Grazhir

Grazhir is the now-destroyed fourth moon of Elanthia, formerly alongside Yavash, Xibar, and Katamba. It was of a pearlescent, silvery-white hue and said to be the smallest of the moons.

Mythology and the Cataclysm

Mythology has it that Grazhir was somehow the "egg" of the World Dragon, and that its hatching caused to moon to cataclysmically explode. The World Dragon then wreaked havoc upon Elanthia, but was eventually soothed by the goddess Peri'el, who continues to sing to it somewhere deep within the bowels of the earth in order to keep it pacified.

Another possibility that has been presented is some catastrophic celestial event - such as a meteorite strike - occurred which caused the moon to explode and collide with Elanthia, while simultaneously setting Katamba's surface or atmosphere on fire.

Whichever is true, the impact of the pieces of Grazhir on Elanthia was devastating. As the bulk of the shards landed in the ocean, massive tidal waves engulfed a great deal of the Kermorian and Albarian coastlines, utterly destroying the civilizations there. Its impact elsewhere was said to lead to fatal shockwaves, huge dust clouds and even volcanic eruptions.

Connections to Gemstone IV

The fact that Grazhir seems to exist in the game world of Gemstone IV has caused players to speculate the DragonRealms takes place in a time period that is the far future relative to Gemstone. Some locations and characteristics of both games' Elanthias parallel one another, but the world has been rearranged by several thousands of years of intervening history and at least one global near-apocalypse. In accordance with DragonRealms mythology, astronomers within Gemstone IV have noted that the moon appears oddly egg-shaped, and seems to be growing ever so slowly.

Grazhir's Legacy

The bulk of Grazhir fell to Elanthia when it exploded, a vast number of its pieces landing in the Reshal Sea between mainland Kermoria and the Qi archipelago, where they still lie. These Elanthia-bound pieces of Grazhir are still powerful enough to disrupt teleportational energy (making Teleport and Moongate more difficult to use on the islands) and possess the synergistic magical sympathy which makes Astral Travel possible. As a result, Grazhir shards are prized by Moon Mages as artifacts of incredible magical power.

Once in deference to their rarity and now to aid lesser-abled mages in entering and exiting the Astral Plane, the Naming Ritual is performed on each shard discovered by the Moon Mage guild and it is granted a unique name. Knowledge of this name and the unique pattern of sympathy it creates within the shard is necessary for most mages to use them to enter or exit the Astral Plane.

• Aliaes

Name means "White Fire" in Gamgweth. Originally located on Taisgath, Aliaes once powered the Taisgath side of the Heritage House turtle. It was not recovered by the guild after the turtle was destroyed and its whereabouts are currently unknown.

• Asharshpar'i

Located in a hidden chamber in the catacombs beneath Oshu'ehhrsk Manor just south of Leth Deriel, which is Bonedancer Lasarhhtha's ancestral home.

Appearance: Though shaped like a jagged stake, the shard has a silvery-white sheen as if it were regularly polished.

• Dinegavren

Name means "Low Moon" in Gamgweth. Located in the basement of Gealeranendae College in Therenborough, where it is used to power the turtle which links Therenborough to Throne City.

Appearance: Barely a finger's width in size, the silvery-white shard known as Dinegavren is shaped much like a crescent moon.

• Dor'na'torna

Named for the famous Skindancer Kir Dor'na'torna. Located within the crystal spire on the Arid Steppe.

Appearance: The shard known as Dor'na'torna is roughly the size of two Human thumbs put together. It stands in the center of the chamber, supported at the apex of a polished oak tripod.

Conduit Description: A desolate steppe of mist-grey grass stretches to the horizon under the cold light of Xibar. Though the air feels calm and the night sky is clear, the discolored grass whips and sways as though under assault by a storm. An intricate web of burning light runs across the steppe, its fierce beams in constant motion.

• Emalerje

Located in the Crystal Hand Fortress in the Lesser Fist of Heaven.

