Jade

Jade
Materials
Official Name	Jade
Common Nicknames	Dex Stone, Green Topaz
Origin	Unknown
Uses	Decorative, Utility
Rarity	Rare
Accessibility	Upper Class, Sihai

Jade is an often-green gemstone with both a rough and glossy texture that retains only a mild shine when sanded down, carved, and treated. While rarely found in wider Aloria, its greatest deposits are instead unearthed in distant Jadeheart, making it a valuable component of jewelry to Ailor and other groups, while to the Sihai it is common and vital to their very survival. Jade is also used to create decorative items in homes for the Sihai, with ornate and beautiful carvings of Dragons often etched into the material’s surface.

History

Jade was well known to the Elves for millennia, but was extremely rare in their voyages across the world during the dominance of the Allorn Empire. However, one land that was abundant in Jade was Jadeheart (giving the area its designation on Ailor charts) which the Allorn eagerly sought out over the millennia of their thriving civilization. But unlike the Jade deposits found elsewhere, Jade had an innate connection with the local people, and the Sihai largely barred its sale to outsiders. Yet, the Allorn had their ways, and a slow stream of Sihai-mined Jade would filter into the Allorn Empire. However, in Jadeheart, Jade became beyond powerful a short time before the Cataclysm. The Jade Wall rose in opposition to the Akula, Void monsters that surfaced from the deep, but who were repelled. Huge pieces of Jade emerged from the waters as well, forming crystalline plates over the waves or lodging themselves deep into the ocean, while the island of Dexai itself was half-frozen in the material, locked as the only spot where the Wall did not exist. In the following decades, the Sihai came to use Jade ever increasingly, and such was its abundance and new importance as a symbol of their people’s strength and fortitude. Sihai engineering in particular perfected ornate and beautiful uses for Jade into Jadetech, an entire school that now works to defend the Jade Wall and protect the Sihai of the world. Today, Jade remains treasured by the Sihai. While Jade in wider Aloria is rare, though not as sought after. It also often has more diverse colorations, leaving it to fall into the hands of the wealthy though many still quest after the splendor of Jadetech.

Characteristics

Appearance

Jade is an opaque gemstone with colors ranging from pale mint to mossy green, while singular shades out of this spectrum include pale yellows, dull oranges, whites, and blacks. The verdant green tones are exclusively seen in eastern Jade, while Jade found elsewhere is known to have examples of all colors. In its natural state, it exists in large veins edged by pale green to white sections easily visible when first cut through. Once the material has been refined, these pale white sections are largely carved away, leaving behind a waving pattern of lighter and darker shades of the primary color throughout. It also possesses a rough, oily texture that retains only a mild shine once it is treated.

General Uses

Jade has many uses for many different groups. The most common that Alorians will experience is its use in decoration, crafted into all sorts of jewelry and accessories for those who can gain access to them. Jade jewelry outside of Sihai circles largely finds itself partnered with Silver, and while art made using Jade is rare, some Allar and Teledden have been known to carve small decorative items or detailed pendant images. For the Sihai, their jewelry pieces often feature raw pieces of the substance, since they might use the material for a range of purposes due to their power over Jade. However, other pieces are known to be carved into a final form in Sihai society, from statues to murals to simple clothing clasps, hair combs, or symbols of public office. They are also used in Sihai construction, often still serving to clad buildings, or to be incorporated into the floors of a magnificent structure. Finally, there is Jade’s use in engineering, the entire sphere of Jadetech as developed by the nation of Dexai, and then spread to other groups of Sihai. Embellished with Gold, and often carved with imagery of nature, this technology is impressive to watch being made, as much as it is to see the final product.

Trivia

• Some Sihai who travel to Aloria make it a mission to hunt down and reclaim the Jade of their ancient homeland in the possession of outsiders. Such efforts, while difficult, are made easier due to the abilities of the Sihai to call and summon Jade to them.
• Jade among the Allar seen in wider Aloria is rare today, though it was more common back on Sendrass and many believe it is still used to decorate the form of Sendrassian elites.

---

Accreditation
Writers HydraLana Processors FireFan96, MantaRey	Last Editor HydraLana on 12/18/2023.

---

» Read more