NovelPantheon

Wraithstone

Soul-sealing and spiritual-power stoneSeveral specimens consumed or lost; others may remain

History

Wraithstones are treasures created by the Nokmyeong Great Family after its members analyze Catastrophe's world. Family members use them as proof of identity and can carry them without suffering the contamination that affects outsiders. Jaehwan takes several stones from slain traders and uses one to gain entry to Gorgon, where their rarity immediately makes him a target of competing factions. (Chapters 20–33, 96)

Euren safeguards a stone for an emergency involving Gorgon's contaminated Citadel Lord. Conspirators seize it to perform Forgotten One Sealing, a Nokmyeong art that would place the Lord's spiritual power inside the stone and make ownership of it a political prize. Sirwen's related research also produces Black Cloud and the Nether Ghost Envoys. (Chapters 39, 65)

Jaehwan later swallows a Wraithstone while serving as the vessel for Catastrophe's descent against the Great Lands expedition. The stone helps prepare his soul for the dangerous incarnation, after which Chunghuh must use Forgotten One Severance to expel the Ancient God and restore Jaehwan. The consumed stone is not recovered. (Chapters 95–98)

Properties and use

A Wraithstone forcibly raises an Adapter's spiritual power. A blue specimen can immediately give a Non-Adapter the power of a first-stage Adapter, and the stone can contain the spiritual power left by a sealed Forgotten One. These qualities make it both a cultivation resource and a vessel around which succession conflicts can form. (Chapters 20, 39)

Its power carries severe contamination. Even brief handling blackens Karlton's palm, and anyone outside the Nokmyeong Great Family is said to be unable to possess one safely. The stone's aura must sometimes be isolated in a box and moved without touch. Jaehwan's unusual tolerance and deliberate consumption are exceptional rather than evidence that the risk is overstated. (Chapters 20, 39, 95)

Associated characters

  • Jaehwan: Jaehwan carries several stones, uses them to enter Gorgon, and consumes one to receive Catastrophe's descent.
  • Euren: Euren attempts to keep a stone from conspirators seeking the Citadel Lord's power.
  • Sirwen Armelt: Sirwen's research into Wraithstones yields weapons used by the Palace of Rebirth.
  • Catastrophe: Wraithstones derive from the Nokmyeong family's analysis of Catastrophe's world.