Alchemical Properties of Precious Stones

Origin: The Wild Hunt

Description

An English translation of a rare work by Democritus of Adbera, the contents of this book include alchemical formulae for combining and synthesizing artificial diamonds and other precious stones. A section near the end describes certain unique gems. These stones have mystical powers that can be tapped to perform numerous chymical operations, including transmutation of elements. In describing the stones, the book contains references to the Cthulhu Mythos.

Keepers can decide how much information is contained on each stone (e.g. its powers, location etc.), except for the Crystal of Chaos, a.k.a. the Shining Trapezohedron. Keepers may allow discovery of some or all of the following gems listed in Alchemical Properties:

• The Fire of Asshurbanipal, a flaming gem clutched in the bony fingers of an ancient king, located somewhere in the desert of Persia (Iran).
• The Eye of Zeus, also known as the Oracle of Ammon. It is said that the stone can bind the souls of the dead to a location, and can also be used for necromancy. It was last known to be owned by Antiochus I. (With a description of the stone, someone like Larissa McTavish could surmise that the stone sounds remarkably like a diamond named the Polar Star, which was lost during a transatlantic flight in the 1920s).
• The Daemon Heart, a huge ruby rumored to be able to resurrect the dead. With a description of the stone, someone like Larissa McTavish could surmise that the stone sounds remarkably like the 78 carat ruby named the Eye of Sitar, which was stolen from a museum in Los Angeles in the 1920s.
• The Dark Stone, a murky brown crystal legend claims was fashioned by Lemurians. It is rumored to bestow great personal power and mystic knowledge upon its possessor.
• The Crystal of Chaos, a gem of pure darkness brought by winged demons to Earth, and used in the past by a mad pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Its location is given as a secret nameless valley in Egypt, in the crypt of a mad sorcerer-pharaoh named Nephren-Ka. The "Crystal of Chaos" is, of course, another name for the Shining Trapezohedron. The entry only notes that it was used to bring destructive knowledge to the world, and that it was owned by the mad sorcerer Nephren-Ka, and later by the Ghoul-Queen Nitocris. The book does not discuss the Haunter of the Dark, Nyarlathotep, or any of the Shining Trapezohedron's powers.

• Author: Democritus of Adbera
• Language: English (likely translated from Greek or Latin)
• Date: unknown
• Study:
• Sanity loss: 1D4
• Cthulhu Mythos: +3
• Spells: none

Appearances

• Call of Cthulhu scenario: The Wild Hunt