Spinel

The **spinel** is a type of mineral having a reddish colour.

## Properties

All spinels on Jerde have two "strains".

The first is the Mundane Strain, which is basically similar to real-world spinels that cannot grow.

The second is only found in a vast area stretching from Toralis in the west to Vozolaz in the east, known as the Vozonid Strain or Tornarin Strain. This is the more well-known "spinel" on Jerde, specifically Vozonid and Vozonised cultures, as it replicates itself by crystallising any fungi or seawater that touches it.

### Vozonid Strain

Spinel gems from the planet of Jerde, especially those from what is now Vozolaz or Azgo and surrounding countries, were infused with an unknown substance of alien origin. This caused nearly every spinel mined from most deposits there to expand when in contact with fungi, which destroys the fungi in the process. When exposed to fungal spores, it seems to rapidly "explode" out of thin air as it tries to absorb the spores' particles into its structure.

This also led to several incidents in ancient history when spinel gems thrown into the sea or scattered from shipwrecks have created islands of spinel from marine fungi. Some people have even used the gems to create barriers that stopped enemy fleets from approaching them, but these large structures of spinel also attract lightning storms that cause these structures to decay into sand.

In the Tornarin Empire, this strain of spinel is known as the Tornarin Strain. Unlike Vozonid spinels, it is not used as currency, but mostly for jewellery, plates, funerary masks, or scarlet mirrors.

### Spinel strains outside Vozolaz, the Mundane Strain

The spinels of Pju and Rukania, or any spinel from anywhere outside Vozolaz and Toralis, cannot regrow, as they were not infused with that same alien substance.

## Uses

While other countries usually use spinel gems as jewellery, in ancient times, spinel tiles were alternatingly used by Gauvajuts and their Vozonid successors as their currency.

The distant lands of Pju and Rukania were known for their vast spinel deposits, which never consume mushrooms unlike their Vozonid counterparts. Since ancient Gauvajut times, costly voyages were spent to purchase those exotic gems, evolving into pilgrimages. These two lands became viewed as holy lands in Vozonid folklore.

The Sarmelonid emperor Wantōzil tried to halt this practice in favour of using metallic coins in one of his modernisation programmes, but sometimes spinel gems were "farmed" as a medium of exchange when contemporary currencies have failed.

In honour of one of the emperors of the kingdom of Assuwas' defeat of a Celestial warlord, some Vozonid priests used spears with spinels as their tips.

Spinels can also be synthesised with rytoryntar to create karkite, an energy source for blaster shots, lanterns, and energy-based weaponry. The rytoryntar provides the energy when heated by lasers, and the spinel condenses that energy into a less-toxic form.

Sometimes, worshippers leave spinel gems as their offerings to the earth goddess Hannahanna and her wights as they pray to them for wealth. As the spinel is also a symbol of the earth goddess, some spinels are also used as protective charms against evil spirits. Those gems are either embedded on headgear and clothing, or attached to wristbands and necklaces: regardless, a Vozonid would pray to their god to "activate" the gems from evil spirits.

Sarmelonids use spears tipped with spinels as ceremonial weapons - both as tops for their war banners or to slay demons and alien enemies, especially the monstrous Kuelgons and the murderous Imperial Igarins.

Although spinel gems were used to kill hostile aliens (as the gems can turn the aliens' bodies into pillars of more spinel), Kuelgons sometimes enjoyed swallowing spinel gems and having them "explode" in their stomachs. Attempting to safely remove them would take roughly an hour, and with their quick healing they would enjoy doing it again to impress their friends.

## In culture

### Gauvajut and Vozonid spinels

According to Gauvajut and Vozonid mythology, spinel gems were the sweat of the earth goddess Hannahanna or Laghuraz, as one of her gifts to humanity. Due to its ability to grow by "eating" mushrooms and fungal spores, it was later believed to be continually used by earth wights and spirits as their currency. It also led to the practice of keeping money and jewels away from mushrooms; and incidents when spinel gems have swept through the sea had led to people keeping the gems away from seawater.

Some Vozonids venerate a spinel wight, Karkinja. She appears as a woman in red robes, riding a white horse and wielding a bright sword. She is believed to bring good luck to anyone who is near her.

