Grave-Sand
Realmstone from the Shyish is known as grave-sand or the Hourglass of Mortality.[2a]
Appearance
It is a granular crystalline substance, that appears like grains of sand, ranging in colour from black to mauve.[2a]
Locations
The largest deposits of this realmstone were found on the Realm's Edge of Shyish, trickling down on dunes of lonely deserts. However Nagash moved a substantial ammount of it to it's center, eventually resulting in the creation of the Shyish Nadir and the subsequent Necroquake.[2a]
Properties
Grave-sand represents power over death both inflicting it and defying it. Legends say that rivulets of this material is linked to a living creature. The lifespan is tied to the numbers of grains in that stream. Capturing one's own grains in a hourglass will prolong their lives. After the creation of Shyish Nadir some believe that each person’s rivulet trickles at the bottom of the pit acting as a collective hourglass of the Mortal Realms [1][2a][4a]
Uses
The most infamous use of Grave-Sand was the Black Pyramid and the Necroquake if worked as intended could have instantly killed every living thing across the cosmos. However smaller amounts of Grave-Sand can replicate the Necroquake on a smaller scale, efficiently killing off entire kingdoms. It can also be used to create lethal tools such as nadirite the metal used by the Ossiarch Bonereapers. It is also used to empower Amethyst magic and necromancy.[2a][4a] Grave-sand can also stall death, stop senescence, drag spirits from the grave, or protect souls from being torn apart. For example the phylacteries of the Ossiarch Bonereapers that store their gestalt souls are made from Grave-Sand fired into glass. Grave-sand is commonly vitrified into brooches and wards across Shyish or mixed with clay or similar substances to create building material that can withstand the death-storms of that realm. [4a]
Grave-sand sucks away life and even the skeletons of Nagash that mined it could only transport a single grain at once and even then risked crumbling to dust. A trained Necromancer can work with raw grave-sand as long as realmstone’s power could be redirected but a single mistake could risk decades of their lives. Those that are immune to aging such as Soulbound and Stormcast Eternals would be afflicted by a crushing lethargy. No being except gods have true immortality thus grave-sand could stop a Stormcast Eternal from reforging or a Sylvaneth’s lamentiri from being replanted. The weight of oblivion causes grave-sand users to become increasingly pessimistic and fatalist. In addition to individuals grave-sand also drains life from the environment, undiluted or unprocessed grave-sand causes the withering of plants, taking away the colours from the surroundings and eroding stone until only a smooth desert is left.[4a]
Notable Objects
- Great Black Pyramid: Built upside down at the heart of the Realm of Shyish. It draws death energy to it.[1]
- The Immortal Bind: One of the legendary compound-artefacts created by the Arch-Domini of the Agloraxi Empire. A jewelled band of fused cyclestone an grave-sand that snaps around its bearers wrist before summoning Chainrasps bound to the bearer's will. Should these chainrasps be somehow harmed, the bearer will endure the damage. Prolonged exposure may transorm the bearer into a Chainrasp Dreadwarden.[3a]
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Malign Portents - Realm of Shyish, pg. 28-29
- 2: Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Malign Sorcery
- 2a: Concerning Realmstone, pg. 10-13
- 3: Soulbound: Brightspear City Guide
- 3a: Legendary Vault: Realmcrust Laboratory, pg. 39
- 4: Soulbound: Artefacts of Power
- 4a: Grave-Sand, pg. 13