 February 27, 2014 - 5:44am | You could not ask for more in using the Bahia emerald for inspiring a SF adventure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahia_Emerald disputed ownership, stolen and offered for sale on ebay with a $75 million buy it now price, and its fate is still entangled in the courts. It weighs 840lbs which is 1.900,000 carats. The Spire Emerald: Mined on the south slopes of Mt. Spire, Lossend. It was shipped to Prengular but intercepted by pirates. Recovered and eventually brought to Cassidine and offered for sale. Star Law seized it and it remains in a Star Law impound on Cassidine while its fate is decided in the courts. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
February 27, 2014 - 6:29am | Looking into other famous gems I discovered that the the Hope Diamond (deep blue in color) glows red when exposed to short wave ultra violet light. the phosphorescence effect last for some time after the UV source is shut off. Building on that I would change the Spire Emerald to be the Eorna Emerald mined on Volturnus but somehow ended up in the possession of PGC and shipped to Prengular but intercepted by pirates in Dixon's Star. offered for sale on Cassidine it changed hands several times and was eventually seized by Star Law. Its tied up in the courts and there has been an attempt to steal it from Star Law. the gem is reputed to: 1. glow when exposed to UV light 2. be cursed 3. be a psionic ampliphier EDIT: I just remembered that in one of the encounters from either Dragon or Ares or Polyhedron mag that the space station orbiting Lossend was named Diamond, if I remember correctly. So I think we should have a Spire Diamond and the Eorna Emerald as two of the most famous gem stones in the frontier. the Spire Diamond is perhaps large and most valuable but lacking the colorful history of the Eorna Emerald. The Spire Diamond was mined on Lossend and is the largest uncut diamond in the Frontier. it resides in a museum on Prengular. anyone want to propose a another or two famous gems stones for the frontier and or plot seeds involving gems? I'll compile the ideas into an article for the FE. EDIT 2: the price of a star ship is fairly steep. but in an adventure where the PCs could lay claim (and perhaps not have someone else dispute the ownership claim) to a 800 lbs. diamond or similar gem stone and should they be able to sell it they would then have the cash for a small star ship in one lump sum or perhaps a larger star ship that is well aged and being sold at bargin prices because of some minor quirks. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 February 28, 2014 - 8:24am | Poseidon’s Pearl and Wallace’s Curse Poseidon’s Reef on Moonworld is exposed only by great conjunction tides. When the UPF first started establishing their military bases on the world they investigated the reef as a location for surveillance equipment. A geologist was sent out with a survey team to assess the area and install tide and current monitors. The survey was done predominantly by diving as the reef was currently under water. In one of the dives, Diver Second Class Wallace took notice of a giant mollusk- like creature with an object protruding from between the shells. He pulled on the object and was attacked by the creature. The geologist was nearby and came to Wallace’s aid. They killed the creature and inside it they found a pearl 28.3cm in diameter. Wallace took the pearl back to base and displayed it to many in his duty section. Later a dispute erupted between the geologist and the diver. A few days later Wallace was found dead at a beach. The military police then tracked the geologist to the docking station when he attempted to board a transport to Theseus. The station police searched the transport but did not find the geologist. However a dock worker noticed the body of the geologist strapped inside one of the transport engine nozzles. The transport was then searched again by police and customs. The pearl was never found nor any leads as to who had spaced the geologist or taken the pearl. Months later the pearl surfaced for sale from an Ifshnit trader at Truane’s Star. The UPF asserted it’s claim on the pearl as evidence in a double homicide and property of Moonworld. The Ifshnit trader refused to surrender the pearl claiming he had purchased it legitimately from a Dralasite merchant. The Ifshnit then left the system bound for Dixon’s Star on the CFMS Lucky Prophet. The CFMS Lucky Prophet never made it to Dixon’s Star but was found adrift months later by the Ebony Eye Pirates in the Fromeltar system. The entire ship had been evacuated and the crew had all died of space exposure inside their ship. The Ebony Eye Pirates took the pearl from the CFMS Lucky Prophet and jumped to Devco but were never heard from again. Years passed with no leads on the Poseidon’s Pearl as it was now called. Then a UPF frigate the Radiant discovered the base of the Ebony Eyes Pirates on a remote asteroid in the Devco system. The pirate vessels were all evacuated to open space as were all of the asteroid base facilities. There were signs of a massive battle which evidence suggested progressed from the ships into the base and to the asteroid core. In the core of the asteroid the UPF Marines discovered a vault full of pirate loot. The vault logs detailed the addition of Poseidon’s Pearl to the hoard, but the pearl was not found. Poseidon’s Pearl has been rumored to have surfaces several times since with each being or group that attained it having met a horrible death by exposure to space. The common belief is that Poseidon’s Pearl carries the curse of Diver Second Class Wallace to die by spacing. A pearl this size is not too outlandish, here is the science: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_of_Lao_Tzu and the fiction part is to make Poseidon’s Pearl a golden pearl with a proper iridescence and nacre for a gem grade pearl. -iggy |
