A Varla Stone (Aldmeris for "star stone") is an enchanted shard of cut meteoric glass, a rare type of Aetherial Fragment. The luminescent crystals of white or blue hue are remarkably powerful, enabling untrained users to restore magical energy to any number of enchanted items.[1] The stones were most notably used by the Ayleids, but are believed to date further back to the mid-Merethic Era when High Lord Torinaan used them drive off the native beasts of Auridon.[2] Because of their great value and utility, many of these artifacts were looted from Ayleid ruins after the Ayleid diaspora. As such, intact Varla Stones are also extremely rare, but since they are small and easily concealed, diligent explorers may still occasionally come across them.[1] Defective variants are known as "clouded" Varla Stones, and can occur if the meteoric glass forming the stone had some flaw. Over centuries, magicka ebbing and flowing through the stone heightens the flaw, causing the glass to cloud and its magicka to radiate irregularly.[3]
When used, a Varla Stone will crumble to dust; there is no known way of recharging or preserving the stone, although scholars believe that their magical power may have originally been maintained by the Great Welkynd Stone of an Ayleid city.[1] Varla Stones are usually found atop pedestals in Ayleid ruins, sometimes protected behind a remotely-opened cage.[4] Flawed Varla Stones can be used to contain a trapped soul, and can thus be used to recharge enchantments, although to a much lesser extent than the unflawed stones, roughly equivalent to that of a common soul gem. When used this way, they do not crumble to dust like usual.[5]
Jone's Tear is a jewel cut from a Varla Stone, created by the First Era jeweler, Azesaz and placed in an amulet that was kept away in the Tomb of Anahbi, in the northwest region of Grahtwood.[6] It was recovered by the Hollow Moon and given away to preserve their operation in the Redfur Trading Post.[7]
At least one ancient ritual of the Ayleids of Nenalata was capable of shaping the form of an individual into that of the Varla stones. The shimmering hues and stony striations of this "star" form were said to be capable of impressing even the most jaded observers.[8] Ayleids of Nenalata also called some special Varla-Born wolves as Varla-touched, the glow of those wolves intensified when the rider used Varla-embellished barding, although the sure-footedness of the animal allowed for stealth despite the glow.[9]
Similar crystals include Welkynd Stones, Culanda Stones, Malondo Stones, Vakka Stones, Stormhold Crystal and Star Teeth.
GalleryEdit
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Flawed Varla Stone (SkyrimCC)
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Varla Stone (ESO)
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Varla Stone (Blades)
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A Varla-Born individual, whose appearance resembles that of a Varla Stone via Nenalata Ayleid ritual magic (ESO)
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A Varla-Born Wolf (ESO)
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See AlsoEdit
- For game-specific information, see the Oblivion, SkyrimCC, Elder Scrolls Online, and Blades articles.
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b c Magic from the Sky — Irlav Jarol
- ^ The Lay of Firsthold
- ^ Tiras Tirethi's dialogue in ESO
- ^ Events of Oblivion
- ^ Rare Curios Creation for Skyrim Special Edition
- ^ Shan-ra's dialogue in ESO
- ^ Flipping the Coin quest in ESO
- ^ Varla-Born skin description in ESO
- ^ Varla-Born Wolf mount appearance and description in ESO