under the authority of the Council of Chiefs, available for scholarly examination by approved parties.
Overview
Arn Froststrider's Black Stone is a unique relic in Landorya. Its known origin is Discovered by the hunter Arn Froststrider during a deep-ice expedition several generations ago while exploring structural remnants beneath the ice in the far northern territories — ruins that no other Frostborn record mentions and whose location Arn reportedly could not relocate after returning with the Stone. The fragment's nature as a piece of pre-Frost-Spirit civilization ruins is the leading theory among Frostborn shamans, though what that civilization was, how it produced a material impervious to Runecraft, and why it vanished are questions that remain entirely without answers.. It is currently associated with Held in the Frozen Archive under the authority of the Council of Chiefs, available for scholarly examination by approved parties.. Its most cited abilities include Permanent, unwavering warmth regardless of any external condition or magical influence, Complete immunity to runic inscription of any known type, and Resistance to all cold-based magic — frost spells cast upon it are absorbed without effect. Accounts also warn of a drawback: Those who hold the Black Stone for extended periods report an unsettling quality to its warmth — not comfortable heat but something that feels subtly wrong in…
History
Arn Froststrider brought the Stone to the Council of Chiefs upon return from his expedition, recognizing that something so anomalous should not remain in private hands. It has been held in the Archive ever since, examined by every significant shaman and scholar who has visited Frosthold. Elder Astrid Longmemory has written that the Stone is her most compelling reason to believe that the Frostborn's oral history, which begins with Glacius's creation of the world, is missing an earlier chapter.
Powers & Abilities
- ✦ Permanent, unwavering warmth regardless of any external condition or magical influence
- ✦ Complete immunity to runic inscription of any known type
- ✦ Resistance to all cold-based magic — frost spells cast upon it are absorbed without effect
- ✦ Faint vibration detectable by touch that some shamans describe as a heartbeat
- ✦ Apparent immunity to physical degradation — its surface shows no weathering despite unknown age
Curse or Drawback
Those who hold the Black Stone for extended periods report an unsettling quality to its warmth — not comfortable heat but something that feels subtly wrong in a landscape defined by cold, as though the Stone exists slightly out of alignment with the world around it. Some shamans refuse to touch it at all.