THE LORE OF GLORANTHAN GEMS
\n AND NEAR-GEMS
\n Copyright \u015f 1992 Martin R. Crim<\/p>\n
INTRODUCTION<\/p>\n
Most sages try to ignore the thorny riddle of gloranthan gem
\nlore. They complain that the lore is complex and inconsistent.
\nThe well-known system of runes and myths does not explain gems’
\ntraits or runic links.
\n In fact, the Godlearners gave up the search for a unified
\ntheory of gems, according to one legend. The many problems
\nbaffled them. Two gems that look the same can have different
\ntraits and runic links. Gods who are linked in myth often hold
\nvery different gems sacred. Gods with nothing in common hold the
\nsame gem sacred. (Jet is a good example, being holy to both Al-
\ndrya and Zorak Zoran.) Worse than that, local myths differ
\nwidely in explaining the origin of a gem. <\/p>\n
CLASSIFICATION
\n Despite the difficulties, one can organize gem lore
\naccording to natural groups. Each magical detect spell works on
\nsome stones and not on others. (By detect spell, we mean the
\nspirit magic Detect, the divine magic Find, and the sorcerous
\nSense.) Sages in different parts of the world can group gems the
\nsame way by applying logic and a variety of detect spells. They
\nfind that local gem traders apply single terms to gems from more
\nthan one magical group. Early steps in magical research show
\nthat the natural group, not the local term, fixes a gem’s magical
\ntraits. These findings sound like Godlearner teaching to many
\npeople, so the finding has not gone far. Confusion reigns in
\nsorting gems in most parts of the world today.
\n There are many detect spells for gems and other stones, and
\nno one but Zzabur has a complete list. For each of the gems
\nbelow, there is a detect spell that detects it but no other gems
\non the list. Organic material must be dead to trigger the
\nperception spell. Although most of the names parallel Earth
\ngems, Glorantha’s gems are not identical to Earth’s.
\n For many gems, detect spells exist only in one or two of the
\nsystems of magic (spirit, divine, and sorcerous). As a rule of
\nthumb, if there is a Sense (substance) for a gem, there are also
\nAnimate (substance) and Form\/Set (substance) spells for it.
\n Even the word “gem” confuses many. The Teshnans mislead the
\nrest of the world by applying their term for gem to coral, pearl,
\nand ivory. Ordinary folk and even many sages believe that those
\ngems come from Teshnan mines. Pedants quibble that coral, pearl,
\nivory, and jet are not gems, because the dwarfs do not consider
\nthem to be minerals. Added confusion comes from classifying
\ntruestones with the gems that most closely resemble them. Spells
\nthat affect non-truestone gems do not affect similar truestone.
\nThe truestone will not trigger Detect\/Find\/Sense, Animate will
\nnot animate it, and Form\/Set will not mold it.
\n This document uses the word “gem” to refer to things that
\none group of people or another considers highly valuable and
\npretty. It applies the term “near-gem” to any hard valuable
\nsubstance that has some of the traits of gems, such as being
\npretty, magical, or valuable. “Near-gems” include amber, bezoar,
\ncoral, echostone, glass, ironstone, ivory, jet, jewelflor, and
\npearl. Both terms leave out many hard things used in decora-
\ntions, such as sea shells, tortoise shell, and rhino horn.<\/p>\n
MAGICAL GEMS
\nMany gems have magical power. The so-called crystals are gems of
\nvarious colors. Most “dead crystals” have no link to a religion
\nor a rune. Living crystals usually belong to a god, however, and
\nthe popular name notes this. By gazing deep into a living
\ncrystal, one can learn its nature. A living crystal has an
\nunmistakable inner fire that charms the eye and the mind.
\n“Attuning” a gem is actually a means of learning, in which one
\ncomes near to the divine.
\n Gems that lack divine qualities may still have magical
\npowers. Some stones make spells easier to cast. Many gems bear
\nthe mystical stamp of a rune or cult (see below). <\/p>\n
IDENTIFYING GEMS
\n Many of the gems below resemble one another. They also may
\nresemble non-precious stones. Identifying a gem requires a
\nsuccessful use of Mineral Lore.
\n Anyone green at identification (25% or less, but above base
\nskill plus bonus) knows the colors of the best-known stones
\n(Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire). He or she knows the color
\ncorrelation table, below, and the sacred stones of his or her
\ncult. He or she knows that there are many fake gems, and that
\nthere are ways of testing gems.
