TestFire

TestFire
Materials
Official Name	Hallowed Stone Magestone Purestone
Origin	Regalian Empire
Uses	Protecting high value locations

Holy Stones are special materials created by several groups in the Regalian Empire to safeguard their most sacred areas, or to deny the use of Abilities by those who would do harm to those around them, such as criminals with Arcane Afflictions. Hallowed Stone is the oldest type of Holy Stone used by the Unionist Churches, and is the name origin for the category of material. Magestone, the Mage’s Bane, is the second type of Holy Stone, and was one of the many instruments used by the Azure Order to detain and “re-educate” illegal Mages to comply with the regulations of the Regalian Empire. Finally, Purestone is the newest type of Holy Stone, invented by the Purists of Saint Belliard to safeguard locations from all forms of Aberrancy, and in doing so created a material which even prevents the innate Racial Abilities of Alorians from manifesting. Together, the three Holy Stones are praised by conservative elements as gifts from the Imperial Spirit to safeguard against the enemies of Unionism, while those who are affected by these materials see them as one of the many tools used by the Empire to oppress them. Regardless of one’s own beliefs, it is impossible to deny the power of Holy Stones, and it is expected that they will continue to see use in the most secure and holy of areas in the Empire for years to come.

Hallowed Stone

Hallowed Stone has existed long before any of the other Holy Stones, with dated records of its presence at the founding of Unionism, being a part of some of its earliest churches and places of worship. The Church, specifically the Forges of Basta, have managed its construction and distribution since that time. In spite of its construction by the Church, it is not known publicly for certain when, or why, it was initially created, in spite of its obvious usage now. Nor is it completely understood how it functions, as the nature of the Basta Forges prevents any information about it from leaving their midst. Churches that have Hallowed Stone sanctums reserve it for the prayer of the most pure and devout, seeking desperately to keep the unworthy away from their relics and places of worship, most notably the fonts which house Holy Water.

Hallowed Stone remains a cornerstone of Church practice and structure, even with the split nature of Unionist Sects in modern times. Its ability to ward off Void and Exist aberrations, but not those of Primal Essence, pleases even the outliers such as the Vultarin Sect. Though few are capable of acquiring it, as while its process of construction is understood by the church, it is still lengthy and time consuming, leading to only small amounts produced each year for acquisition. It is often one of the first components secured for building when a new Chapel or Church is planned, and is similarly one of the first things Inquisitions and Crusaders attempt to plunder when raiding failed or heretical churches, or whoever they deem unworthy of it. Though many have tried to learn its construction method for their own use throughout the years, the Church has maintained its secrecy well, and is to this day the only source of new Hallowed Stone.

Magestone

Magestone was created around 110 AC during the tenure of Grand Vigil Nicholas of the Azure Order, and was instrumental to the reforms that made this Regalian Organization the feared behemoth of centuries past. While Hallowed Stone at this point in Regalian History proved effective in deterring Aberrants from the holiest sites in Unionist Temples, it failed to prevent said Aberrants from using their powers to harm others around them. In order to effectively carry out their duties as enforcers of magic law in the Regalian Empire, the Azure Order required a new material, one that held the power to prevent Mages from casting their spells, allowing for the Sentinels to carry out their “re-education” of those captured. After many trials, and with rumors of occult powers being utilized in its creation, the Azure Order finally created Magestone, using it as the chief material in constructing their base of operations: the Azure Spire.

With the growth of the Azure Order’s influence came a greater desire of other Organizations to utilize Magestone for their own purposes, such as the Violet Order and Crimson Inquisition. As the Azure Order willingly supplied these groups with their Holy Stone, it became clear that Magestone was far more potent than initially thought. Not only were Mages prevented from casting their spells in the vicinity of Magestone, but Vampires and Werebeasts were far more easier to subdue. Further research carried out by the Azure Order and Scholar’s Court eventually concluded that Magestone had the ability to block off most powers derived from the Void and Exist planes, in turn creating greater demand by various interest groups for Magestone. By 250 AC, nearly every prison in urban centers such as the City of Axford and City of Calemberg used Magestone within their walls, with its signature blue coloring serving as a constant symbol of security to law-abiding citizens, and helplessness to occult-inclined criminals.

