Soul Gem

Alleria (Dw: "rose diamond" because of its resemblance to a rose coloured diamond), worth at least 100 gillads for its gem properties alone, these stones are also enchanted to be able to contain a being's essence. Rediscoverd by the Elaran mage Seraada Margolin during his unsupervised and unapproved experimentation while he was at the Mage's Academy in Velloria, soul gems had originally and briefly been used by Valeri mages and the Wizard Princes. The Valeri stopped using them because of moral implications, the Wizard Princes because they were overthrown.
Once the precious stone has been spelled, a soul gem touching the skin of a living being will absorb the being's essence into the crystaline structure of the gem. Having their essence removed causes the being to die. If a "full" soul gem is placed against the skin of a dead being whose essence has been removed, and that being has not been dead more than a day, the essence is reinfused back into the body. Instead of bringing the being back to life, however, it causes the being to undergo a three day metamorphosis, and emerge from a cocoon as a goblin.
If a "full" soul gem is placed against the skin of a being who died in some way other than having their essence removed, or had their essence removed more than one day but less than 10 days ago, the three day metamorphosis results in a troggle instead of a goblin.
When Seraada had been banished from Velloria and subsequently possessed by a joKara parasite, he posed as a traveling merchant selling jewellery containing soul gems. Unsuspecting customers quickly began filling the ranks of his goblin army. One of the reasons Seraada chose Tyrak in Drakon province was the proximity to a diamond mine in the Sibianur Mountains, to be used as soul gems.
Category:Magic items (Elara)