The Mystique of Xazkruvrixis
The Mystique of Xazkruvrixis is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.
Buried History: Rumors of Death
First discovered within the submerged ruins of Miirta Jzen, little is known about the original purpose of xazkruvrixis.
Rumors of a relic crafted from a yet unknown material circulated among the scholars and archaeologists of Cheiva, who fervently sought to uncover the secrets of the lost Builder civilization of the Ujheqi region. After happening upon additional cryptic writings regarding an ore capable of controlling the cycle of life, their interests and curiosity were piqued. An expedition unlike any before was organized and they set off to their goal.
The exploration of the ruins proved more challenging than originally planned, as aside from the entrance of cracked and broken pillars, the city was buried deep within the Bay of Mos’kayl, resulting in a cavernous depth overtaken by coral and other sea life. Navigating those pathways proved treacherous and even the most experienced of divers found it difficult to return to the party alive.
Many years passed with little success, and occasional casualties, until the dive explorations proved fruitful. Within one of the many caverns surrounded by dead coral was a disk of greenish black metal, half-buried beneath the sea floor amongst the skeletons of various sea life, its many symbols marred by the passage of millennia. There was little concern for the fact that, aside from the remains of various fish and the dead coral, no other sign of life aside from the explorers could be seen.
It wasn’t until one of the party members reached out to brush some sand off the disk for further inspection that they realized why this particular cavern was barren. The unlucky diver died immediately, though the rest of the party was unsure as to the cause. Then another attempted to touch the metal, quickly succumbing to its power as well, and losing his life. It took less than a moment for those remaining alive to quickly return to the surface, and their peers, to explain what had happened, leaving the dead behind.
Further research was needed on this material whose essence was permeated with death incarnate, as the risk now outweighed the reward for such a find. The excursion returned to Cheiva, their initial purpose defeated. Despite the disappointment, they did not return completely empty-handed. Within the cavernous depths of Miirta Jzen were tomes dedicated to an in-depth study of the material and its inner workings, the ink and paper somewhat waterlogged, but preserved enough by ancient magic.
Within the tomes, the secrets of xazkruvrixis were revealed; the ability to control the cycle of life simply meant the ability to quickly end it, thus explaining the quick deaths of those who touched it and the lack of sea creatures within its home beneath the waves. Additional insight regarding the metal noted that only the most skilled within the Builder society were allowed to enter the room with the disk, let alone interact with it, due to its inherent nature. Attempts to harness the power of the metal were often met with failure, save for one extreme phenomenon left unwritten in the pages of Finnia history.
A return trip was planned, with more resources generated, to once again attempt to retrieve the disk. This time, it was successful, and the disk was brought to Cheiva under the most careful conditions. Only select, highly skilled individuals were allowed in its presence for study, and even then, many scholars fell to the metal’s power. Those who did not, however, were able to withstand and overpower the essence emanating from it, allowing a greater understanding of its properties, even if they were unable to harness what they originally believed were its capabilities to spur the life cycle of those within its reach.
The tomes offered another great boon as well. Within one was a map, carefully marked with the locations of mines believed to be where more xazkruvrixis could be found. As the only known source up until that point was the disk, those studying it were reluctant to destroy it in order to use it for weaponry. Instead, they worked diligently and recruited miners from across the continent, and even as far as Elanith, to dig towards the ore. As the tomes were tens of thousands of years old, many of the marked sites had been mined fully of any resources, or had been destroyed through the passage of time. One mine lasted, and those able to withstand holding the xazkruvrixis ore were able to capitalize upon its worth. Beyond the mysterious disk whose purpose was lost to history, the metal was noted to be extremely potent for melee weapons.
The metal remains extremely rare, as only a single mine serves as its source, and harvesting the ore requires skills few possess. Many prerequisites are required before one is even allowed within the mine, including several decades of proven safety working with dangerous materials. Following that, a selection process features the foremost Masters of metalwork within Finnia, where those vying to work with the prestigious yet dangerous metal are tested on both their knowledge and capabilities when mining. It is not unheard of for all within a group to remain unselected during this process, with feedback on what they need to further develop for a future attempt. Oftentimes, even having met all the prerequisites, applicants to mine xazkruvrixis find themselves rejected, at a minimum, five times before the Masters deem them ready to continue. Beyond this, the training process remains unknown, as well as the actual extraction method, as those under the tutelage of the Masters are sworn to silence on the matter, under penalty of death, with strict control placed upon the trade secrets of this metal.
In similar fashion, those who forge xazkruvrixis into weapons must train for decades, or for some, at least a century, before they are able to work with it. As with the miners and their Masters, so must a craftsperson follow the process for selection and training. The techniques within the forge remain undisclosed to the general populace, and are only passed down to those deemed worthy by their predecessors. This not only further secures the status of the metal, but also the safety of those who would risk their own lives to handle it.
The Hidden Capability
During the time of the Builder Plagues and Elemancer Wars, many involved came to Ujheqi to find the mysterious material rumored to be hidden within the what remained of Miirta Jzen, to no avail. The landscape of the region did not escape the effects of the war, but it was not until the Dark Flood of -24,525 that the power of xazkruvrixis was harnessed in the most accidental and unrepeatable way possible.
When the waves from an essence bomb struck the land of Ujheqi, the topology and geography warped and twisted, much like the rest of Finnia. Once the waves hit the disk of xazkruvrixis within the ruins, it responded with its own release of power, forcing many of the smaller species that dwelled in the grasslands and nearby forests into extinction. However, the conditions surrounding the mass extinction of these creatures also created the perfect conditions to force the rapid evolution of a new species, the Paerdyne.
This phenomena was only observed by those who once partnered with the big cats of Ujheqi, the nomadic centaur tribes, and the tales of the Paerdyne change passed down from parent to child as the millennia continued to pass. Exactly how it occurred was often debated as the years passed and rumors continued to reach out across the continent of Finnia, but all have agreed the catalyst was the Dark Flood, and Miirta Jzen was likely the epicenter of the happening.