Gwen-Petryl Stone

“A stone hewn from the fortress of Alveran fell to Dere, and the sky darkened with the impact.”
-excerpt from a recent edition of the Breviary of the Twelvegods, 1038 FB

Not every situation in darkness calls for open fire, and some heroes rightly feel uneasy about open flames and torches. On these occasions, a Gwen-Petryl stone might find its way into the backpack of the adventurers. When the Citadel of Alveran was destroyed during the War of the Titans, it is said that pieces of it rained down on Dere. Most of them were lost in the endless deep of the sea.

Through Efferd’s favor, often, smaller as well as larger pieces of rocks wash ashore. Beach combers easily notice these stones from a distance due to their intense bluishgreen glow. Stones glowing yellowish-orange were found many years ago, and rumors say that people have seen examples glowing pale red. The intensity of the glow, and thus the effective radius of illumination, depends on the size of the stone. A stone half the size of a man’s fist, the size most commonly found, casts illumination up to six feet or so, like a torch.

Gwen-Petryl stones are holy to Efferd, the Father of the Sea. Efferd’s faithful sometimes call them Efferd’s Fire. Since open flames are forbidden in Efferd’s holy places, followers use them as utilitarian light sources in temples, workshops, and private dwellings, as substitutes for common torches, and in some cases, as beacons in coastal towers and lighthouses. For all its uses, however, this miraculous stone emits no heat.

Mages suspect that the stone’s characteristic glow is magical in origin, but the Churches of the Twelvegods claim that the glow springs from a karmic source. The faithful agree and commonly donate glow-stones as offerings to the God of the Seas. Most realms uphold the Church of Efferd’s universal claim to all specimens that are fist-sized or larger.

Gwen-Petryl stones are not unique to coastal areas, and many are found in the larger mountain ranges, especially in the Salamander Stones in northern Aventuria. Those seeking to purchase Gwen-Petryl stones know to make their way to the markets of Havena, where they are comparably inexpensive. Increasingly, people debate whether the Church of Efferd is entitled to a monopoly on objects that turn up far from the sea. Other deities seem to show little interest in Gwen-Petryl stones. Priests of Charyb’Yzz claim that these stones are holy to their goddess, and religious scholars agree that the reddish glow observed in some stones might indicate a connection with Praios.

“What’s making this thing glow? Magic? A tiny candle inside?”

— Tjalva Garheltsdottir, Hetja of Prem

“Faith. That light is human faith in goodness and the gods.”

— Brother Hilbert of Auen, Blessed One of Peraine