\n Anyone intermediate in identification (26%-50%) can test
\ngems using the scratch test. This can narrow down the
\npossibilities and allow the identifier to make an educated guess.
\nThe scratch test can distinguish glass from other minerals, if
\ndone right.
\n Anyone veteran in identification (51-75%) can identify the
\ngems on this list with a successful roll. He or she can uncover
\nfakes on a successful roll, modified for the cleverness of the
\nforgery.
\n Any expert in identification (76%+) can accurately grade and
\nvalue gemstones. He or she has most of the information in this
\narticle (the major exception being the notes on Grow Stone). An
\nexpert can tell where a gem came from if he or she succeeds in
\nanother skill roll, with a modifier for how well he or she knows
\nthe gem and region.<\/p>\n
GEMCUTTING
\n Faceted gems are rare in Glorantha. The most common way to
\nprepare gems is to smooth off the rough edges and polish the
\nsurfaces. This yields irregular gems with very little
\nbrilliance. The next most common method is to cut gems en
\ncabochon. That method creates a flat or rounded base and a
\nrounded top.
\n Teshnans mine and cut many of Glorantha’s gems, often using
\nthe point cut and table cut. The former is merely a regular
\neight-sided solid, like a D8. The latter is a point cut with one
\npoint cut off.
\n Some gemcutters in Seshnela now experiment with larger
\nnumbers of facets, working with Form\/Set Quartz. Humans have a
\nfew ancient stones with many facets, cut in the time of legend.
\n Crafters use soft gems for cameos, talismans, and seals.
\nThey sometimes carve letters or runes into hard gems. Crafters
\ncarve pictures and designs into the surface of a flat piece,
\nusing Craft (Gemcutting) or the proper Form\/Set. The designs
\nhold both religious and magical power. Spell-teachers weave
\nspirit spell foci into their designs. Enchanters work the runes
\nof enchantment into the designs they make. The designs
\nthemselves have magic power, especially when they build on the
\ngem’s sympathy for particular runes.<\/p>\n
ATTITUDES OF THE SENTIENT SPECIES
\n Human attitudes about gems depend on cult and culture.
\nPrimitives view all shiny objects as magical, and especially
\nrevere any transparent stones. Nomads are more sophisticated
\nthan primitives, but often get fooled by traders. Barbarians
\nhave many folk beliefs about the magical qualities of gems. The
\nnotes on each gem below give these, without distinguishing the
\ntrue from the false. Civilized peoples often have the same
\nsuperstitions, but also view gems as very precious treasure.
\nThey have the attitude needed for wide-scale trading.
\n Within culture types, individual cultures have different
\nfeelings toward gems. Malkioni link their castes to particular
\ngems: Ruler–diamond, Wizard–ruby, Knight–sapphire, Farmer–
\nquartz, Woman–emerald. The Teshnans consider gems a
\nparticularly fun part of life, worth the tedium of mining and
\npolishing–so long as there is time for fun every day.
\n The elder races group gems in their own ways, quite
\ndifferent from human labels. Almost every species has an
\nattitude toward gems different from all other species. Some
\nelder races value a particular mineral, as Dragonewts prize
\nobsidian. Some appreciate all shiny objects, as Windchildren and
\nBeastmen do. Ducks and Morokanth value the same stones that
\nhumans value, for they are close to humans in outlook. However,
\nDucks value blue stones above all others, and Morokanth prize
\nlarge gems. Broos and Scorpionmen never value gems except as
\nmagic items and traps for their victims. Jelmre do not mine,
\ncut, or polish gems. They appreciate gifts of gems, however,
\nespecially ones that look like their missing emotions. The many
\nkinds of Timinit see nothing of value in gems. The major elder
\nraces have attitudes that reflect their general points of view.
\n Dwarfs group gems entirely by their physical traits, and cut
\nthem for specific uses. They often work in complete darkness, so
\nprettiness is not important to orthodox Mostali. They do not
\ngroup gems as gem-quality or not gem-quality. This is a rational
\ncustom in light of the way spells work. Their names for gems
\ninclude poetry like “hardness 140,000 perfect cleavage isometric
\nstone” (which humans call diamond). Dwarfs occasionally produce
\na beautiful gem, as incidental to a particular use. All castes
\nuse gems, but the Lead caste has a special relationship with
\nglass and mirrors. (Of all orthodox Mostali, they come closest
\nto having an aesthetic sense.) Rock caste gem-workers have
\nseveral ways, including spells, to measure a mineral sample’s
\ntraits and see what it is. Dwarfs trade gemstones to humans at
\ncertain places, include Bad Deal in the High Llama Pass and Gem-
\nborg in the Holy Country. Most are rough, but some are cut and
\npolished.