Appearance: An unusually large and smooth Grazhir shard, Emalerje is about the size and shape of a good skipping stone. The shard is held aloft by two crystal pincers on the apex of a thin steel column.

• Marendin

Name means "Outsider" in Gamgweth. Located within the Moon Mage guildhall at the top of the Great Tower of Shard.

Appearance: Roughly the size of a gold coin, the shard known as Marendin is nearly severed in half by a deep gouge. The shard is held aloft by two crystal pincers on the apex of a thin steel column.

Conduit Description: Giant geometric solids wrought from black metal float in a cold, steel-grey void. The metal islands are connected to each other by narrow bridges, creating a network of shapes that seems to go on forever in every direction. Interconnected streams of burning energy sway around the void, passing harmlessly through the islands.

• Mintais

Name means "Silver Sky" in Gamgweth. Located in Throne City, where it has long powered the turtle linked to Therenborough.

Appearance: Though shaped like a tiny jagged stake, the shard has a silvery-white sheen as if it were regularly polished.

Conduit Description: Broken and barren land stretches out beneath an impossibly large, bloated sun. Deep crevices slice through the ash-grey plain and jagged mountains rise to pierce the sky on the eastern horizon. Interwoven beams of silvery-white light dance across the blasted landscape and seem to extrude more heat than the bloated sun.

• Rolagi

Originally located in Throne City, Rolagi once powered the Throne side of the Heritage House turtle. Was recovered after the turtle was destroyed and is currently located in the Observatory of the Southern Crossbow in Crossing.

Appearance: Despite having a slightly dark coloration near one tip, the shard known as Rolagi is otherwise pristine and silvery-white. The shard is held aloft by two crystal pincers on the apex of a thin steel column.

Conduit Description: Thousands upon thousands of stars hang in darkness above, around and even below: the heavens unfurl completely around you, without any hint of ground or a horizon. An invisible plane of force seems to extend through the area, providing a sense of substance in place of solid earth. An intricate web of burning energy slowly swirls all around you and seems to touch the distant stars.

• Tamigen

Located in the Cragstone Vale within a Dragon Priest shrine to the World Dragon.

Appearance: Tamigen is made of a silvery-white rock. Places on its surface show a pearly luster, and on its larger end, a blackened scar remains from its fiery descent.

• Taniendar

Located at the top of the Riverhaven Moon Mage guildhall spire.

Appearance: About the size of a Human's pinky, time and violent chipping have caused a row of gouges to appear along one side of the shard. The shard is held aloft by two crystal pincers on the apex of a thin steel column.

Conduit Description: Rainbow auroras slither across the sky, so vivid that they almost entirely obscure the pinpricks of starlight above them. Light reflects off the perfectly smooth ground like a giant mirror, causing the prismatic colors to twist and flicker everywhere. In contrast to this chaos of hues, sharply defined beams of silvery-white light cut through the landscape, untainted by the auroras and not reflected by the ground.

• Teloish

Name means "Sword Idea" in Gamgweth. Its precise location is unknown, but it is thought to occupy a space where the Plane of Abiding and the Plane of Probability overlap. This shard is protected by special wards which make the pattern of its name unlearnable.

Appearance: Jagged and roughly the size of a Human fingernail, the Grazhir shard Teloish levitates three feet off the ground with no obvious means of support.

• Undarverjah

Located at the top of the Moon Mage guildhall on Taisgath island.

Appearance: The shard known as Undarverjah is little more than a silvery-white pebble with sides so rough that it could abrade skin. The shard is held aloft by two crystal pincers on the apex of a thin steel column.

Conduit Description: Narrow caverns twist through barren grey rock without any apparent order. Wide puddles have accumulated on the ground, fed by icy water dripping from stalactites with clockwork regularity. Streams of silvery-white energy thread their way around the caverns, passing through the rock as though it wasn't there.