Granite

Granite was a type of hard igneous rock found in many places in Faerûn and beyond.

Description
Granite was commonly grey in color, but black, pink and white varieties also existed. Its hardness made tunneling into granite a difficult enterprise.

History
Sages versed in the topic assumed that granite was formed at high pressure within the earth.

Quarries
Granite was quarried in the following places in the Realms:
 * Atalyan hills
 * Furrowed Mountains
 * Mulhorand, where granite was abundant.
 * Red Cliffs in the High Moor
 * The Ridge
 * Teshendale

It was also quarried on the planes:
 * Pluton, Gray Waste
 * Mountains around Tantlin on Stygia, Baator

Other Granite Deposits in the Realms

 * Aglarond's coastal cliffs
 * The Battle of Bones
 * Dry ranges in the Endless Wastes
 * Haptooth Hill in Battledale
 * Haunted Lands
 * High Moor
 * Machran Spire in the Gulthmere Forest
 * Moonsea region
 * The Moonshae Isles' cliffs
 * Mount Kus
 * Myth Drannor
 * Novularond mountains
 * Old Skull Tor
 * Pelankai Mountains of Far Payit
 * Pit of the Ghuls and surrounding hills
 * Queen's Bluff outside of Ravens Bluff
 * Ra-Khati
 * The Running Rocks in Rashemen
 * The Serpent Hills
 * Skullport's cave
 * Spire of Kor in the High Desert
 * The Stonelands
 * Thonn's Fist
 * Tor of Swords
 * Turnback Mountain
 * Undermountain
 * Vishap's Teeth in the High Desert
 * Yehimal Mountains

Uses
Granite was a common building material for stone fortifications. In Mulhorand, it was also favored for monuments, such as for the central crypt of a pyramid, and for the construction of tall, broad, ornate temples. In Chessenta, granite was used for construction of temples.

Granite Buildings in the Realms

 * Citadel Adbar
 * Aefindar Ultokhurnden's exterior walls
 * Anglund Hall in Ravens Bluff
 * Ahz'ahk's Palace in the Pit of Ghuls
 * Temple of Talos in Bezantur
 * Temple of Tempus in Bezantur
 * Abode of the Eye in Undermountain
 * The Arena in Hillsfar
 * Blackstone House inn in Immilmar
 * Blingdenstone's main gate
 * Caer Callidyrr, palace of the High King of the Moonshaes, and surrounding roads
 * Endar Aglandtor, abbey dedicated to Haela Brightaxe
 * Faerntarn, the Royal Palace of Tethyr
 * Glory of Morning, Lathander's temple in Archenbridge
 * Granite cube of the pech in the Nether Mountains
 * Hafayah
 * Halls of the Beast-Tamers in Myth Drannor
 * House of Silvanus on Ilighôn
 * Inner Temple walls in Solon
 * Jamal temple within the Jamal Oasis
 * Lighthouse fortress of Ravens Bluff
 * Lone Tower between Zhentil Keep and Thar
 * Maddgoth's Castle
 * Metalmasters' Hall in Waterdeep
 * Midnight Mosque of Hajama in Liham
 * Temple of Tempus in Mulmaster
 * Nycopolis
 * Bridges of Orofin
 * Orosul's Tower in Archenbridge
 * Ostraer Hall in Ravens Bluff
 * Phlan's City Hall
 * Prayer Stone, temple of Amnwater
 * Pyramid of the Stars in Tulom-Itzi
 * Qudra's mighty walls
 * Cairs of the rom in Sokkar and elsewhere
 * Saharkhan keep in Tethyr
 * Main temple of Jergal in Seventon
 * The Silver Halls, Temple of Tyr in Ravens Bluff
 * Stone Bridge over the River Dessarin
 * Suryvlashadah, the villa of the Caleph Arcane of Calimport
 * Valjevo Castle in Phlan
 * Vahtov Crypt
 * Zhentil Keep's walls

Sculpting
Mulhorand granite was popular among foreign sculptors in the late 1350s DR. For example, Chessentan sculptors typically worked in Mulhorand granite; it was also the custom to paint their finished works.

Granite was also the most common basis for dwarven runestones.

Known works of art made of granite in the Realms were:
 * Aencar Vigilant statue in Essembra
 * Beast-Tamers' coffins in Myth Drannor
 * Colossos of Uruk on Sahu
 * Colossos of Ostoria below the Sunset Mountains
 * Sarcophagus of the Crocodile Princess of Ysawis
 * Fountain of Flowers in Untermountain
 * Hall of Red Ravens relief facade in Ravens Bluff
 * Sarcophagus of halfling Duke Corcytar Huntinghorn of Imristar
 * Living idol of Death's Gate in Al-Anwahr
 * Statue of King Dhalmass Obarskyr in Arabel
 * Obelisks of the temple of Jubilex in Bezantur
 * Thrones of the Sleeping Kings in Undermountain
 * Sphinx statues lining the Avenue of the Sphinxes in Sokkar
 * The Watchful Defender statue in Ravens Bluff

Magical Uses
Granite was a necessary component in several spells: The stone was also basis for some magic items:
 * Protection from telekinesis: A block of black granite.
 * Standfast: A piece of granite
 * Stone bones: A tiny skull carved of granite
 * Stoneskin: Granite dust
 * Strength of stone: A chip of granite
 * Wall of stone: A small block of granite
 * The tree-stones bindng the Star Worm in Ixtzul, Maztica, were formed of white granite.
 * Granite was the most common material for fashioning stone golems. E.g. the Walking Statues of Waterdeep were made of that stone.  Granite could also be part of a ring of golem control.

Religious Significance

 * Dark granite was sacred to the Chultan demigod Eshowdow.
 * Temples of the dwarven deity Clangeddin Silverbeard usually contained a huge block of granite as an altar.
 * Altars dedicated to dwarven deity Dugmaren Brightmantle were also often fashioned from granite.

Trivia

 * Dwarves as well as dao often had skin the color of granite.
 * The body of a galeb duhr most often resembled granite.
 * Topaz and as well as some garnets occured in granite deposits.
 * Granite was one of the many materials the Infinite Staircase was made of.
 * The Gilded Nugget, legendary founding price of the hidden gnomish kingdom of Songfarla, was rumored to be a large piece of either iron pyrite or gilded granite.
 * For stone giants, granite was the preferred material for book covers (and bookshelves).
 * Azer used basalt, metal and granite to construct their towered cities.
 * The stone appeared in the name of the Granitefang orcs of Faerûn's North