Tel'kiira

A tel'kiira (also telkiira, plural tel'kiira or telkiira) is a small gemstone that can be used to magically store the thoughts or memories of an individual, or arcane lore or knowledge. Usually one merely needs to touch the stone to reveal its contents, but it is also possible to guard the contents against casual access. Some elven wizards use these stones as spellbooks.

Lore gems ("Kiira") were elven magic items that could only be worn by elves. They were semi-intelligent and acted as repositories of knowledge gathered by its wearer. This knowledge could be accessed by future wearers of the gem.

They were mostly worn by elven nobles, with their color and clarity acting as a status symbol among Elven Houses. They were not limited to a specific type of gem, but were never larger than an elvish pinky finger. They tended to be polished smooth with a slight mound shape, without any facets. The color of the gem became accented and deepened with each new mind-meld. A number of Elder Houses had gems that were nearly black in hue, depicting the vast amount of knowledge the gem contained.

Only elves of high intelligence could wear these gems. If these requirements were not met, the violator could become feebleminded. Even those who met the requirements and wore the gem of their own House did not find it easily controlled. Lore accessible via the gem was not immediately available to a wearer after surviving the transfer.

It is known that the following elven Houses owned a kiira: Alastrarra, Aunglor, Durothil, Haevault, Iliathor, Neirdre, Nimesin, Orbryn, Raedrimn, Starym, and Ulondarr.

The Alastrarra House's kiira was returned to them in Cormanthor by Elminster in 241 DR.

Kiira n'vaelahr
A kiira n'vaelahr stored memories and magic like a regular kiira, but also facilitated mental communication. In 1374 DR, Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun attached a stone like this to the forehead of Tsarra Chaadren to avoid her mind being overloaded by his thoughts after the pair became linked during a magical explosion.

Selu'kiira
Selu'kiira were high lore gems, made exclusively from rainbow tourmaline, which were long, faceted, and sparkling. This difference in appearance set them apart from a normal kiira.

A few years before 1379 DR, the drow wizard Q'arlynd Melarn recovered a selu'kiira of his ancestors' house from the Kraanfhaor's Door in the Miyeritari Ruins. Due to his pure Miyeritari origins, Q'arlynd was able to wear the seku'kiira without repercussions. The gem was possessed by Q'arlynd Melarn as the last living member of House Melarn.