Purestone

Purestone was developed in tandem with Puretek by the Purists of Saint Belliard around 306 AC. With the development of Puretek and the recent revelation of Witchblood’s potential threat to the Regalian Empire, Magestone proved quickly ineffective in managing the abilities of those who draw on Planar, or Binral Essence. Even the Church’s long utilized and constructed Hallowed Stone, which has existed since the founding of Unionism, had no effect on the presence and abilities of Witchbloods and others who draw on Primal Power. The Purists of Saint Belliard’s solution to the failing of these two cornerstones led to the creation of Purestone, a particularly potent dampening stone. It did not see installation until early 308 AC, however, and only in a handful of specific areas. The Purists initially sought to improve upon the concept of Magestone, building large fortresses and sanctums from it, allowing them to be securely protected from dangerous Aberrants, willing (or unwilling) servants of the Dragons, and other accursed creatures. They spoke openly and freely of their plans to build a Sanctuary for Humans, but the presence of Purestone as the catalyst for it was only vaguely understood by outsiders to the Guild. Little is known about the process of its creation, only that the Imperial Palace was closely involved, and that it also utilized a closely guarded Unionist Artifact. What is known from rumors is that its construction is an extremely costly and laborious process. Any Noble or Scholar who is particularly conspiratorial (or critical of the Purists) is usually quick to allude to a cost to create the stone that borders on immoral, suggesting occult rituals and loss of life to create a powerful stone capable of quelling even the Essence of Aloria. Any such assumptions are vehemently, and even violently, denied by the Purists and their constituents, so the idea is rarely spoken of outside of trusted circles, especially since there is no proof of such. Though the exact timeline of its creation is unknown outside of the order, scholars and informants have deduced that, most likely, while Puretek was entering testing, Purestone’s creation was still entirely hypothetical. Regardless of the delays and roadblocks in its inception, the Purists worked diligently towards their goal: to create a stone for construction capable of even sapping the powers from Witchbloods and the rare Primal Mages alike.

The Purists have spoken little of its sale and construction, only saying as much to immediately deny any request to purchase more to this very day. Though they may happily supply Puretek to loyal and devout Purity Conservatives, the conversation with their craftsman ends the moment Purestone is suggested. It can only be safely assumed that the price of its creation is astronomical, far beyond even what the most wealthy houses can afford, or that it utilized an object or resource they are no longer capable of accessing. If the latter is true, however, the Purists would never admit such, due to the proverbial power its mere existence holds over their enemies. The Purists will only speak of Purestone to the Imperial Palace and managers of Greygate, and even then it is only to assure it is still functioning and take measurements and notes. Since it would have been too costly, and possibly damaging to the stone to install it into another building to test its effects first, the Purestone in Greygate was placed there directly by the Purists once it was complete. Thus Greygate serves as its trial run, as the presumed small amount they have left is installed into other critical fortified points around the Archipelago. Its installation into such closely-guarded areas have caused an improvement in morale as the sanctity of those spaces are assured against Abberant’s abilities.

Summary of Effects

Below is a table summarizing the three types of Holy Stones, and characteristics related to each material. Notable Locations cover places within the City of Regalia where Holy Stones are commonly found. Block Indicators are used to denote areas where Holy Stones are present (for example, Light Blue Concrete & Light Blue Glazed Terracotta are used in Greygate Prison to indicate the prison cell areas which are lined in Purestone).

Stone Type	Notable Location(s)	Block Indicator	Effects
Magestone	Azure Spire	Lapis Lazuli Block	Disables all Void and Exist-based Abilities (except for Racial Abilities)
Purestone	Greygate Prison, Imperial Palace	Light Blue Concrete & Light Blue Glazed Terracotta	Disables all Abilities
Hallowed StoneTemples	Unionist Temples	Gold Block	Spontaneous Combustion to Complete Aberrancy Intense, Crippling Pain to Linked Aberrancy Bearable amounts of Pain to Infested Aberrancy High discomfort to Touched Aberrancy