Mortae crystal

**Mortae crystals** are powerful green crystals that are important items in the story, known for their immense amounts of stored power that can create strange effects.

There are multiple in existence, although the exact amount is unknown. It is also unknown how the crystals are created.

Morty is named for the mortae crystal embedded within him, giving him life.

## **Description**

While they appear in many shapes and sizes, these crystals are always a deep, pulsating, clear green, and emit a dim green light. A 'living' crystal is impossibly strong, seemingly impervious to any kind of cut or external damage. A crystal that has become inactive, however, becomes vastly weakened and the green tint fades into a shade of grey; the crystal also ceases to emit light.

## **Abilities**

### **God-Link**

Those who are within the radius of a mortae crystal are likely to experience strange premonitions or undergo transformations. The stronger these effects are, the more powerful the crystal is, shown by the extreme power of the gem underneath Ise Jingu.

### **Luck of the Gods**

When touching the stone and focusing on the life pulsing within, a person is able to store a small portion of power gifted by the stone; this power can be called upon up to 24 hours later in order to re-roll and possibly change the outcome of an event. This ability seems to only be usable once per day.

## **History**

### **Session 8**

Upon being defeated by The Black Spider, after attempting to enter a chamber alone, Malekith Darkridge first laid eyes on a mortae crystal, glowing dimly while a large, hunched **Orcish Warlock** ran his hands along it.

### **Session 9**

After rescuing Mal and running into several new members, the party discovered that the crystal that was once glowing green was now lightless and grey, a thick arm-sized hole plunging deep into it's centre. Mal attempted to shave a chunk of the crystal off, but was unsuccessful.

### **Session 14**

During the exploration of the Temple In The Swamp, Pluck sneaked down a thin corridor and peaked through a door, revealing a similar **Orcish Warlock** with what seemed like glowing shards of the same crystal seen in the cave running down his forearms. The green energy from these crystals was then used to immediately evaporate several orcs and encouraged to opening of a demon seal.

### **Session 17-18**

While trying to track a buried onyx statuette, the party entered the catacombs under the church of Larry Priestman, discovering a strange, slime-like being that was slowly trying to stretch towards a medium sized mortae crystal at the centre of the room. After this ordeal, Larry recommended speaking to Mikohafu's father, the Shinshoku, about the strange crystals.

### **Session 20**

While exploring the The Ruined Undergrounds Of Oniyama, the party found several 'keys' that were similar to the mortae crystals. These seemed to power doors and teleporters and were much smaller and more portable than any other crystal previously seen. Each one contained an engraving describing its usage.

### **Session 27**

While being shown a secret room and temple under the large island temple, Mikohafu discovered a gargantuan crystal, jutting out of the chest of a huge statue of the Mother of Gods, Qael'Sadin. The party believed this is what the Black Spider and his cult were seeking.