Miasma and The Great Crystals

Miasma, Great Crystals, Myrrh, and Myrrh Trees: In the early days of the Crystal Chronicles timeline, the world was shrouded by a mysterious and deadly miasma. It poisoned the mind and bodies of its victims and acted as a sanctuary of terrible fiends. The miasma coalesced into great miasma streams, torrents of poison that segregated the kingdoms with massive cyclones of death. Crossing one of these major Miasma torrents requires a chalice and a careful progression through the storm. Only the holy power of a Great Crystal could keep the miasma at bay, so early settlements sprung to life within the Great Crystal’s protection. A normal and peaceful life was possible within the crystal’s radius, yet its power was far from infinite. The Great Crystals absorbed the miasma within the area, leaving the crystal to become fouled with the miasma’s energies over time. Only three drops of myrrh from a rare myrrh tree can cleanse a Great Crystal’s essence for another year of protection. To protect the lives of their loved ones, settlements formed crystal caravans to journey through the miasma in search of myrrh trees, usually guarded by the most monstrous and powerful of fiends. The caravans utilize crystal chalices adorned with a shard of a Great Crystal to stave off the miasma’s deadly grasp and allow the caravan to travel through the toxic landscapes. Miasma The miasma is a mysterious, magical fog that has blanketed the entire world in its poisonous influence. It eats away at a person’s body and, if they succumb to the miasma’s deadly influence, perverts their form into a horrendous fiend. A character of the Clavat, Lility, Yuke, or Selkie tribe that ends their turn within miasma takes poison damage equal to their character level as the colorless fog quickly eats away at their body. Creatures not of the Clavat, Lility, Yuke, or Selkie tribes are unaffected by the miasma’s deteriorating effects. The Great Crystals Great Crystals are the cornerstone of all major settlements, trade roads, and points of interest, as their prismatic bodies absorb the negative energies of the miasma, creating a pocket of safety for the tribes to live within. A Great Crystal can purify miasma for 1 year before its powers fade away completely. During this 1 year period, it must be cleansed with myrrh to restore its power. To cleanse a Great Crystal, 3 drops of myrrh are required. The order or method the myrrh is utilized does not matter; all that matters is that 3 drops are accumulated and given to the Great Crystal within the same 1 year time frame. A Great Crystal that loses its power no longer produces its protective barrier, leaving the nearby residents to their fate within the colorless fog. The Myrrh Trees A Great Crystal relies on myrrh for its sustenance. Myrrh is a pure and holy liquid produced by myrrh trees, their large, radiant branches resembling mighty angelic wings that come together to a joined tip. From the tips of these branches is produced a single drop of myrrh. A myrrh tree ripe with myrrh will glow an otherworldly glow from afar, while a dried up tree will appear dull and will lack the radiance of a tree ready for harvest. To harvest myrrh, all one has to do is place the chalice upon the ancient pedestal underneath the myrrh tree. The chalice’s magic with do the work from there and collect the myrrh. While a Great Crystal requires 3 drops for its yearly sustenance, a myrrh tree will only produce a single, precious drop every 3 years. Because of this, crystal caravans are forced to journey far and wide to unclaimed myrrh trees, harvesting the myrrh and returning the myrrh to their settlements. To further complicate things, the presence of a myrrh tree attracts powerful monstrosities, leaving myrrh to be protected by colossal guardians. Many researchers have theorized why fiends guard the myrrh trees as vigilantly as they do, but many people simply dismiss the thought to the fiend’s innate cruelty and desire to see the tribes wiped from existence.