Although most Vozonid societies no longer use spinel gems as money, Josol and Turodaron use "*karki*" as the name for their cents of their currency.

In their devotion to the Gods, Vozonids carve runes and glyphs on spinel bracelets, each glyph being a Gauvajut syllable of a prayer or mantra to absorb the power of the Gods. Even if no rune is forged, even a single spinel speck can become an effective weapon against the undead. It is usually raised to repel evil beings, or even forged into a blade to destroy the monsters.

### Tornarin spinels

In the cultures of Vachelon, Vilon, and the Tornarin Empire, spinels are used as jewellery, not currency as in Vozonid countries.

Tornarins also farm spinels by placing them near mushroom patches, and cut them into mirrors, plates, and funerary masks for cremations of greater people and monarchs. Sculptures of gryphons were carved from spinel gems as an act of worship to the Tornarin gods.

Like Vozonids, some Tornarins such as Nokteans and Exarins wear spinel gems as talismans.

### Pjuvian spinels

In ancient times, the emperors and kings of the Gauvajut civilisation gifted spinel gems to their allies in the far west, the *mins* of Pju; and they sought after the stable spinel gems.

### Gimbarsian spinels

Their rivals at Redjetesh in the north also used spinel gems for various functions. These included building walls of spinel crystals by sprinkling shards on lines of mushrooms, to panels reflecting the sun's rays to burn enemies. Three pyramids were decorated with large spinel gems, dedicated to the falcon god Horuw.

### Rukanian spinels

Rukanians make larger spinel gems into lanterns. The best spinels in their entire kingdom are found in the northeastern deserts, where great, unchanging chunks were carved into intricate lanterns.

Due to Rukania's prestige in ancient legends, many Vozonids undergo pilgrimages to purchase the kingdom's spinel gems. Even if the merchant is an Ontemazei, the pilgrim was not allowed to attack him, as the shop that sells spinels is considered to be holy ground.

### Galactic bloodstone

In ancient galactic records, spinel was known as "bloodstone", as the islands of spinel that appeared on Jerde's surface resembled bleeding wounds when seen from space.

### Siangwaanian spinels

The farmers and denizens of the haunted lands of southern Siangwaan almost always carry a spinel knife in their pockets, due to the undead raids in their realm. Should a wraith attack them, they can fight back by slashing the spinel blade, killing the ghost or demon.

### Bujanski spinels

Spinels never existed in Bujan until their introduction by Daizhouvian merchants and artisans. Vozonid spinels, the ones that grow when exposed to mushrooms or seawater, were only introduced at the Fifteenth Age.

They became associated with the Vozonid colonisers, yet were retained by the Bujanski Slavs, who adopted the Vozonids' culture and traditions. To this day, Vozonid temples in Bujan are sometimes accompanied with a patch of mushrooms, from which spinel crystals were grown and carved into relics. Like their Vozonid counterparts, Bujanski monarchs also wore spinels on their crowns, representing divine favour.

In Bujanski history, the near-millennium of Zvesta's existence was known as the "Spinel Age", an era of unusually-high prosperity that allowed Bujan to invest on great projects to defend its allies and rebuild the world.

## Notable spinels

* The Heart of Fire/Otoi Ghalljo - an octagonal gem housed and venerated at the Great Temple of Mandil at northeastern Josol as a symbol of the country's divine blessings, supposedly given as a gift to an ancient king from the goddess Hannahanna for helping her fight a great demon. Replicas of that gem were created as medals in sporting events, such as the Uorimon games at November.
* The Forest of Blades/The Blood Forest - a "forest" of crystals that spread over the tomb of a rebel king in the Jasper Mountains of northern Rabydos.
* The Red Tomb - a tomb of a rebel king in the Jasper Mountains that is overrun by large spinel crystals, hence the name. Believed to contain dangerous Celestial technology that was buried with their master.
* Njane-twin/"Fountains of Dusk" (ညနေတွင်း) - spinel fountains gifted to the kings of Pju from the Gauvajut and Vozonid civilisations. In turn, the Pjuvian kings sent their own spinels (which did not grow, with its unchanging form representing longevity) and gems as gifts to their Gauvajut and Vozonid allies.
* Great Spinel/Bawalkarkon - a sacred gem given to Emperor Sarmelon I by three wight kings to fight the demons that plague the eastern lands. As its wearer, the gem gave him supernatural strength, allowing him to tear the demons apart with his own hands.
	+ Even when the Great Spinel was plucked from his robes and armour, Sarmelon still had its divine powers, so he ripped the demons and took back his sacred gem. After his death, the Great Spinel was placed on the crowns of later Sarmelonid Emperors, and replicas were forged and consecrated in the greater temples of the various Vozonid nations after them.
* Sarmelon's khopesh sword - another of the wight (fairy) kings' gifts, a scarlet magical blade of alloyed, toughened spinel that was the emperor's weapon, tearing demon, flesh, and metal. Its ability to tear apart even toughened substances and stone was from its magical power.
* The Signpost, Ukazno - a rather bizarre crystal with an amusing backstory, it was formed when a vampire in Sevraeja ate a crystal dropped by a merchant.
	+ Months later, when the land was freed from the vampire hordes, the same merchant saw that the crystal had grown to the size of a small tree. Inside the large spinel was the vampire's skeleton, its skull broken by the crystal as it grew from its head.

