4915-Godstones

Includes detailed information about Godstone locations and their function and purpose with rules for interworld travel.

Of all the enigmas in the Kethrian family of worlds, none is more puzzling than that of the Earthmasters, who appeared from nowhere some 20,000 years ago then five millennia later disappeared as suddenly. Their power was godlike and their nature unknown. All that remains of them are their deserted sites and a precious few of their amazing artifacts, the greatest of which are the Godstones.

Godstone is a misleading term. While most people respect and fear Godstones, few actually worship them. Their name is rich in the tradition of times when they were attributed to the gods and, therefore, deemed proper objects of veneration. Among the common folk, "Godstone" remains the most popular name.

The Hârnic Isles on Kethira have one of the largest concentrations of Godstones in the Kethrian family of worlds. Many Godstones are known to the mages of Mèlderýn. There are legends of the Master Stone, supposedly located in the fabled city of Lahr-Darin, said to be a fully functional Earthmaster city located deep within some Hârnic mountain.

The typical Godstone is a monolith, ten feet high, five feet by three at the base and four feet by three at the top. Godstones are made of a grayish, featureless stone-like material called pseudostone, a material commonly used in Earthmaster construction. Pseudostone is impervious to physical harm and seems to have no temperature at all.

First edition
The original “Godstones” article first appeared in Encyclopedia Hârnica 6, published in 1984.

Second edition
The 2nd edition was a major revision of the original 1984 article, and was published as part of Hârnlore 9 in 1990.

Third edition
The 3rd edition was published in 2010 as an 8 page article.

= =