A crystalline substance mined from the Ashen Peaks that captures and channels raw solar magic. It is the Empire's lifeblood — weaponized by the Order, monopolized by the Consortium, and coveted by every faction that seeks power in Aethelgard.
Properties
Sun-glass resonates with solar magic. When exposed to Phaethon's light (or the magic of an Awakened soul), it absorbs and stores radiant energy that can be released as:
- Weapons: Sun-glass blades and arrowheads sear with stored sunlight; particularly effective against Blight-Wraiths and undead.
- Beacons: Massive sun-glass lanterns atop watchtowers along the Lumenscar cast dawnlight for miles, holding the Blight at bay.
- Suppressants: Finely ground sun-glass, when alloyed with certain minerals, can dampen an Awakened citizen's magic. This is the basis of the Consortium's suppressant trade — and their most profitable secret.
- Blight-glass: A forbidden variant. When sun-glass is exposed to Cimmerian corruption rather than sunlight, it becomes Blight-glass — a darkness-amplifying crystal the Consortium is quietly experimenting with.
The Sun-Glass Mines
The richest veins lie beneath the dwarf-holds of the Ashen Peaks. The Consortium holds mining rights through the Glasswright's Oath, but the dwarven clans who actually work the tunnels are growing restless — they see little of the Consortium's profits, and the deeper they dig, the closer they come to something that was buried for a reason.