Wyrmstones
Physical Properties
Wyrmstones are iridescent pieces of mineralized bone, often found fused to the regular bones of draconic skeletons. Current theory states that as a dragon ages, its innate magical connection to the Aether causes its bones to transmute into crystal. Thus the skeletons of the oldest Wyrms are rich with Wyrmstone, while those of younger dragons possess much less.
Confirmation of the theory has not been made, as it would involve examination of a young dragon specimen in order to compare Wyrmstone densities. Such remains have not been found, and no inhabitant of the Hearth has so far dared to mount an expedition to acquire a sample.
At this time, the following properties have been discovered:
Wyrmstones, once charged with magical energy, are able to touch the Aether. This allows them to coexist in both dimensions, along with anything bonded to them. Thus it allows Highsailing ships to "lose" a portion of their weight in the Aether, potentially becoming weightless. The sails of Highsailing vessels can also then harness the "winds" of the Aether to power movement.
Depending on the size and quality of the Wyrmstone, they are capable of retaining different levels of magical energy. Small stones may only be able to lift a small Highsailing cargo vessel, while higher quality ones can power the Dreadnoughts of the Celestial Empire.
High quality Wyrmstones are also capable of storing enough magical energy to generate a teleportation portal. The range is sufficient for an inter-world transition, but the precision of the 'Port varies greatly. It is not unknown for a Highsailing vessel to end up a week (or two) away from its intended destination unless assisted by Portgates.
Wyrmstones possess an affinity for each other when in close proximity. These have allowed for the following:
Multiple Highsailing ships can attune their Wyrmstones to each other and 'Port simultaneously. However, this assumes that one vessel has a Wyrmstone of sufficient quality. Attempts to link lesser stones together in order to generate a larger effect have thus far failed.
Placing multiple Wyrmstones at any one location in a dense array, creates a Portgate. These act as useful destination markers for Highsailors, decreasing the random deviation of their 'Ports. Instead of being weeks away from a destination, a vessel may only be a few days off. Portgates often have at least one high quality Wyrmstone that is used to 'Port lesser Highsailing vessels.
Piracy is not unknown, as pirates can ply the outer fringes of a Portgate's deviation. Most cities cannot field enough vessels to patrol the entirety of their sphere. Although they gain the benefit of allowing merchant traffic to arrive faster, they also make them more predictable.
If a vessel making a 'Port meets pre-existing material, it displaces it into the Aether. This is known because the first Highsailing 'Port test ended with the crew and the vessel inside a mountain. However, they survived to tell the tale as their mage managed to recharge the Wyrmstone sufficiently for a return journey.
Highsailing
Wyrmstones are special crystaline stones recovered from the remains of Dragons. These stones are bound to a vessel, and when charged with magical energy the vessel floats and is sensitive to the Aether. Over the many years shipwrights have learned to create sails that work with the Wyrmstones. Ships have been built that fly high in the sky, soaring on the Aether winds. This is known as
Highsailing.
Wyrmstones can be placed into arrays of up to seven stones, allowing for larger and larger ships to be built.
Over time it was discovered that these
Wyrmstone Arrays can be used to generate other magical effects. Most notable of these effects is the ability to open a gateway between worlds--this gateway is open only for a brief moment while the ship flies through. Some of the other effects includes magical resistances as well as the ability to imbue the ship's weapons with additional powers, such as flame damage. Some scholars speculate that the abilities imbued are related to the type of dragon from which the stones were harvested.
Wyrmstone Astrolabe
All Wyrmstone Arrays have a
Wyrmstone Astrolabe. This is a device usually located in the Captain's quarters or on larger ships in the Navigation Room. The Astrolabe is the focus for the Wyrmstone Array. Through the Astrolabe destinations can be selected for a Wyrmstone Gate, magicians can charge the array with spell power, and its other abilities can be engaged.
The Wyrmstone Astrolabe is a mounted device varying in size from two to four feet across. It is a mix of hoops, gears, bejeweled levers and buttons depicting the celestial sphere with controls for making adjustments. When a gate location is to be determined, the navigator cranks on gears to set all of the worlds within the depiction of the celestial sphere{?} to their current location, and then makes settings for the source and desire destination, engaging it with a geared lever.
Wyrmstone Array Abilities
Orbis Nare: (ancient Telman for "floating sphere"). When a Wyrmstone Array is charged and activated, the vessel is enveloped in what is called the
Orbis Nare. This is a sphere surrounding the ship. Within this sphere gravity is maintained facing a common direction, this direction is "down" throughout the entire sphere, there is no plane where gravity inverts within the sphere. Furthermore, this gravity direction is maintained regardless of the direction the ship is facing (in regard to a nearby world or other object capable of
gravitas). This also means that the ship now floats which is why a ship can fly away from the world and ignore the
gravitas that would normally pull it downward. Crossing the edge of the Orbis Nare is possible, and it simply means that the new
gravitas is in effect (depending upon which side of the sphere the object is now on).
