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Sun Gem

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The Sun Gem was a large and extremely valuable diamond from the Blade Kingdoms in the Vilhon Reach. Once the heart of the construct-emperor Kaerane, it became a symbol of prestige in the Blade Kingdoms.[2][3] It was stolen by Ugo Svarézi, who used it as the lens of his deadly Sun Cannon in an attempt to conquer the region.[4][5][6]

“
I believe that the age of the Blade Kingdoms is over at long last. We need only take the world's largest diamond as our own.
”
— Ugo Svarézi in 1217 DR[1]

Description[]

The Sun Gem was a diamond that was almost too large to fit within a man's closed fist. It was completely flawless, brilliant in color and highly reflective.[1] When it served as the lens for the Sun Cannon, the gem heated up.[5]

History[]

The Sun Gem was originally a component of Kaerane, a construct that served as an emperor of a land near where the Blade Kingdoms would later be. The Sun Gem served as Kaerane's heart, and part of the system that allowed it to be magically controlled by evil elf mages over a distance. Kaerane's rule ended when it was hewn to pieces, and the Sun Gem was removed from its body.[2]

In the summer of Year of the Falling Moon, 1217 DR, the Blade Kingdoms of Sumbria and Colletro engaged in a traditional white war over the Valley of Umbricci. The forces of Sumbria, led by Prince Cappa Mannicci, defeated the forces of Colletro, led by Prince Ricardo. As part of the spoils of war, Colletro surrendered the Sun Gem to Sumbria and agreed to present it at the upcoming Festival of Blades.[3][7]

Leading up to the arrival of the Gem, the gem-loving firebird Tekoriikii stole jewelry from across Sumbria. The Sumbrians feared this anonymous jewel-thief, and dramatically increased security at the palace, anticipating the priceless gem's arrival.[7] It was brought to the palace in a carriage reinforced by iron, as part of a grand procession involving hundreds of cavalry from Sumbria, priests, wizards, hippogriffs, and more. The arrival was presided over warmly by Cappa Mannici but secretly watched by Ugo Svarézi and Gilberto Ilégo who schemed to heist the gem for themselves. Their plan was to use it as the focusing lens for their planned Sun Cannon, an upgraded version of Lorenzo Utrelli's light lathe. The greedy Tekoriikii also gawked at the Gem's brilliance, and resolved to take it for himself.[1]

In Sumbria, the Gem was well-guarded. It was held by a porcelain golem and surrounded by thirty guards armed with crossbows and halberds. The floor around them was covered in talcum powder, caltrops, and mines. Behind a wall, a trio of experienced wizards—a summoner, an enchanter, and one trained in the arts of war—readied powerful magic. The palace itself was guarded by soldiers on hippogriffs, and trained umber hulks hiding under the floor, and four more guards led by a priest of war.[8]

Under the cover of night, and Sumbria's first fireworks display, Gilberto Ilégo threw a makeshift bomb made from smokepowder and dust of darkness into the crowd of guards guarding the gem. He sent a trained bat that he instructed to steal the gem in the darkness, and fly it into his clutches.[9] This calculated scheme was interrupted by Tekoriikii, who at the same moment burst through the palace ceiling and clumsily flew off with the gem. Tekoriiki fought off the bat, and took advantage of the confusion caused by the darkness to flee from the various guards. In the chaos, a crossbow bolt bounced off the Sun Gem and instead stuck Ilégo's hat from his head. Ugo Svarézi sent his hippogriff Shaatra after Tekoriikii and the Sun Gem.[10] In an aerial struggle for the gem, Shaatra plucked all of Tekoriikii's tailfeathers, and he crashed into a palace courtyard.[11] He appeared before Miliana Mannicci and Lorenzo Utrelli, who tried to rescue their injured bird friend. Tekoriikii revealed the Sun Gem to them, then promptly swallowed it. This infuriated Miliana, who forced him to regurgitate it.[12] The gem was then confiscated by a soldier, who in turn was killed by Ugo Svarézi—claiming the Sun Gem for himself at last.[4]

