Power stones are objects of concentrated magic made solid, used by mortal spellcasters to amplify their power without the risk of being overwhelmed by said energies.
History[]
Although warpstone is forbidden from use by the law and tradition of the Imperial Colleges of Magic, this has not stopped many of the colleges' Magisters from experimenting with ways to store amounts of pure magical energy in solid form for future usage. Despite every one of the colleges practicing some form of runecraft, Human Magisters are far from experts in the ways of binding magic to items through means of runes. Unlike the Dwarfs, Human runecraft tends to have a limited effect and lifespan, and so is not therefore the best way to store large amounts of magical energy.[1a]
It was the Golden Order that first theorised that power from a single Wind of Magic could be isolated and forced under an intense and artificial pressure, making it into a tangible, solidified "stone" of that Wind of Magic. This stone would not have the raw and dangerous power of warpstone, as it would only possess the powers and predilections of one of the strands of magic, not all of them. It would be of manageable power and not blinding to Magisters.[1a]
The wizards of the Empire learned the secret of solidifying magic into Power Stones from the High Elf Archmage Teclis himself, one of the founders of the Human Orders of Magic, and creator of the Orbs of Sorcery. It was the third patriarch of the Golden Order, Magister Patriarch Theodor Habermas, who first succeeded in devising a way to fold a strand of Chamon in upon itself again and again, somehow imposing physical laws upon it, until eventually it became like a glistening yellow mist, then a sparkling yellow liquid, then eventually a kind of semi-translucent golden stone that shone with an inner light.[1a][1c]
The properties of this stone were marvellous, for it could be used in different quantities as a reagent for any alchemical experiment, and could also be used to power certain devices and magical implements used by the Magister Alchemists of the Golden Order.[1a][1c]
Philosopher's Stone[]
Magister Patriarch Theodor Habermas spent years studying the legendary Prism of Power of Leonardo da Miragliano, invented three centuries earlier by the renowned Tilean genius. Habermas eventually used aethyric refraction to create power stones.[2a]
Habermas regarded the stone he had created as the ultimate facilitator of the studies of his order, and so named it the Philosopher's Stone. Since that time, all kinds of wondrous capabilities have been ascribed to the Philosopher's Stones of the Golden Order, including an ability to turn base material into gold and even grant immortality. These stories are patent exaggerations, but this has not kept privately studying alchemists from trying to reproduce the creation of the original Philosopher's Stone using non-magical alchemical means alone -- an impossible and fruitless venture.[1a][1b]
Over the centuries since Habermas' breakthrough, leading Magisters of other colleges have found ways of achieving the same end with the other Winds of Magic.[1b]
Yet the other colleges were skeptical of whether Habermas' stone justified its intense production process. Though the Philosopher's Stones were significantly safer to wield than warpstone, the gems were smaller and more fragile than the Orbs of Sorcery, and their energies expired quickly.[1b][2b]
Furthermore, Habermas boasted that the yellow stones possessed unproven properties such as granting immortality and transmuting base materials into gold. Nevertheless, the Golden Order continued refining power stone production techniques and renamed them "Goldstones." As the Colleges of Magic grew, wizards learned to compress other magical winds using similar techniques.[1b][2b]
Over the last century, the colleges have constructed tower laboratories on arcane fulcrums and leylines, thus improving production efficiency from weeks to days. The Bright Order now utilises "Fire Rubies" in wands and rings of great destructive potential. Braziers full of power stones have even substituted Orbs of Sorcery as fuel for great arcane war machines, such as the Celestial Hurricanum and Luminark of Hysh.[1b][2b]
Creating Power Stones[]
Each College of Magic has its own way of creating stones of power like those mentioned above, though the basic principle of doing so is one of imposing physical laws onto a small fragment of a Wind of Magic. With a power stone, a wizard can focus their chosen Wind of Magic to cast some of the most powerful spells with ease. It is important to note that only the most powerful and experienced Magisters of the Orders of Magic can even attempt to create stones of power.[1b][1c]
They do so only rarely as it is one of the most exacting and exhausting endeavours that a Magister can embark upon. The complex rituals and processes involved in doing so take anywhere from weeks to months. As a result, very few items would have such a stone attached to it, and only full Magisters (Master Wizards) and Wizard Lords would be likely to possess one.[1b][1c]
Power Stones of the Colleges of Magic[]
| Stone Name | Wind | Magic College |
| True Sapphires | Azyr | Celestial Order |
| Endstones | Shyish | Amethyst Order |
| Ghost Amber | Ghur | Amber Brotherhood |
| Lumen Stones | Hysh | Order of Light |
| Fire Rubies | Aqshy | Bright Order |
| Goldstone | Chamon | Golden Order |
| Crystal Mist | Ulgu | Grey Order |
| Vitaellum | Ghyran | Jade Order |
High Elves and Power Stones[]
The High Elf Mages of Ulthuan have been creating stones of solidified magical energy for millennia. Their abilities at doing so far surpass anything that Human wizards could hope to duplicate. Elven power stones are absolutely flawless and can be of almost any size.[1a]
The enchanted sword that Loremaster Teclis forged for himself at the time of the Great War Against Chaos is fabled to have had eight such gems upon it; one for each of the Winds of Magic. Only such a powerful High Elf archmage as Teclis would be able to unlock the power of such a weapon without causing great harm to himself.[1a]