S O U L S T O N E S
The focal point of Mawmaw magic.
Mawmaws, throughout their history on Mesaya, have always been wielders of powerful magical powers. However, in order to properly focus and channel the natural magics flowing through a mawmaw's body, they must find the aid of what is known as a soulstone.
What exactly is a Soulstone? A soulstone is a physical rock or stone; most commonly a well-worn stone, gemstone, crystal, mineral, precious metal, or fossil, that a mawmaw discovers in their early years of life on their stone search, and is used to help create a focal point for the magic powers a mawmaw can use! The soulstone is very important for a mawmaw to have, as it is the only way a mawmaw can really use their magic. Without the soulstone to channel their magic through, a mawmaw may find it difficult to bring the energy required for even simple magical tasks to themselves, and may not be able to control their abilities at all if they can manifest the energy. Soulstones aren't just a focal point, but more like an extension of a mawmaw's very being. As such, they are very precious to them and are kept with an individual for the entirety of their life.
Other types of soulstones made from bone or wood may also be used, but are less common as they tend to wear out much faster than stone!
What exactly is a Soulstone? A soulstone is a physical rock or stone; most commonly a well-worn stone, gemstone, crystal, mineral, precious metal, or fossil, that a mawmaw discovers in their early years of life on their stone search, and is used to help create a focal point for the magic powers a mawmaw can use! The soulstone is very important for a mawmaw to have, as it is the only way a mawmaw can really use their magic. Without the soulstone to channel their magic through, a mawmaw may find it difficult to bring the energy required for even simple magical tasks to themselves, and may not be able to control their abilities at all if they can manifest the energy. Soulstones aren't just a focal point, but more like an extension of a mawmaw's very being. As such, they are very precious to them and are kept with an individual for the entirety of their life.
Other types of soulstones made from bone or wood may also be used, but are less common as they tend to wear out much faster than stone!
The Stone Search
All mawmaws are born with the ability to wield magic, however, they are only capable of using basic arcane magic until they're about four to eight years old; when their elemental attunement kicks up their secondary magic (the elemental magic they are tied to; which is dictated by the month of the mawmaw's birth). This is called sparking. Once a mawmaw's elemental magic has been sparked, they must go on a search for their soulstone.
The stone search is a task where a young mawmaw who has just been sparked, will search for their soul stone; which they will have on them for the rest of their lives. The mawmaw will leave home; often times in large groups consisting of siblings, cousins, or other same-aged sparked mawmaws in the same common, and travel to find the stone they are able to channel their magic through. It may take mere minutes and only a few tries to get the magic to pass through the stone, other times... it may take weeks, months, and in some rare cases, even years to find the correct stone that works!
The mawmaw will return home once they've found their soulstone, and will begin to hone their magical skills. With the soulstone now present on them, a young mawmaw will be able to use their elemental magics, and sharpen their abilities with their basic arcane magic. This is a massive stepping stone in the upbringing of young mawmaws, and is such an important stage of their childhood that it's often celebrated by small parties or events by the mawmaw's family and common to celebrate the completed stone search.
The stone search is a task where a young mawmaw who has just been sparked, will search for their soul stone; which they will have on them for the rest of their lives. The mawmaw will leave home; often times in large groups consisting of siblings, cousins, or other same-aged sparked mawmaws in the same common, and travel to find the stone they are able to channel their magic through. It may take mere minutes and only a few tries to get the magic to pass through the stone, other times... it may take weeks, months, and in some rare cases, even years to find the correct stone that works!
The mawmaw will return home once they've found their soulstone, and will begin to hone their magical skills. With the soulstone now present on them, a young mawmaw will be able to use their elemental magics, and sharpen their abilities with their basic arcane magic. This is a massive stepping stone in the upbringing of young mawmaws, and is such an important stage of their childhood that it's often celebrated by small parties or events by the mawmaw's family and common to celebrate the completed stone search.
The Importance of Soulstones
As mentioned before, soulstones are very important to mawmaws, not just because of how embedded they are into mawmaw culture and magic, but because every individual soulstone is a literal piece of that mawmaw; their childhood, their magic, their personality is all captured by their soulstone and it becomes a very personal item to them that holds a ton of value. Without a soulstone, a mawmaw cannot use or control their magical abilities, but they also lose a piece of themselves or their history if a soulstone breaks, is stolen, or becomes lost.
But what happens then? As rare as it is for a mawmaw to lose or break a soulstone, if it does happen, there are a few things one could expect to happen as a result.
