Ankhesep-Ane
| Ankhesep-Ane | |
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| Materials | |
| Official Name | Ankhesep-Ane |
| Common Nicknames | Deathstone, Gravegreen, Glow-green Rock |
| Origin | Unknown |
| Uses | Decorative, Religious |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Accessibility | Middle and Upper Classes |
An extremely dense green stone, Ankhesep-Ane has a close connection to the Asha and the Ordial realm. While its Ordial ties remain somewhat mysterious, the Asha greatly appreciate the stone’s visual flair once carved, as only they and their Living Metal can crack into and create wonderful pieces from the material. While it was once exceedingly rare, the rebirth of the Asha and the expansion of their people across a broader part of Aloria has brought them into contact with Ankhesep-Ane found in other lands, with Asha artisans often earning high wages for working the substance on commission from other interested parties.
History
Ankhesep-Ane was likely identified many millennia ago by the Dewamenet Empire, but details on their interactions with the substance are scarce. Allorn sources insisted that the stone, encountered by the state as it spread across the world, was unbreakable, and stood as a lesson for the Estelley faithful. Of course, as the Empire began to decay, many with hubris the size of mountains tried to break the stone themselves, using Magic and other methods. While some records do exist of “successful” shatterings, all that was left in these attempts was wrapped, jagged stone borderline dangerous to even hold, let alone try to make anything of it. In the background of all of these centuries of interaction though, were Ankhesep-Ane artifacts, the best known being a damaged feline-headed bust kept by Teledden in what became Ithania. Likely dating to the Dewamenet era, this object was not the only one, and suggested, to the irritation of any High Elves aware of such scholarship, that their now servant caste had been able to work the material. Such a truth was kept hidden until the collapse of the Allorn Empire, and the freedom of the Asha.
Fleeing to the Ashal Islands, the Asha soon discovered nodes of the strange stone poking up from the sands, and rarely continuing very far underground. With the rediscovery of Living Metal, the Asha learned that this unique substance could cut into the substance and shape it how they wished. For the Death-worshipers among them, and elsewhere though, this revelation proved a truth that was whispered in their communities, and is now a more commonly spoken fact: Ankhesep-Ane has some sort of a connection to the Ordial plane. What exactly this connection is remains unclear, as Mages have been unable to determine any effects from sustained contact with the material. However, it hardly matters, for these Asha took to the substance with a fervor and it became a key material to adorn themselves, and make objects with. Other Asha did the same as well, though more to reclaim a lost part of their heritage than establish a connection to another dimensional plane. The launching of the Corsair Fleets brought Asha skillsets in shaping the stone to foreign shores, and while some regions have entirely rejected Asha skills in making use of the material, other areas are more than happy to let them work. While the slow increase of Ordial threats and events over recent years has meant some groups are turning away from the material, many others do not buy the rumors, as the stone doesn’t appear to affect anyone or anything within proximity to them. For this reason, it is likely that the material will continue to remain significant for many years to come.
Characteristics
Appearance
Ankhesep-Ane is a deep-green stone that appears to manifest as tall, blunt, conical formations largely at, or on, the surface of harsh terrains, from open sandy environments to crashing pebble shores to barren heaths. The stone is often worn and significantly impure at its edges, known for possessing gray scratches and cracks along its edges and sometimes even being covered in debris or small vegetation like moss. However, when taken and processed, Ankhesep-Ane’s deep marbled green appears clearly. While similar to Jade in some respects, this stone is different for extinct universally as one hue, and for glowing pale green when the sun is setting or rising, but not any other time.
General Uses
Ankhesep-Ane only really serves one purpose: decoration. Whether that is as part of a piece of jewelry, or some work of artistry, it is meant to adorn or enhance a space. The most common works of art created from the stone are Asha-styled representations of the Aphed, a beautiful bird native to the Ashal Islands which also glows green, and has some unknown connection to Ordial power. While usually singular pieces presenting the bird with outstretched wings, other less traditional creations have several together in a swirl of flight and movement. Notable Ane jewelry, however, is almost always held by Ordial cultists, and involves skull imagery or complex ritual carvings on icons or Asha symbols.
Trivia
- Ankhesep-Ane stones can be as small as a Dwarf, or as high as a ship’s mast, though many of these taller samples have since toppled over into the landscape.
- A common theory is that Ankhesep-Ane emerges at sites now long-cleansed of former Ordial activity, either as a sort of purification after-effect, or some piece of stonework to indicate the act having taken place.
- The Songaskia enjoy Ankhesep-Ane objects greatly, and Farahdeen is perhaps the region with the most examples of the stone identified to date.
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