Gemstones
While gemstones are seen as a form of currency by many races, they play quite a larger role among the high elves of Elarinor.
The Hidden Power of Gemstones
Gemstones play a large role in the everyday lives of the high elves. Once a high elf is of age, they take part in a ceremony to determine their gemstone affinity. While there's a lot more to say about how this ceremony works in general, to keep things short; the gemstone they are attuned to is based on their personality and magical affinity.
The elves use these gemstones as catalysts to channel their magic, as their magic without a gemstone is far too unrefined and raw to put to use. Due to this, they often make their gemstone part of the tool they use. For example, a warrior will likely embed their gem into a sword and thus enhance their sword's ability, or an archer could embed theirs into a bow and thus fire arrows imbued with magic.
There are several cases where a weapon isn't used to channel one's magic, for example
Zelia's diamond, which instead is embedded into a necklace she wears around her neck.
Types and Shapes of Gemstones
The Kingdom of Elarinor uses a large variety of gemstones to determine their magical affinity. These range from
rubies and
emeralds to the much, much rarer
diamonds. While most gemstones are quite common among the elves, diamonds are very rarely seen. These generally end up with the most noble and strongest among them.
Gemstones come in various shapes and sizes, however, these are determined by the soul of the elf the gemstone is attuned to. One could say it's a reflection of their soul. The shape of a gemstone, and especially its imperfections (or lack thereof) have a direct impact on the stability of the magic the elf can cast. If the elf happens to be of a more corrupt nature themselves, deformations and cracks could form on the surface of the gemstone. The more extreme those deformations or cracks are, the more unstable and destructive the casted magic will be. On the other hand, a gemstone with a perfectly smooth surface will cast magic that is far more stable, and in that sense equally as powerful.
The Protection of Gemstones
Even though to the elves gemstones are their most valuable personal possession, to other races, such as various human tribes, these can be valuable items to get their hands on, most often by force. While there aren't many recorded cases of gemstones being stolen from elves, a few happened here and there, which the elves swiftly dealt with.
As long as a gemstone remains intact, the elf attuned to it will be just fine. However, damage to a gemstone can directly damage an elf's soul. In some cases this had dire outcomes, such as Ysildea's
emerald, which was shattered the moment it was overpowered by the bow she wielded,
Zephyr, which led to her instant death. This is why the elves often protect their gemstones in various ways, such as a magical casing around it the moment it is embedded in their tool of choice. However, it also means these gemstones are their greatest weakness.