With the Sun Gem, Ugo Svarézi had the lens for his Sun Cannon, a huge siege weapon of incredible power. The Sun Gem was the necessary component to focus its explosive beam of light.[5] Ugo Svarézi manipulated Ricardo into believing that Sumbria had betrayed the terms of white war.[13] Concurrently, Gilberto Ilégo tricked Cappa Mannicci into believing the same of Colletro.[14] The two led armies against each other, in violent war. In the battle, Ricardo was slain and Ugo Svarézi seized control of Colletro's forces.[15][16] While Cappa Mannicci convened with his Blade Captains, Svarézi revealed the Sun Cannon, and used it to explode a mountainside, causing multiple avalanches, a rockslide, and a lava flow. The devastation killed three thousand soldiers from Sumbria.[5]

One winter night, Ugo Svarézi once again used the Sun Gem in the Sun Cannon to focus a deadly beam of light that destroyed the seawall protecting the harbor of Zutria, and again to strike Zutria itself.[17] The Sun Gem remained in the Sun Cannon when Ugo Svarézi wheeled it to Sumbria, as part of his continued conquest of the Blade Kingdoms. The Sun Cannon fired on Sumbria's war-turtles, creating a lava-filled crater.[18] Then it fired at Sumbria's walls, melting them.[19] Tekoriikii avoided blasts from the Sun Cannon as he attempted to snatch the Gem from its tip to neutralize the weapon.[20] He was attacked by Ugo Svarézi riding Shaatra, who managed to defeat Tekoriikii.[21] Mad with power, Ugo fired a close-range blast from the Sun Cannon at Tekoriikii,[22] but the hit was taken by the now-injured Shaatra who had developed feelings for the firebird.[23] This was to be the final use of the Sun Gem in the Sun Cannon, as Miliana Mannicci and Lorenzo Utrelli soon defeated Ugo Svarézi.[24] The battle-damaged Sun Cannon exploded in a massive blast.[25]

After the battle had ended, the Sun Gem was recovered by Tekoriikii. He built a huge nest of stolen treasure on a mound of rubble in a ruined room of the Sumbrian palace. The Sun Gem was the crown jewel of his nest, and he displayed it proudly as he invited his mate Shaatra to share it with him.[26]

Reputation[]

“
The Sun Gem—the very heart and soul of the Blade Kingdoms!
”
— Lady Ulia Mannicci of Sumbria, in 1217 DR[7]

The Sun Gem was an object of great pride to the people of the Blade Kingdoms, and represented the heart and spirit of the region. In the Blade Kingdoms, it was considered the world's largest diamond.[1]

Appendix[]

Appearances[]

Novels & Short Stories

The Council of Blades

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 7, pp. 141–142. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ed Greenwood (2025-08-24). "Ancient emperor's heart". Greenwood's Grotto (Discord).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 1, p. 9. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 9, p. 170. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 10, pp. 194–195. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  6. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 15, p. 267. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 5, pp. 73–74. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  8. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 8, p. 149. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  9. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 8, p. 150. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  10. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 8, pp. 151–152. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  11. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 9, pp. 166–168. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  12. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 9, pp. 169–170. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  13. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 10, p. 182. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  14. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 10, p. 181. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  15. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 10, p. 190. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  16. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 10, p. 193. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  17. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 14, p. 274. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  18. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 16, p. 284. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  19. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 16, p. 288. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  20. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 17, pp. 291–292. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  21. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 17, p. 293. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  22. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 17, p. 294. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  23. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 17, p. 297. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  24. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 17, p. 300. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  25. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 17, p. 301. ISBN 978-0786905317.
  26. ↑ Pauli Kidd (November 1996). The Council of Blades. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 18, pp. 309–310. ISBN 978-0786905317.
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