Crystallica

HISTORY

Crystallica is a form of crystal which remains unparalleled in it’s magic-storing abilities. It is formed in deep subterranean veins near ley lines, and was first uncovered by miners in the later half of 150 BtE. 

The discovery of the magical potential of this material is credited to one of that century’s honorary archmages, Uriah Boffin, whose success in the magical community was likely due to his mastery of early crystallic technology. This magic user wrote most of the first scrolls on the subject, and taught many other magic users how to utilize this previously unknown resource. 

Magic-users commonly use shards of this material to store pre-cast spells they wish to use at a later date. This is useful when they know they may not have everything they need to cast a particular spell in the moment.

SCIENCE & APPEARANCE

Crystallica is considered to have a hexagonal crystal system, but much like quartz it fluctuates between trigonal and hexagonal. However, rather than heat being the catalyst, this change occurs in tandem with the amount of magical energy within it. The energy generates an effect similar to heat within the crystal system, causing it to shift in and out of the hexagonal crystal system. 

It is believed that the hexagonal structure contributes to the containment of magic, creating a firmer structure that refracts the energy in on itself. And that the trigonal system is what allows magic to pass in and out of the crystalline material, much like creating a temporary hole along the beach. Despite or perhaps because of it’s shifting structure, crystallica has a flexibility and strength that puts it on par with many metals.

Without a spell contained inside it, a piece of crystallica can often be mistaken for a shiny piece of quartz. It will retain it’s opaque white colour until filled with a spell. Once full, the crystallic shard will take on the hue of the energy within it. For example, if the spell is a protection spell, then the crystallica will become a smokey black. Once the spell has been used up, the crystal will return to it’s usual opaque white. 

Following a purification process involving salt, the shard can be used to store another spell. However, after enough usage, the shard will become permanently tinted with that magical energy. Additionally, continual use will slowly wear down and break the structural covalent bonds until the crystallica begins leaking the magic in potentially dangerous ways. 

The average crystallic shard will last for about five to six years, though higher-quality and better cared for shards have been rumoured to last up to ten. 

USE

In traditional use, crystallica is cut into small shards and bound with silver so it can hang from a belt or be strung around a necklace. Due to their smaller size, shards can only hold one spell at a time. If the castor wants a reliable and reusable spell cycle, it is advisable to carve the spell into the crystal itself. When this is done, any raw energy put into the shard will immediately begin to take on the characteristics of the spell. This speeds up the process of reinstalling the spell. 

To activate the spell inside, the castor must utter a release word and strike the shard against something, or otherwise find a way to fling the energy out in the direction they want the spell cast in.

Because crystallica it so good at holding spells, many higher magic users will use larger pieces to store raw magical energy. This storage format is more unstable due to the unpredictability of large amounts of raw magical energy, and so is usually not part of a magic-users everyday pouch-belt. These larger energy holders are more often used in schools or laboratories to help prevent young magic-users and scientists from draining their own reserves as they practice new spells throughout the day. It requires careful handling to avoid accidents, so anyone in the present-day wishing to purchase a large crystallic chunk weighing over two pounds must obtain a license, which states they have had the proper training and are thus properly qualified to purchase and use the chunks as they will. 

Different crystal structures require different amounts of heat (or energy) to break apart and melt. Quartz has a higher melting temperature than glass due to its crystal structure, which requires more energy to break apart. Similarly, crystallica has a higher melting temperature than quartz, though they share many similarities. 

Crystallica looses a lot of it’s effectiveness after being melted, as melting jeopardises it’s unique magic-holding structure. Despite not being able to hold magical energy, the melted crystallica can still be used in transferring it. 

One way that this has been used to great effect is within the grand hall of the magisterium. Large amounts of crystallica was melted down into a cloudy glass-like form and installed into the floor in the shape of a redirection spell. This prevents any and all from using magic in the great hall. Any form of magic cast will be immediately sucked into and through the glass and either dissipated into the stone or deposited into one of the large chunks of crystallica matching the energy of the spell cast. This was designed as a security feature to prevent magic-related incidents between the various magic-uses who gather in the hall.