| Common Name | Sunder Shards |
| Alchemical Name | Molari |
| Color | Green-yellow |
| Transparency | 50% |
| Self-Illuminating | Yes, bright and constant |
| Frequency | Extremely Rare |
| Typical Value | Varies wildly. Typically 500 gold pieces per gram |
Sunder Shards are pieces of the original "Core Crystal" which was used by Alliance Mage Lords during the Focusing ritual more than 2000 years ago. Due to the cataclysmic energies of the Sundering, these crystalline shards were intensely irradiated with magical energies at the moment of the destruction of the great Core Crystal. Because of their potent energy, they are greatly sought after by mages for use in magical experimentation. A tiny sliver of this crystal can power a golem for centuries, fuel hundreds of spells or serve as the power source for incredibly powerful magical items.
Sunder shards are exceptionally rare and will command exorbitant prices if a shard is found and brought to market. They are similar to power crystals as an energy source, but sunder shards are vastly more powerful than the latter. Each decade, less than a dozen sunder shards are found throughout the entire world. Most of these are found in the lands of Ithria. When one is found, there are many - wizards, nobles, collectors, scholars and even kings - who will compete for possession of the valuable shard. There are those who wish to the study the shards and advance the lore of magic. Others are interested in them because they are, quite literally, a piece of history. And there are those who wish to possess them simply because of their rare and exquisite beauty. Because of their rarity and cost, usually only organizations or governments can afford to buy them or keep them safe. Many innocent people have been killed in the struggle to possess one of these small green shards of crystal.
Lucky is the mage who has seen a sunder shard and, luckier still, one who has actually been able to use it and draw upon its power. Those few individuals who have had the chance have recorded their experiences in the libraries of wizards' guilds and so there is some basic lore about them. It is known that sunder shards can be dangerous and should not be handled by a novice spell caster. Even experienced wizards have been "mana-burned" by these crystals because they were not careful and channeled too much energy at once. There have even been young spell casters who have been killed when attempting to use a sunder shard. To be sure, one must be careful.
Sunder shards are usually small, typically no more than 15 cm long. An average shard weighs roughly 100 grams and would fetch prices in excess of 50,000 gold pieces.
This website was last updated February 29, 2024. Copyright 1990-2024 David M. Roomes.