After the flurry of writing to finish the NaShoStoMo challenge I took the Sunday off to recharge. While I have not worked so much on fiction this past week, I did get some more worldbuilding done in-between my studies. After the couple of pieces about Airthai that I wrote for NaShoStoMo, I decided to focus on the relationship between the “Continent” and the “Sundered Lands”. The stories of Aran and the Ealda, including the black stone dragons, I decided to focus a lot on the mythology of the dragons and their interaction with the humans and other races of Airthai. From the beginning of Airthai – a book called “A Stone of Indigo” – the Dragon Tears have played a role, although that role has changed as the world was fleshed out. At first I thought “Dragon Tears” are just a cool description for the stones, it was only later that I ‘found out’ that the stones were real dragon tears.
So far, there are four main types of Dragon Tear stones. (Yellow and white is still to come, but they feature mainly in the far Western and Northern Lands.) Those that have read “A Dragon’s Freedom” will know about the indigo stones already, but the others only come into play in other stories…
Dragon Tears:
Being an explanation and list of the different Dragon Tear Stones found in the lands of Airthai: Indigo, red, green and black.
Dragon Tears are stones or jewels which that are formed by the hardening of the tears of the dragons in the Southern and the Sundered Lands of Airthai.
There are quite a few different kinds of these stones, all of which are different colours and have different uses; both for the dragons and for other races.
The Indigo Stones
The stones mostly seen and known of in the Middle Lands, are the blue-purple or indigo coloured stones. Because these are the most common of the Dragon Tear stones, they are usually referred to simply as “Dragon Tears”, unlike the other types which may have two or more names.
These tears are shed when a dragon is in mourning. This is usually when they are captured – like what happened in the Kingdom of Guldargan – or when one of their kin or a dragon’s Guardian dies.
Those that do not know the words with which the stones may be set afire only know the stones as decoration and they may also glow from within in the deepest darkness. They are used for lighting only in the richest of the houses – most notably the large mansions found in Marglóthborg and its surrounds. This glow is well known in the caverns beneath Treddian and the tunnels of Holt Haliern, but the existence of great amounts of these stones is closely guarded by both parties. The stones beneath Holt Haliern and Adea in Treddian are tears shed in the swamps north of Brenoth Wood (The Great Wood or Blood Wood as it was once known) by the dragons that were set free by Nasja, but who had grown too wild or had fallen and sought refuge there. There they mourned for the sea and for the loss of their kin. These stones came into the rivers in the Brenoth Wood, which led down below Holt Haliern and were washed from there to the caverns beneath Adea in Treddian.
The Red Stones – Fire Stones
Less well-known in the Middle Lands are the orange-red Dragon Tears. These stones are also known as Fire Stones or Dragon Gifts. These stones are mostly found in the Southern Lands and among the Dragon Guardians in Reiaghy. These stones are usually gifted to a specific person. Each Dragon Guardian receives one of these stones once they enter their second year of apprenticeship. Some of these stones have also been given to the rulers of these lands – most notably when the Guardians first arrived on the Southern Shores with the dragons after the Sundering.
The Fire Stones burn much hotter and brighter than the indigo Dragon Tears. Those that carry these stones may also be found by 'friendly' dragons, as the stones have a way of calling to them should the wearer wish so. This is much like the firebird who may give a feather to a person as a way for that person to call her.
Nasja was also given one of these stones before he was taken by the northern men from Guldargan, but, knowing its power to call the dragons and afraid that he may be forced to use the stone by the northern men, he threw the stone away while they travelled on the Death Plain. It was at this moment, when he tried to get away far enough from his captors to hide the stone that his leg was maimed, making sure that he could not escape. But, by that time, the stone was already hidden beneath the sand and the men from the north did not find it.
The Dragon Seekers also carries a Dragon’s Gift to help them to show wilder dragons that they are friends of the dragons.
The Green Dragon Tears – Knowledge Stones
The Green Dragon Tears are extremely rare and most are owned by the Ealda in the Sundered Lands and the Elves and Rún in the Northern and Western Lands on the Continent. These stones may also be used between humans and other races to call to each other. They are also known as Knowledge Stones as the Elves have found a way to enclose knowledge within the stones. After one of these ‘inscribed’ stones was stolen, though, the Elves had cut most of their dealings with all other races except the Tellerassar. Their Knowledge Stones are also their best guarded treasure. These stones are now thought of as only legends within most of the Middle and Eastern Lands.
Only one of the Green Dragon Tears were gifted to a Wíkla by the Ealda in the Sundered Lands after the Wíkla proved that she wanted her and her kingdom to change. This was also the first time that any of the Wíkla chose to go to the Ealda for learning after the Great Sundering.
The Black Dragon Tears – Blood Stones
Another type of Dragon Tear is also found in the Sundered Lands - Black Dragon Tears. These stones are also known as Blood Stones, or Death Stones by the Ealda. These stones are not truly made from the tears of dragons, but from the blood of those dragons that have been turned to the shadow. These dragons are mostly of a grey or silver colour - as if the blue colour of the dragons have simply faded. Bloodletting is done on these dragons when they are bound and the stones are worn by the Dragon Men who are the guards and warriors of the High Wíkla.
Not too much is known of all the uses of these Blood Stones[2]. Almost nothing is known about them on the continent, with most of the knowledge based in the far west of the Western Lands. The books of the Ealda also tell of this and contain studies about the power of these stones at the Sundering of the Lands. The Wíkla and the High Wíkla also use these stones in the Sundered Lands after the Great Sundering. They are used by the Wíkla and the other Fallen to try and find the Ealda. They believed that, if they should destroy the Ealda, they would succeed in destroying the Creator's hold on the Sundered Lands. They also believed that the Ealda held knowledge that would make the Wíkla indestructible.