Aether Sensitivity: When a Wyrmstone Array is charged on a ship, its sails are enchanted and powered to touch the Aether. Aether ebbs and flows around everything, there are Aether storms and dry spells. This is how a ship sails, by opening or reducing sail to grab hold of the Aether. Because of this Aether sails look different from conventional sails, closer to a netting which allows air to flow by the sail without hindrance (which would slow down the ship), even though it is fully grabbing onto the Aether.
Furthermore, Highsailing ships cannot have a single sail--because there is no drag as would be seen on conventional ships. Because of this, Wyrmstone ships usually have masts pointing in three different directions, one up and two pointing down, creating a bit of a triangle at the points. The lower masts are known as canard masts. When counting masts on a Wyrmstone ship, only the central masts are counted, since each central mast must be matched by a canard mast to provide proper balance when sailing. Because of this tri-mast construction, many ships are built in such a manner that the canard masts can be folded inward before it lands.
Wyrmstone Gate: A Wyrmstone Array can create a gateway to another world. However, this takes much energy out of the array, so many stones cannot even handle the process. To open a gateway the wyrmstone array must be overcharged to at least twice its normal daily capacity. Then the navigator uses the ship's Wyrmstone Astrolabe to select the destination and open the gate. The destination must be one that can be determined on the Astrolabe's representation of the celestial sphere.
Gating is an inaccurate science, and as such the target destination is measured in hundreds to thousands of miles. The goal of a navigator is to target the higher space around a world, and to then slowly traverse and descend to the desired location in the world below. There are many stories about navigation gone wrong, where a gateway was opened into the center of a world.
Damage Resistance/Reduction: Certain types of damage resistance can be invested into the ship. The most favored type of resistance is, of course, fire resistance. Keeping damage resistance available is an energy consuming task, and is enabled or disabled through the Astrolabe. The types of damage that can be resisted varies by ship, and there is a direct relationship to the type of dragon that the stones were harvested from. DR is not available if the stones are mixed from different dragons.
Enhanced Damage: Like Damage Resistance, the ship's weapons can have added effects, also based on the original dragon. Enhanced Damage cannot be added if the stones are mixed from different dragons.
Note: Add to overcharge powers a duration, and the grade of the stone limits # times / interval, where interval is no more frequent than 1 day (so no more than one gate per day). Lesser stones are even worse, perhaps a week, than multiple weeks.
Wyrmstone Array Construction
Wyrmstones are ranked into one of four power ratings (1-4), the higher power rating the better the stone. Power Ratings can be mixed in an array. Each Power Rating has a known amount of tonnage which it can float when activated. Power Rating is based on one day's worth of use with no extra abilities activated. Extra abilities require an
overcharge, draining more than the usual amount of energy from the array. However, lower Power Rating stones may burn out if over charged. Because of this, only the higher Power Rating are used on ships that can go between worlds. It is also possible to force a Wyrmstone array to activate a ship even though it has no charge. This is called draining the stone, and like overcharging draining can also degrade a stone.
Any time an array is overcharged or drained, there is a percentage chance that one of the stones in the array is degraded (consult the table). When a stone is degraded it shifts to the next lower Power Rating. If this occurs while it is floating, and this reduces its tonnage beyond the weight of the ship, the Array will slowly loose its abilities, usually in a controlled descent.
To determine if a stone is degraded, when the overcharge or drain is made roll the percentile dice. If the result is equal to or less than the listed percentage, one of the stones (selected at random) is degraded to the next lower Power Rating.
Wyrmstone Power Rating table
| Tonnage | Overcharge |
|---|
| Per Stone | x2 | x3 | x4 | x5 | x6 | Drain |
|---|
| Power Rating 4 | 400 | -- | -- | 25% | 75% | 100% | 20% |
|---|
| Power Rating 3 | 100 | -- | 25% | 75% | 100% | 100% | 50% |
|---|
| Power Rating 2 | 50 | 25% | 75% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 80% |
|---|
| Power Rating 1 | 25 | 75% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
|---|
Charging a Wyrmstone Array
Wyrmstones must be charged with Magical Energy. This can happen in one of two ways:
Magic Users can dedicate spell points to the Wyrmstone array. The amount of points required for one day's charge is equal to the tonnage divided by twenty (rounded up). Spell points dedicated in this manner are not refreshed at a scene change like usual, unless the scene change is more than 24 hours from when the
spell points were dedicated to the array. Mages do not need
to cast a spell to dedicate points to an array, but rather they
touch the Wyrmstone Astrolabe and concentrate on transferring the desired amount of magical power into the Wyrmstone Array. Multiple mages can participate in this process.
Any magical item can be sacrificed to a Wyrmstone Array. To do this
the item is bound to the Astrolabe (most Astrolabes have an area and leather straps for this purpose).
Within a few moments of being
bound to the Astrolabe, the item's magical properties are drained,
empowering the array. There is less control over this method, if a very
powerful item is bound to the array focus it will overpower the array,
potentially burning out wyrmstones. {note: need to insert rules for how to determine how many equivalent spell points come out of a magical item}.
Once an array is Charged, it may stay charged until it is activated through the Astrolabe.
