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The Great Crystal

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To wield the Great Crystal was to speak the language of the gods, to write the fate of the world in light and song. But its shattering cast us into chaos, and now we stumble in a world of shadow.
—Intercessor Aoril of House Ìsithein, from The Trials & the Tribulations

The Great Crystal was the most potent symbol of power and balance in the ancient world, a testament to the High People’s mastery over magic and their dominion over the realms. For millennia, the Crystal enabled the High People to enforce peace among the squabbling kingdoms of men, conjure cities from thin air, and quell conflicts with a single word. Its presence shaped a golden era of prosperity, but its destruction heralded an age of ruin.

Believed to be a massive lodestone brimming with concentrated magical energy, the Great Crystal resided within the Praxim of the Ancients at the heart of the God Tree, itself a symbol of the High People’s divine mandate. Scholars surmise that its power stems from a natural source like a giant lodestone, bound up in Iphendi glassteel—an indestructible material forged in the early days of the High People’s rule. Through the Crystal, the High People channeled this energy, granting them control over the physical and spiritual fabric of the world.

The origins of the Great Crystal are shrouded in myth. Some claim it was a gift from the gods, a tool for stewardship bestowed upon the High People. Others assert it was a creation of conquest, though this speculation is forbidden knowledge among the High People. This dual origin of the Crystal renders it a beacon of hope and a relic of exploitation to many, dependent on the perspective of those who wielded or suffered under its power.

The Fall marked the shattering of the Great Crystal and the collapse of the High People’s dominion. As the Crystal fragmented, its bound magic unleashed havoc upon the world, reshaping the land and empowering dangerous forces once kept at bay. Today, its shards remain scattered, artifacts of immense power but also great peril.

Adventure Hook

The “Great Crystal” as a concept explores the moral quandaries of trying to achieve unity through a beneficent dictatorship. Its ability to control the world’s magic offers a stark question: can such power ever be used justly, or does its very existence ensure inequality and domination? What the players learn about the ancient past will help them make decisions in the narrative present, and half the fun of a campaign is playing to find out what those decisions will be.

It goes without saying that we all respond well to common fantasy tropes, and “the magic crystal” is one of the most common of all. The Great Crystal, while destroyed, likely still exists as shards, scattered throughout the land. Whole campaigns can be organized around finding the shards to piece it back together. Shards likely bestow peculiar magical properties upon their possessors, and act as divining rods to find other shards. As a GM, you may also consider playing with expectations of how the shards work, whether by inverting the presumed beneficent purpose of the Great Crystal or capitalizing on its little-known origin and design.

Consider this simple escort quest: An ancient Intercessor of House Ìsithein, preserved through powerful magic, claims to possess the original Song of Elsene needed to rebind the Great Crystal. The party must escort this ancient being to a sacred site, fending off those who would use the knowledge for darker purposes, be it the Imperials, Changelings, or a cult devoted to the Rasa.

Is the Intercessor truthful about their knowledge of the Song, or do they harbor their own ambitions?
What dangers arise from invoking the Song, given its ties to both creation and destruction?
Will the party aid in reforging the Great Crystal, knowing its power could either restore balance or reignite ancient conflicts?

Tags: Artifacts

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The Great Crystal

Changeling Crystal

Nyn of House Sylvariel

The Fall

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