\n Trolls group gems according to their sonic properties, which
\nthey examine with their Darksense (sonar). Like dwarves, trolls
\nspend much of their time in complete darkness. Trolls value
\nvisual traits much less than sonic traits. Thus, they have a
\ndifferent grouping system from humans. Some terms match human
\nones, like jade and opal. Others are completely different. The
\nterm “warm-timbre rough-stone” refers to stones which humans put
\nin more than one group, and it excludes stones which humans place
\nin those same groups.
\n Trolls prize some mundane stones which humans find plain and
\ndrab. Echostone is set forth in detail below. Deadstone mutes
\ndarksense, making it hard to “see.” It is sacred to Zorak Zoran,
\nwhose cultists make maul- and mace-heads from it. Waterstone
\nsends back echoes that “look” like a water surface. Hollowstone
\nand squeakystone have the darksense traits suggested by their
\nnames.
\n Brown and Green Elves enjoy all pretty stones, but only
\nprize those intimately associated with plants. The most common
\nof these are amber, grow stone, jet, jewelflor, and petrified
\nwood. Yellow elves are similar in attitude, but grow almost all
\nof their gems. They grow jewelflor, glass vine, gem orchid,
\nsapphire violet, and some rarer varieties. Humans know nothing
\nabout Red, Blue, and Black Elf attitudes. Elves have three terms
\nwhich they use to group all minerals. Noble, as a gem term,
\nmeans unfathomable, powerful, and pure. Common, as a gem term,
\nmeans ordinary, weak, and mixed. Profane, as a gem term, refers
\nto made things. Within the common class, the elves classify
\nminerals by their effect on plants growing in or near them.
\nThus, they talk about the veins and ores in which gems occur more
\nthan they talk about the gems themselves.
\n Mermen prize coral, ivory, and pearls. They trade with
\nsurface dwellers for polished aquamarines, the only surface gem
\nthey honor. They link each gem to a caste: aquamarines with
\nrulers, pearls with shamans, and coral with gatherers. The
\nwarriors’ gem is ivory, which they take from narwhals and sea
\nlions.<\/p>\n
MAGICAL CORRELATIONS
\n Gloranthan stones roughly follow a color scheme linking them
\nto the runes. The following table applies to gems and also to
\nother stones. It is not complete, nor even adequate. It only
\nindicates some links between runes and gems.
\n Working the runes into the right gem often makes an enchant-
\nment easier to create or stronger when it is done. Light spells,
\nin particular, work well with transparent gems. Hard gems make
\nstasis spells stronger.
\n Most gems have special links with one or more deities or
\nspirits, or with particular runes. Where these do not follow
\nfrom the color association, a myth explains the origin of the gem
\nfrom the acts of the associated deity. Gods with the common
\ndivine spell of Find (substance) provide Find spells for all
\ntheir sacred materials. See the list below, at the end.
\n In addition to their sacred gems, many deities also hold
\ncertain gems blessed, but not divine. These are always less
\nvaluable stones.
\n The Teshnans do not link particular gem types to individual
\ngods. Teshnans present gifts of cut and polished stones to
\ntemples and temple-complexes. They base the gift on obscure dis-
\ntinctions, which outsiders find inscrutable.
\n Chaotic gems come in all colors. They may appear “wrong” in
\nsome way, or they may not. Some are so tainted with chaos that
\nthey infect those who handle them. Most just have an affinity
\nfor chaos. Chaotic enchanters prize both kinds.<\/p>\n
Associations<\/p>\n
Color Primary Secondary <\/p>\n
Black Darkness Death, Illusion, Dark Earth
\n Blue Water Moon, Mastery, Fertility
\n Brown Earth Fertility, Disorder<\/p>\n
Clear Magic Light, Ice, Infinity
\n Gray Air Movement, Shadow, Undead
\n Green Plant Earth, Harmony, Stasis<\/p>\n
Orange Spirit Air, Heat, Death
\n Pink, Red Moon Illusion, Death
\n Variegated Man Disorder, Trade, Luck<\/p>\n
Violet Beast Water, Fertility
\n White Law Truth, Fate, Cold
\n Yellow Sky Truth, Harmony<\/p>\n
[This is part 1 of 4; email me at Argrath if you want to see
\nmore.]<\/p>\n
