Lumen-Crystals
Also known as: Glow-Prisms, Deepglow Crystals, Light-Crystals
Hand-sized prisms harvested from the bioluminescent reed-beds of the Underglow Caves and the Crystal Lake Plateau, Lumen-Crystals are the most widely traded commodity the Aqua-Consortium produces. Each crystal has absorbed centuries of concentrated Aqua-Essence from the reeds it grew alongside, giving it a self-sustaining inner glow that ranges from soft pearl-white to vivid sapphire depending on the spring of origin. They neither require fuel nor fade with age, instead brightening with exposure to flowing water and dimming to a warm ember-glow in still air.
Artifact Details
- Type
- Illumination Artifact
- Rarity
- Common
- Origin
- Naiads have harvested Lumen-Crystals since the earliest recorded settlements of the Age of Springs. Initially prized purely for their light, the Guild of Current Weavers discovered their signal-transmission properties during the construction of the Ripple Net in the Age of Confluence. Standardised crystal grades were established to classify output intensity and export value, with the highest grade, called Deepglow, reserved for use in Navigation Beacons and the lamps of the Confluence Hall.
Overview
Lumen-Crystals is a common illumination artifact in Landorya. Its known origin is Naiads have harvested Lumen-Crystals since the earliest recorded settlements of the Age of Springs. Initially prized purely for their light, the Guild of Current Weavers discovered their signal-transmission properties during the construction of the Ripple Net in the Age of Confluence. Standardised crystal grades were established to classify output intensity and export value, with the highest grade, called Deepglow, reserved for use in Navigation Beacons and the lamps of the Confluence Hall.. Its most cited abilities include Emit steady, adjustable light ranging from a gentle reading-glow to a beam bright enough to illuminate a subterranean chamber, Brighten automatically in the presence of flowing water, serving as depth and current indicators for submersible crews, and When pressed against a Ripple Net relay stone, transmit a pulse of light-coded signals across the network. Accounts also warn of a drawback: A Lumen-Crystal removed from all contact with freshwater for longer than one full year begins to grey from the inside out. Once fully clouded it can no longer…
History
Lumen-Crystals are the Aqua-Consortium's primary export to the Eldorian Republic and Drakonia, whose underground cities depend on them as the dominant light source. The Crystal Lake Clarity Initiative of 1318 AE was partly motivated by a sharp decline in Plateau crystal yields attributed to algal overgrowth, which threatened to collapse the Consortium's most profitable trade relationship. The Initiative's restoration of the Lake-Heart watershed revived production within three decades and is cited as the model for modern Naiad ecological stewardship policy.
Powers & Abilities
- ✦ Emit steady, adjustable light ranging from a gentle reading-glow to a beam bright enough to illuminate a subterranean chamber
- ✦ Brighten automatically in the presence of flowing water, serving as depth and current indicators for submersible crews
- ✦ When pressed against a Ripple Net relay stone, transmit a pulse of light-coded signals across the network
- ✦ Shatter into a blinding flash if struck with sufficient force, usable as a one-time defensive measure
Curse or Drawback
A Lumen-Crystal removed from all contact with freshwater for longer than one full year begins to grey from the inside out. Once fully clouded it can no longer be recharged and its Aqua-Essence becomes inert, rendering it useless. Collectors who have attempted to stockpile crystals in sealed vaults have invariably lost entire hoards to this slow extinction.