Badass Bookworm
Radiant Tears of the Lost Heart
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a cool gemstone for Tygara. This particular sub allows me to delve deeper into the troubled backstory of the Xio.
- Image Source: Here.
- Canon Link: Similar to Corusca gems.
- Permissions: Mention of
Siobhan Kerrigan
and their subs with permission. - Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Natural and unnatural processes below the earth.
- Affiliation: Xioquo people, whoever acquires one.
- Market Status: Closed Market
- Model: N/A
- Modularity: Can be shaped and faceted and placed into a wide variety of settings and holders. Can also be mounted in certain devices.
- Production: Limited; supply is constrained by the depth and difficulty of accessing these gems.
- Material: Gemstone material, usually purified carbon compounds.
- Classification: Gemstone
- Weight: Light
- Color: Generally colourless in their base form not unlike a diamond. However alchemical processes can make them any colour.
- Resistances:
- Energy (And other Blaster type weapons): Very High
- Kinetic: Very Low
- Lightsabers: Average
- Sonic: Very Low
- Elemental: high
- Beautiful and rare, valued for jewellery.
- Can have their colour altered by certain alchemical refining processes.
- Can conduct light and energy extremely well, making them ideal for lighting fixtures and power conduits.
- Can be enchanted with the Force to shine brightly as a long term light.
- Can be used as lightsabre crystals with proper preparation.
- Expensive. The Tears are expensive not just because of their rarity, but because of their beauty. This makes them a great source of income for the Xio and a potent trade good for the wider galaxy.
- Adaptive. Though hard, the gems can be faceted to fit into rings, necklaces, earrings and more. In this way they behave just like normal gemstones.
- Bright. When properly alchemised, the Tears can be enhanced with the Force to glow with an inner light making them effectively a very long-term lightbulb with no energy cost. This effect does fade over time and becomes harder to apply subsequent times.
- Lightsabre. With special preparation the Tears can be used in a lightsabre. The special properties of this gem are that the blade is brighter than normal and burns its targets fiercely. This functions similar to a Barab Ore crystal.
- Rare. The rarity of the Tears limits their usage, especially as the vast majority are used for jewellery rather than other uses.
- Brittle. The Tears have no supernatural resistance, especially to kinetic damage. A simple hammer can shatter a Tear apart, and sonic weapons can cause them to fracture.
- Harmless. By themselves the gems are merely pretty stones. Even when enhanced they can do nothing by themselves.
- Legacy. There is a great deal of unease about the Radiant Tears. Some see them as a great opportunity to advance the Xio, whilst others view them as a potential future danger if outsiders are allowed to delve deeply and greedily. Others still view the gems in a religious sense, that they contain the spirits of the lost, and that using them is sacrilege. All of this must be confronted by the Xio if they are to progress.
The Xioquo on distant Tygara have had a long and troubled history. Deep within their Underealm they have often fought and raided their neighbours, bringing great suffering and tragedy to the world. However, what is often forgotten is how much suffering and tragedy they brought upon themselves. In those lightless caverns with limited resources and space, a ruthless oligarchy of leaders emerged, crushing their own people under their rule.
A Council of Ten emerged with nine members (the tenth reserved for their absent queen Myrou), and competition between members and those vying to join or impress those on the council was complex and treacherous.
Amongst the many crimes of the ruling families was an area in the deepest pits of the Underealm known as the Blood Forges. Here only the most cruel and ambitious Xio went willingly, whilst slaves of all kind were dragged to their doom. These forges were powered by the spirits of the slain, their souls bound to artefacts and items of power, whilst the natural lava below was used to heat the smithies of the Xio. Over the centuries and millennia likely millions perished in these lightless and horrid pits, some being lucky to simply die quickly, others consigned to an eternity of purgatory bound to alchemised items.
However, reckoning did come at last upon the Xio. Firemane, with the aid of other Asuran forces, swept into the Underealm, destroyed a reborn Myrou and cast down the Council of Ten. The bright future seemed to dawn, though there were doubts about how much Firemane could be trusted not to simply replace the iron collar with one of debt. These doubts were eventually well justified, leading to a revolution.
Regardless, one unambiguously good result of the defeat of Myrou was the dismantling of the Blood Forges. The machinery was destroyed, the spirits freed where possible and the lava pits diverted. The plan was that eventually this area might be capable of growing fungus used for food, but something else was discovered first.
Delving into the depths, Xio explorers came upon gems in the dried lava and then in the walls of the great northern mountains. These gems were beautiful, both more radiant and bigger than normal gemstones found elsewhere. A very few of these gems had been discovered in the old days, and were extremely valued not just for beauty but for their ability to hold light. In this way a very wealthy Xio matron might illuminate her residence with a gem in a way oil or candle could not match.
Firemane was naturally extremely interested in this new opportunity and made plans to exploit the resource. However, the newly appointed Queen Lia showed an early streak of independence and refused entry to Firemane's miners and contractors. This dispute blew up into a major crisis, solved only when Siobhan Kerrigan herself sided with the Xio and allowed them full control of the operation. Siobhan's motives were argued at the time. Some felt that since she had just put Lia in power she was honour bound to defend her. Others felt more cynically that she wanted to curry favour with the Xio as many of them had started quasi-worship of her as the 'Karishzar'. Still others felt that Lia probably just flattered her with presents. Whatever the reason or combination thereof, the decision was made.
Lia saw great dangers as well as opportunities in these gems, now named the Radiant Tears of the Lost Heart. On the one hand, the gems could bring great prosperity to her people, and the development of mining and other technology would help their advance towards the galaxy.
On the other hand though was potential dangers; dependence on outsiders, a siphoning of wealth away from her people, and a risk of certain groups becoming fabulously wealthy whilst most Xio suffered in poverty.
Therefore, the Queen decided to institute a series of laws meant to fight these dangers. First, only Xio companies would be allowed to do the mining. They could call upon experts from the outside of course, but those contractors would be paid set fees and could not do the actual mining themselves. Second, the sale of cut or uncut Tears was made illegal for regular workers and citizens, with strong penalties for any smuggling. Third, realistic projections and a focus on safety and environmentalism over profits was instituted to prevent excessive overuse of the resource. Finally, and most importantly, all profits generated were moved to a single fund out of the hands even of the Queen or any other individual.
This sovereign wealth fund would be used for government spending, assisting the Xio people, and capital expansion of the mines, but some would be also invested outside Tygara. This also provided a strong 'rainy day' fund for the Xio to make use of when needed.
The gems themselves proved to be popular both on and off Tygara. Making use of contacts in the galaxy as well as local skills to refine the gems, they could often sell for thousands of credits, and even more when set in precious jewellery. This allowed the Xio to profit greatly from these sales.
As for the Tears, it was found with the assistance of the Jedi Master Phylis Alince that they could be shaped and used in lightsabres like other styles of crystal. These Tears when used in such a weapon imparted such burning fire on the lightsabre blade that they could incinerate their target with an impact.
When put through certain alchemical processes the Tears could also be induced to change colour, or enchanted to brightly glow from within. This inner fire was harder to manufacture, but made the stone worth ten times and more than it was normally. Only the wealthiest of buyers could afford such a Tear, but it was an item of great rarity and wealth.
Tears however by themselves were not potent in any way. A hammer or sonic weapon can easily destroy them, whilst they do somewhat resist lightsabres and energy weapons, they are far too small to actually make this useful. Rather, they are there for ornamentation and very rarely for practical uses in lightsabres or alchemical solutions.
