Treatise on Tealstone

The tiefling sorcerer of Three Mills, Vanderjesus, began her research into tealstone after her interactions with goblins in the western region of Malex. At the conclusion of the Festival of Excelsion she left a copy of her findings to date, Treatise on Tealstone, with her companions as she set out with her disciples of the Dark Lanterns.

Treatise on Tealstone
by Hero of Three Mills, Great Sorcerer and Prophet of the Dark Lanterns, Vanderjesus

My worthy companions, I am imparting to you all that we (mostly I) have learned on the material known as tealstone.

Tealstone is a common, naturally occurring metal with a faint, bluish-green glow (hence the name). It is most abundant in older, untouched caverns and chasms.

We first encountered this material in the bear cave just east of Three Mills. The inner cave was laced with tealstone and we learned the goblins were mining it. We later connected their mining to Ghazek and the Felsic Combine and found it again in a cavern below the burnt down Magistrate's manor south of Bridgton.

In Bridgton I remained behind to follow up on our discoveries. A few entrepreneurs I spoke to had followed a band of goblins to a small mining operation and they looked into why goblins would be interested the tealstone.

They knew one of the archivists at the Bridgton royal archives (a most underused facility under Robart the Red, but I digress). The tract was an impartial transcript of an ancient Elven document about tealstone. No one in the city was able to read the old cursive script of the document (of course...), even the most fluent in elven, but we could get a sense from the illustrations that magic has an effect on tealstone.

I then took samples that we had liberated from the goblin mining operations near Three Mills and broke away much of the earth and rock and conducted a number of experiments concerning magic and tealstone. What I found is that these samples of tealstone ore store up magic. When enough magic is stored the becomes unstable with interesting results. I will detail three tests: At this point I had to catch up with my companions who were a couple of days travel ahead of me.
 * 1) Fire Bolt spell - I struck a particularly pure piece of tealstone ore with magical fire and it heated up hotter than its size would warrant and it began to emit a high pitched whining, like it was under great strain. I used the spell again and it began to tremble and the whining got higher. One more spell and the ore exploded. Most inconvenient. When I found a new workshop I attempted to burn the tealstone by mundane means. It burned hot and slow but not to the degree that the magical fire made it, and it did not become unstable either.
 * 2) Magic Missile spell - A most interesting, if painful experiment. I hit another piece of tealstone ore with a spell. The ore began to jingle around as if being knocked about by kinetic force, and the same high pitched whining. Another spell made the kinetic motion intensify. A third and the stone exploded, sending a dozen darts of magical bolts in random directions. Several hit me, my lab assistant and an most unfortunate older woman on her way to the market. The rest obliterated the second workshop.
 * 3) Feather Fall spell - I decided a non-destructive spell would be most prudent at the third workshop, so I attempted the spell Feather Fall to most interest results. At first application the ore achieved an almost weightlessness, and began to emit the same sound. The second application and the ore actually began to float, caught in a breeze that wafted from the window though it must have weighed at least a pound before. The third spell caused the ore to explode (as expected), sending myself, my assistant and much of the contents in the room flying, but as we began to fall many of the items and myself floated gently to the ground. My laboratory assistant was not hit with the spell and was not so lucky.

Hypothesis: tealstone is magical in property, and a magical conductor, or battery. I have a feeling that, like other metal, it could be refined although I'm unsure what properties it would exhibit. Why the goblins are interested in it I am not sure.

Furthermore, what is the origin of tealstone? It doesn't seem to form like other metals. I heard a story from some travellers in Victor that a wizard, a druid and a sorcerer (who they claimed was a tiefling like me, though I find this hard to believe) found an ancient catacomb filled with crystallized tealstone. I'm having my people look into their claims.

I hope this aids you, companions. I go to do the great work. I'm sure our paths will cross again.

-VJ