Witch’s Tourmaline (Aurora)

Witch’s Tourmaline is a highly energetic, magic-originated macrocrystalline material composed by the precipitation of powerful ambient magic into a solid form. Known varieties appear as hard, multicolored crystals ranging in size from small rime-like deposits to monocrystalline prisms of up to several meters in size. Its common name is derived primarily from the material’s highly magical properties and the visual similarity of its typically multicolored, pleochroic crystals to those of the mundane gemstone tourmaline. Deposits are most commonly found in Belsegallia and the surrounding ocean, where they form continually from ambient magic, though smaller formations have been discovered elsewhere.

Owing primarily to its highly magical nature, versatility of usage, and great local availability, Witch’s Tourmaline is near-universally present as a component or ingredient in most magical or alchemical objects produced in Belsegallia. It sees wide usage in forms ranging from gemstone-like faceted stones to crystal powders and sintered blocks in applications including materials, tools, apparel, devices, and alchemical products.

The highly chaotic magic that composes Witch’s Tourmaline coalesced in Belsegallia renders it extremely toxic to most living creatures when inhaled or ingested in more than trace quantities, though Belsedori and a limited selection of other creatures native to Belsegallia are immune to this. Crystals are also mildly reactive and may cause undesirable effects when placed into contact with certain other energetic materials, necessitating storage precautions.

Properties

Physical

Witch’s Tourmaline takes the form of a hard, relatively dense hexagonal crystal. It has a Mohs hardness of 9, a density of 3.1 g/cm³, and a vitreous luster. Crystal habit may be acicular or prismatic. Optical properties include a refractive index of 2.1 and strong dichroism between pale violet and sky blue colors; specimens are normally translucent with mild cloudiness and few to no inclusions.

Large crystals of Witch’s Tourmaline possess sufficient mechanical properties to be suitable for usage in demanding applications such as sword blades, especially when enhanced with physical or magical processing.

Magical

Crystals of Witch’s Tourmaline, being a form of coalesced chaotic magic, possess a significant amount of inherent magical energy and a high degree of compatibility with most types of arcane forces. They are distinctly versatile in properties, being suitable for usage as sources of magical energy, as conduits or directing elements of it, and as vessels for enchantments or other persistent magical effects; powdered forms are also capable of imparting properties such as enhanced magic compatibility to other materials when used in alchemical processes.

Witch’s Tourmaline is an efficient directing agent of arcane energies, with minimal losses and high magic permeability, and can be used as a broad-spectrum spellcasting focus. Foci made from Witch’s Tourmaline are most effective when used for Belsedori magic and derivatives of it, but can be modified to operate in the pattern of other spellcasting methods with some difficulty.

Certain magical properties of Witch’s Tourmaline, such as its focusing capabilities and ability to augment magic channeled through it, are notably similar to those possessed by Hamara’s Lenses. It is presently undetermined whether the crystalline material that Harama’s Lenses are made from bears any relation to Witch’s Tourmaline.

Occurrence

Witch’s Tourmaline is strongly associated with locations possessing a history of severe magical disasters, instances of extremely powerful spellcasting, destruction of one or more powerful magical artifacts, or other events that result in the intense release of magical energy or unusually strong ambient magical fields. The most significant source of Witch’s Tourmaline in Terra Aurora is Belsegallia, particularly in the Tourmaline Wastes and Larinata, though smaller occurrences are known to be found elsewhere.

Formation

The formation process of Witch’s Tourmaline is not fully understood. It is known that crystals are coalesced from ambient magical energy present in the environment beyond long-term permeability limits; however, the mechanisms mediating this process and the precise factors that determine the formation of Witch’s Tourmaline in a given location over natural dissipation of the excess magic are not known. Current theories among mages believe that the critical determining factors are time and concentration, such that higher spikes in ambient magical energy in shorter periods of time are progressively more likely to form Witch’s Tourmaline deposits; this explanation is most consistent with the mineral’s type deposits in Belsegallia, though some minor deposits found elsewhere have as yet not been found to possess any environmental signs of such prior events.

The fracture of a Hamara’s Lens or similar device, along with the ensuing magical storm, is empirically known to precipitate Witch’s Tourmaline in a wide area.

Applications

Alchemy

A finely crushed form of Witch’s Tourmaline, washed and purified with water or specialized reagents, is a foundational alchemical ingredient in the Belsedori style of alchemy. Powdered forms of this type are used primarily as a way to impart enhanced magical permeability or provide a source of raw magical energy for recipes; they are most commonly used in the creation of alchemical metals such as sararike, as well as in potions, inks, alchemical reagents, cloths, and other products. Whole crystals of higher quality also see use in Belsedori alchemy as a material for specialized, magically infused crystals used in enchanting and in the construction of spellcasting foci.

Enchanting

Because Witch’s Tourmaline possesses high levels of magical permeability and is readily available at relatively low cost in Belsegallia, crystals are are the most widely used medium in Belsedori enchanting for long-term magical effects. Crystals used for this purpose must be of higher quality than those used in other areas, with minimal inclusions, a uniform crystal structure, and precision faceting, in order to reach their maximum potential capability. Witch’s Tourmaline is highly versatile in enchanting and can be effectively used as a substrate for almost any type of arcane enchantment, as well as some other types of magic; for this reason, it is virtually ubiquitous in either pure or alchemically modified form in the full range of Belsedori-produced magical objects.

See also

• Tourmaline Wastes