A Technical Treatise on Gems : Excited about Emeralds

A Technical Treatise on Gems : Excited about Emeralds

By: Kassha Firehart

When I was a child there was a large oak outside my humble Bachwood home. Year after year numerous birds would nest in that oak and every spring there would come a day when those nesting birds would force their chicks to take to the air. It was a terrifying and yet exciting time watching those little chicks bravely strike out from the safety of what they knew to the exhilarating unknown of the open sky. If you are beginning to make use of emeralds in your artificing you flexing your wings ready to soar on the uplifting wind that is the Vortex. I am penning this treatise to help you soar and while you may not soar as high as I you will soar

Sorting

The first thing we need to do with emeralds is to sort them; the classification system I use to sort gems was mentioned in other books of this series but I feel it bears repeating. Jewelers have a whole slew of characteristics they will try to use to sell you a stone, as a mage one and only one characteristic matters and that is size. As a master artificer there are only four sizes I use and that is size 1 through size 4. Size 1 is reserved for gems that can be used in a wooden wand, Size 2 is reserved for gems that can be used in a steel wand, Size 3 is reserved for gems that can be used in ivory wands, and lastly Size 4 is reserved for gems that can be used in gold wands. Label them how ever you want, just remember there are four sizes that matter in artifice. It is also worth noting that size 4 emeralds are preferential; size 4 emeralds are also incredibly expensive and I realize that not every mage has the financial means to make use of them, but if you can I recommend it.

Each wand has a base ranking on the Flenken Power Scale (FPS) and a certain number of charges that it can hold. If you are unfamiliar with this information I recommend you pick up a copy of A Technical Treatise on Wands, it covers this basic information. Emeralds do three things in artifice: the first is to allow the wand to achieve a higher FPS ranking, the second is to increase the number of charges a wand can hold, and third it increases the potency of the wand making it harder to resist.

Wooden Wands

A wooden wand using a size 1 emerald will increase the wand's maximum FPS ranking and the number of charges by 50%. Replacing that size 1 emerald with a size 2 emerald will increase your wand's maximum FPS ranking and the number of charges by 100%. It is also worth noting that depending on the placement emeralds to obtain a slightly higher FPS ranking or slight increase in charges; I encourage budding artificers to explore this on their own. Using a size 3 emerald in a wooden wand will increase your wand's maximum FPS ranking and the number of charges it can hold by a whopping 175%. Using a size 4 emerald in a wooden wand will provide an increase to your wand's maximum FPS ranking and the number of charge it can hold by a more modest 200%-ish; I say -ish because it's slightly greater than 200% but the math for predicting the increase starts getting discombobulated.

Steel Wands

A steel wand using a size 2 emerald will increase the wand's maximum FPS ranking and the number of charges by 50%. Using a size 2 emerald in place of a size 1 emerald will increase your wand's maximum FPS ranking and the number of charges by almost 100%, the increase is actually slightly less than 100% depending on what place the emerald holds on the wand. Using a size 3 emerald will increase your wand's maximum FPS ranking and the number of charges by slightly more than 100%, again this depends on the place the emerald holds.

Ivory Wands

An ivory wand using a size 3 emerald will increase the wand's maxium FPS ranking and the number of charges by slightly more than 50%. An ivory wand using a size 4 emerald will increase the wand's maximum FPS ranking and the number of charges by slightly more than 50%; the increase appears to be a bit greater for charges, slightly less for the FPS ranking.

Gold Wands

A gold wand using a size 4 emerald will increase the wand's maximum FPS ranking and the number of charges by a predictable 50%, depending on gem order there might be a slight increase in the number of charges.

This book is just a primer, a way of preening your molting feathers. It takes decades of research and experimentation to truly master the skill of artifice like I have. I have preened you, I have spread your wings, and now I fling you from the safety and comfort of what you know and into the wild and limitless expanse of the vortex. Go forth budding artificers and soar.