Hemalith | Artifact - City of Chaos
/ˈhiː.mɑː.lɪθ/ (hee-MAH-lith)
Hemaliths are rare crystalline relics believed to have formed from the congealed blood of a fallen celestial entity after a catastrophic impact in ages long past. The fragments resemble deep blood-red crystal, often marked with vein-like fractures that glow faintly beneath the surface.
Most Hemaliths remain embedded wherever they fell and have never been recovered. Their locations are unknown, and many may still lie hidden beneath stone, forest, or mountain.
Only one shard is known to have ever been discovered by human hands. In ancient times, religious practitioners encountered it and gave it the name Devil's Crux after witnessing its terrifying properties. It was said to grant immortality, yet those who sought it often vanished or were driven to madness. Many attempted to conceal the stone so it would never fall into the wrong hands, but the artifact had a way of disappearing, resurfacing only as rumor and legend.