Velakan pearl
| Velakan pearl at a Glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Material Type | Gems, Pearls | |
| Colors | Murky grey, Grey, Dull pewter, Silver, Blue, Green, Dun yellow, Yellow, Gold, White, Magenta, Crimson, Purple | |
| Rarity | Quest-Only | |
| Cultural Relevance |
| |
| Required for Alterations | Yes (additional rules) | |
The Velakan pearl is a gem exclusive to Hollow Eve and the Corn Maze, introduced in 2019.
Physical Appearance and Properties
The name "Velakan pearl" is a misnomer, as it is not produced by a mollusk. Rather, Velakan pearls are the eyes of sand spiders, which have been alchemically processed after harvesting.
Velakan pearls are always perfectly round and have a diameter of no more than an inch. The reflecting tapetum of crystalline deposits (in the spiders' eyes) gives these gems a pearl-like iridescence.
The most common (and least expensive) pearls are a murky grey hue, resembling the briny waters of Lake Ratamipak. More exotic pearls mirror the hues of the salterns spread out along the shore of the lake, with the rarest (and most valuable) hues being those associated with the salterns of the highest salinity.
Rarity
Merchant tier - Pearls you may see in shops and games at Hollow Eve (from most common to most rare): murky grey, dull pewter, silvery, reflective blue, green, dun yellow, golden, and bright white
Quest/Auction tier - Pearls you may see at Hollow Eve auctions or in the Corn Maze (from most common to most rare): magenta, crimson, purple
Origin/Lore
The merchants of Sraan Mhhg tired of paying huge markups on Reshalian pearls and wanted to increase their profit margins by cutting out the middlemen. However, since Muspar'i is in the middle of a desert, there are no mollusks from which pearls can be harvested.
An enterprising young jeweler noticed that the eyes of the native sand spiders bore an iridescence not unlike that of fine pearls. However, the jeweler's first attempts at harvesting the "pearls" proved fruitless, as they spoiled within a few days. Undeterred, she turned to a renowned alchemist for a solution. After much experimentation, the alchemist developed a process that hardened and preserved the pearls -- as well as enhancing their colors. The actual process is a closely guarded trade secret; all that is known is that it involves infusing the pearls with life magic and submerging them in the salty waters of Lake Ratamipak.
Alteration Rules
This material is required for alterations.
The color of the pearl cannot be altered (as color determines rarity) and must be mentioned in the tap or the look.
Velakan pearls can be intact or inlaid as "Velakan nacre," but they should not be broken into "shards" or "chips," as they are not gems that have cleavage (the tendency of crystalline materials to split along definite structural planes).
Raw Material Sources
Items
| Item | Source is | Rarity is |
|---|---|---|
| Aurulent wildling spider icon lambent with moonsilver | Sleeping Dragon Corn Maze 436/End loot, Sleeping Dragon Corn Maze 447/End loot, Sleeping Dragon Corn Maze 443/End loot, Sleeping Dragon Corn Maze 439/End loot, Sleeping Dragon Corn Maze 436/End loot, Sleeping Dragon Corn Maze 432/End loot | end loot |
| Brushed windsteel knuckles with sand spider grips | Accents for the Arachnophile (7) | |
| Cambrinth armband made of interlocking wildling spiders | Sleeping Dragon Corn Maze 447/Incidental loot, Sleeping Dragon Corn Maze 439/Incidental loot, Sleeping Dragon Corn Maze 436/Incidental loot | incidental |
| Cambrinth tomiek-iguji broodling with fangs of blackened moonsilver (1) | Hollow Eve Festival 432/Auction | auction |
| Cambrinth tomiek-iguji broodling with fangs of blackened moonsilver (2) | Hollow Eve Festival 439/Auction | auction |
| Cambrinth wildling spider inlaid with vortices of moonsilver | Hollow Eve Festival 436/Auction | auction |
| Chitinous cambrinth baldric clasped with a ring of Velakan pearls | Accents for the Arachnophile (7), Accents for the Arachnophile (6) | |
| Khiynit prayer mat embroidered in ialalhe with an arabesque of sand spiders | Guildfest 445/Auction | auction |
| Lustrous silverweave shirt buttoned with murky grey Velakan pearls | Glam and Gritty | festival |
| Onyx-hued garter dotted with murky grey Velakan pearls | Galleria of Garters (2) | |
| ... further results | ||
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