Orl

Orl crystals were only found in very soft rock inside "blue caves" such as those near Wheloon, and were believed to be exclusive to the northern half of Faerûn.

Description
Orls occurred as long, symmetric, sharp-edged crystals and ranged in color from a dark, tawny yellow to orange to red. They were usually cut into faceted gems but some enthusiasts preferred to wear the natural crystals in a claw mount, for example. Red-hued orls commanded the highest price. A typical specimen had a base value of 1,000 gp.

Orls were considered sacred by followers of Bahgtru&mdash;appropriate for sacrifice, or to be consecrated for use, or recognized as boons or omens when found. The red hue of orl was sacred to followers of Haela Brightaxe.

Powers
Powdered orl could be mixed with powdered black opal to make a powerful explosive, but the amounts and proportions were not generally known except to some who practiced magic. To touch off an explosion, the mixture had to be exposed to an open flame in a particular way for ignition to occur. The resulting blast had a radius of 30 ft (9.1 m) and did great harm to creatures within this radius, also potentially destroying sturdy items up to 20 ft (6.1 m) from the center.

Reputation
Orl was considered a prized gem among the drow.