Because soulstones are such an important part of mawmaws and their culture, their history, and magic- they are often times worn as jewelry, or embedded into garments that the mawmaw can wear on their person all of the time. This makes the soulstone easier to access should the mawmaw need it, and ensure that it stays on them, where it is safe and protected from harm. Some mawmaws even protect soulstones to the point where they will not share them with anyone outside of a loved one. Of course, this is all entirely up to the individual, and some mawmaws may be more open about their soulstones than others!
But what happens then? As rare as it is for a mawmaw to lose or break a soulstone, if it does happen, there are a few things one could expect to happen as a result.
- If a soulstone is broken, it may still function but you may find it difficult to control your magic, and it may be harder to focus. It may also make you weaker when it comes to your abilities. Even the smallest crack or chip off of a soulstone can dramatically affect it's power (and thus mawmaw often pick up more worn and rounded soulstones as they're more durable!)
- Soulstones are incredibly powerful, and if one is ingested/eaten, the one eating the stone may be overwhelmed by the magic and turned into a warp mutant (such was the fate of Talibus Weather, and Mortimere Saul; both were forcibly fed their own soulstones when Lucille was delving into forbidden magics- changing both from normal mawmaws into horrible mutants.)
- If a soulstone is lost, or broken to the point where it cannot be used; a mawmaw may seek out a new stone to work with, but it's never quite the same, and generally speaking, will never work quite as well as the original did, as that bond was severed and cannot be repaired completely. Many mawmaws who lose their original soulstone sometimes experience serious depression, anxiety, dissociation, and even existential crises after having that connection broken.
Because soulstones are such an important part of mawmaws and their culture, their history, and magic- they are often times worn as jewelry, or embedded into garments that the mawmaw can wear on their person all of the time. This makes the soulstone easier to access should the mawmaw need it, and ensure that it stays on them, where it is safe and protected from harm. Some mawmaws even protect soulstones to the point where they will not share them with anyone outside of a loved one. Of course, this is all entirely up to the individual, and some mawmaws may be more open about their soulstones than others!
Soulstones in Mawmaw History
Soulstones have been a part of mawmaw history since before the Great Fall of the ancient mawmaws. As the mawmaw species has always been a wielder of elemental magics, they have always had the need for that focal point, and thusly, all mawmaws (even ones in the ancient times) had soulstones!
The exact traditions of obtaining one's soulstone in the ancient days before the Great Fall is largely unknown, since the ancient mawmaws did not ever come to the ground of Mesaya unless to worship the Reverent at their temples. There are some who say that soulstones were gifted to mawmaw children who had their magic sparked through a small ritual, while others say that (like today) Mawmaw children were sent off to find their own soulstone and return home with it. No one really knows for sure, so everything is just speculation.
However, it is known that soulstones don't just apply to mawmaws- as even the reverent have sacred artifacts buried deep within their temples that acts as their soulstone. Although only one of these relics has ever been found by a mawmaw, it's said that just picking up the soulstone of a Reverent is enough to grant you the thing your heart most desires; as Malik the Fallen had once found out... after stealing the relic from the temple to give himself the wings he yearned for, and bringing Mahanaim's wrath to Mesaya- the cause of the Great Fall of the ancient mawmaws.
All ten relics of the reverent still lay buried somewhere on Mesaya, though no mawmaw would dare try to discover them for themselves... lest they wish to bring about the second apocalypse for their world.
The exact traditions of obtaining one's soulstone in the ancient days before the Great Fall is largely unknown, since the ancient mawmaws did not ever come to the ground of Mesaya unless to worship the Reverent at their temples. There are some who say that soulstones were gifted to mawmaw children who had their magic sparked through a small ritual, while others say that (like today) Mawmaw children were sent off to find their own soulstone and return home with it. No one really knows for sure, so everything is just speculation.
However, it is known that soulstones don't just apply to mawmaws- as even the reverent have sacred artifacts buried deep within their temples that acts as their soulstone. Although only one of these relics has ever been found by a mawmaw, it's said that just picking up the soulstone of a Reverent is enough to grant you the thing your heart most desires; as Malik the Fallen had once found out... after stealing the relic from the temple to give himself the wings he yearned for, and bringing Mahanaim's wrath to Mesaya- the cause of the Great Fall of the ancient mawmaws.
All ten relics of the reverent still lay buried somewhere on Mesaya, though no mawmaw would dare try to discover them for themselves... lest they wish to bring about the second apocalypse for their world.