On Elemental Spirits and the Use of Stones
The Aramahn harness the elements by drawing spirits, or hezhan, close to the material world and bonding with them. They do this by way of specific stones, each of which is aligned with one of the elements. The men and women who are able to do this are called qiram. The specific name of the qiram is altered based on the type of spirit they’re able to bond with. Thus, a qiram who bonds with spirits of earth, vanahezhan, are called vanaqiram. Those who bond with spirits of fire, suurahezhan, are called suuraqiram.
Earth
Gem: jasper
Spirit: vanahezhan
Air
Gem: alabaster
Spirit: havahezhan
Fire
Gem: tourmaline
Spirit: suurahezhan
Water
Gem: azurite
Spirit: jalahezhan
Life
Gem: opal
Spirit: dhoshahezhan
The people of the Grand Duchy cannot bond with spirits. However, they do have magic of their own. They use chalcedony, and it can range in use by the peasantry to honor their dead to more formal use by royalty. The Matri use the stones in order to anchor themselves while in the aether. They also use them to find others with whom they’ve recently “touched stones.” Chalcedony grants no direct control over the elements, but the Matri do guide the ley lines that run between the spires in order to create stronger, more predictable currents for the ships to sail along.
