Inflight Ideas [Avayevnon]

[Seraph]

So while I was on the plane yesterday, I just started writing whatever came to mind, and came up with a few interesting thoughts.

Caecilium
Caecilium is an otherworldly substance often found at the sites of eldritch disturbances.  Issachar has found sizable reserves of it in the Chasm of Chiraleth, and there are also known deposits in Ithegra and Caervenfor.  The latter has been almost perpetually at war for control of the mines.  Outside these three locations Caecilium is rarely found in significant quantities.

Recent studies from Vivus Alchemia suggest that Caecilium is connected with magical phenomena.  A number of magically talented volunteers  submitted to testing, and were found to have elevated levels of the substance in their blood.  Bloodstone and Moonstone samples were also found to contain Caecilium.  Official Church Doctrine expressed by the Lord Pontiff of Shardmoore, Tyrolean I holds this view to be heretical.

Current alchemical theory considers Caecilium to be the True Source - in essence, "God Matter" - and acts as a catalyst for powerful transformations.  It seems it can do anything if it acts on material with the right qualities.  The theory remains unproven, but a number of experiments have been conducted, and results have beeen encouraging.

[Seraph]

The Faded Isle

The mists crept in slowly.  At first it was just a blanket over the water we would watch curl and retreat from our advancing barque as we plowed the sea.  It gave the isle an eerie cast; not threatening exactly, but disconcerting in its otherness.  In those days  the white foam on a calm day gave the impression that this island was the summit of a great mountain, reaching its determined peak through the tops of clouds instead of the vast azure of the Aquus.  

The mists, however, came in thicker and thicker each year.  After five years, the fog no longer fled from the ship, and could be seen to creep in smoky tendrils like ivy up the hull.  After ten years, it drifted above the deck to swirl about our feet  as we scurried about.  In fifteen years the Crow's Nest was our only vantage point, it hung so thick about our faces.  After two decades we durst not venture those waters for fear of a collision.  It would be too easy to run the ship aground, to dash upon a reef or rocky shoals, or to run headlong into another ship whose kind and country could not be guessed at.

That was the last we saw of Iluvion.  No ship comes in or out that death trap now.  We know not whether it still dwells there or no, but I have heard tales of those who dared the mists for the shining isle, only to emerge having missed it completely.  The Glory managed to come back out where they went in, ne'er having changed course.  How a ship gets turned right around with none noticing is beyond my ken.  The tale of the Glory is rare, though.  Most times, those that sail in don't sail back at all . . .

[Ghostman]

Creepy unapproachable areas have always fascinated me. Is this isle merely a bit of lore, or do you see it as something that might be detailed and possibly visited in a story?

[Superfluous Crow]

What can you use Caecilium for?

[Seraph]

Creepy unapproachable areas have always fascinated me. Is this isle merely a bit of lore, or do you see it as something that might be detailed and possibly visited in a story?

Well, Iluvion had been the island home of the elves.  It is a land which had been reachable, and has historically interacted with the rest of the world, but it is now isolated by thick mists.  So, really, it's already been visited.  I've never actually detailed it as much as I felt it should be, but I have put out some things on it.  But perhaps I will have someone find it again.  We'll see.

[Seraph]

What can you use Caecilium for?

Well, at present, it is used in alchemy as a catalyst.  It is a sort of magical trigger.  Potentially it could be used to enhance weapons and armor, but obtaining sufficient quantities of it would be . . . costly. What's more, it would require someone skilled in its use to be able to work the substance, and oversee the associated transmutations.

[Seraph]

Issacharian Dwarves and Money

Currency
Mithril Rings
Gold Rings
Iron Rings
Lead Rings

Issacharian dwarves measure wealth in units called "rings," so named for their shape.  Ithai (dwarves) are expected to wear their money on their persons.  They wear this money anywhere it shows, often keeping multiple rings on each finger, and a plenitude threaded like beads in their prominent beards.  Any further rings possessed can be similarly braided into the hair.  A dwarf seen unadorned with rings is presumed to be destitute, and a dwarf would need a very good reason to voluntarily appear as such.

A dwarf rarely keeps money hidden, unless they have simply too much to display on their bodies; however, those with such amounts are expected to keep such excess funds in constant use - putting them towards business ventures, hiring protection, investments, financing wars, adventurers, research, etc.  

The dwarven penchant for ostentatious displays of personal wealth has led some ignorant folk to believe that dwarves do not grow hair at all, but instead sprout pure silver and gold from their heads.  

While not as extravagant as gold or mithril, some dwarves - particularly warriors and adventurers - choose to wear iron rings, as they can help to protect the wearer from bodily harm.  A beard or head of hair woven with iron rings can function as a form of armor or shield.