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Ruby was a variety of corundum that was a popular and plentiful jewel and had many magical uses in addition to its appeal as a sparkling gemstone.[4][5]
Description
Rubies came in a variety of colors, from colorless through shades of red to deep crimson. The darker the shade and the fewer the inclusions and impurities, the more valuable was the gem.[4][5] A typical specimen had a base value of 5,000 gp.[1][2][3] About one in every hundred rubies was a star ruby.[5]
Powers
Superstitions around the Sea of Fallen Stars[4] held that rubies bestowed good luck on their owners,[5][6] but magical uses were much more reliable. Crushed to a powder and used in the enchantment, rubies greatly enhanced personal magic items that increased skill, ability, resistance, or luck.[5] Ruby powder was also used to create the magic ink[4] for scribing divine spells of the elemental and sun spheres, and arcane spells of the abjuration, alteration, or evocation schools.[5] The best time of day to use powdered ruby was "the time of the summer sunset."[5][note 1]
Facet cut and polished rubies were required in the crafting of a helm of brilliance[4] and were the gem of choice in decorating items that produced healing magic.[5] With the proper incantations, rubies could ward against natural and magical lightning and earthquakes. Extremely rarely, a ruby might contain a creature that could be released from the stone by delicately shattering it. Such creatures were usually unknown in Faerûn and grew rapidly upon release.[5]
Appendix
See Also
Notes
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 139. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 127. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 300. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 141. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 48. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 301. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.