## In other languages

* Gauvajut: *tengaris*
* Sarmelonid Vozonid: *karki*
* Josolchir: *karke*
* Siangwaanian: *karʟ-kì*, *kaʟ-ri-kì*
* Bujanki: *ubejoi* (blood-stone), *kraekja* (Vozonid religious relics)
* Rukanian: *červosrid* (red-lantern, red heart)
* Anevondir: *karaz* (blood stone)
* Igarin: *kreaz*, *krez*
* Nandegakkovian: *kéraz*, *káraz*
* Novantirna: *krandaz*, *kronta*, *kroira*
* Prisapuran Sanskrit: *aruṇśilā* (dawn stone)
* Daizhouvian: *mok xik* (幕石, dusk stone), *xiet zyen* (血泉, blood spring)
* Pjuvian: *anjan-pan* (အညံ့ပန်း), *ahre-hsaung* (အရှေ့ ဆောင်, east-gift)
* Eosome: *tokar*, *tokavru*

## Gallery

A chervosrid, a lantern made of spinel crystals from northeastern Rukania's deserts.Flag of Karkilaz, a fictional nation in Vozonid satirical science fiction.Sarmelonid currency, before and after Wantōzil's reforms. Before Emperor Wantōzil switched to coins and banknotes, spinel gems of various sizes and carvings were used as the national currency.The reddish colours and symbols in Emperor Zoirondo's flag either represent spinels (or divine blessing), or the butchery of invasive animals to feed his allies.The pauldron shield used by the local jousting champion, Chang Gao, depicts a glowing spinel gem. Many Siangwaanians practice Vozonid religious rites, hence them carrying spinel gems as talismans.The gems in the Josolchir military flag are emeralds and spinels, representing divine favour. Josol is seen as a holy land to Vozonids due to it being the country of Mount Mandil.Ang Yeung, dressed as the spinel fairy Karkinja. In folklore, Karkinja is a spirit who brings good luck to those she protects.The Heart of Fire, a sacred gem in the Great Temple of Mandil, northern Josol.
## Trivia

* In symbolism, the spinel represents dispelling negative energy, purification, and youthfulness.
	+ Likewise, Vozonid spinels are sometimes used to repel demons and evil spirits. They are usually treated like crucifixes in Western countries, except the gems can be forged into blades - or even swords and spears - to kill and destroy the monsters.
* The birth gem of August is the spinel or emerald.
	+ Fittingly, the author was born on August.
* The term *karki* was derived from the cracking sound Vozonid spinels make when they "consume" fungi and grow. It, in turn, was also the root for an ancient Vozonid word for "money", *qarqon*.
* The appearance of spinels in the Rabydosverse may be inspired by *Steven Universe*, as the author pitied one of the characters. It may also be influenced by Tiberium, a substance from the Command and Conquer games that led to a global catastrophe. The author previously joked about Spinel as Tiberium.
* One of the many poetic names used for the country of Vozolaz is *Karkilaz*, which means "The Land of Spinels".
	+ The name was also used to two other sources of spinels in the Far East: Rukania and Pju, which became holy lands in Vozonid folklore.

## See also

* Diamond
* Obsidian, Gold, Emerald
* Rytoryntar