Macralith Crystal

Overview
The Macralith Crystal is a theoretical magical artifact proposed by the artificer and arcane professor Kysander Papren in the year 304. The Macralith was believed to significantly amplify a subject's magical ability, allowing magic users to cast incredibly powerful spells. It's existence and physical plausibility are a subject of much debate among the circle mages of the Teris Empire.

Kysander Papren
In the year 299, Kysander Papren, a well-known artificer and professor from the Braythorp legislate (now known as the Fiefdom of Braythorp), took a group of students with him to the Caves of Alfostson and the Kingdom of Zundinar for a research expedition. The purpose of the trip was to investigate the appearance of magical properties in some of the gemstones mined out by the dwarves. Previously, some miners had noticed that a small percentage of mined saphires had begun to react strangely in the presence of magic.

As Papren and his students were human, they were not allowed deep into Zundinar territory but were permitted to stay in the above-ground settlement of Clayfen, where an arcane laboratory was prepared for them. Shipments of various material samples and gemstones from the dwarven mines was sent to the lab for testing, as the dwarven government was also curious in the results of Papren's experiments.

Papren and his students would continue their research for several more years, traveling back and forth over the Braythorp-Alfost border. Over the course of those years, they would record what would later be referred to as the Papren Catalog, an encyclopedia of magical gems which would be used by mages and artificers all over the continent centuries after it's initial publication.

Through all the tested gems and metals, Kysander Papren observed that it was a specific type of sapphire that reacted most visibly towards the presence of magic, most especially with the implementation of quaematics. The sapphires (typically sent in from the northeastern Macra mines) would only display this phenomenon for approximately every 1 in 500 sapphires. The unusual variety was affectionately coined "Macra Sapphires", however, throughout the years of testing, Papren and his students could only obtain a handful as typical sapphires were already quite rare.

During the night of March 16th, year 304, it is said that several of Papren's students noticed the artificer awake suddenly in the middle of the night, under the effects of an apparent epiphany. Papren, unwilling to wait until sunrise, moved straight towards his work desk and began drafting the design for what later would be known as the Macralith Crystal. The artificer had realized that magical energy produced at different angles had a direct correlation towards the reactive strength and storing capability of each individual Macra Sapphire. Papren theorized that if he could arrange a number of sapphires in a specific array, he could exponentially increase their magical strength.

Initial tests did not seem promising. The created energy would be incredibly powerful, but would either dissipate far too rapidly or be uncontrollable past the point of usability. In addition, Papren could not obtain the required number of Macra Sapphires, and the majority of his tests could only be done with a partially complete Macralith. Disheartened and overworked, Papren sent his students back home for the summer.

The Clayfen Incident
Up until this time, the professor kept in consistent contact with several of his students via letter. It is from these correspondences that we know of a redrafted Macralith design and further tests he completed himself. His last letter was dated July 12th, in the early hours of the morning, describing his preparations for the first true Macralith test. After that, all correspondence between him and his students stopped. Weeks passed, and a few students became noticeably worried, and began to travel back to Clayfen.

Being a fairly small, unremarkable town, Clayfen receives few visitors and travelling merchants are equally rare. As such, it was the Papren's students who were the first to see the massive semi-spherical crater that had engulfed the area where the town had sat, taking out a huge chunk of the earth and leaving nothing behind. Papren and the villagers were presumed dead, and what remained of his research he had left in Braythorp went missing, believed to have been stolen.

The event became known as the Clayfen Incident, an event that soured Human-Dwarf relations for decades to come. Zundinar decreed that researchers were no longer allowed to pass the Alfost border, and those caught smuggling gems or precious materials outside of the kingdom would be tried and could be put to death, depending on the severity of the offence. Further Macralith research became outlawed completely by the Braythorp Legislate, and was carried over into the Teris Empire.

In addition, the incident cemented the public's general distrust of the quaematic school of magic, fearing the instability and dangers of improper implementation.

Controversy
Many officials from the Teris Empire dispute the legitimacy of Papren's letters. Common theories that attempt to explain the Clayfen Incident range from accidental demon summoning to mass hallucination. Recent decades (year 580 onwards) have seen the empire's Black Wolves attempt to erase any mention of the Macralith or Clayfen from libraries and public knowledge. Because of the popularity and widespread use of the Papren Catalog, the inquisitors were unable to remove Papren's name from history entirely, and the legend of Clayfen and the Macralith follow the infamous professor's name through hushed conversation between imperial circle mages.

Some rumors exist that a Macralith was used in the construction of Skyscour Castle. These reports are disputed by the magical community and often silenced entirely by the Black Wolves. Of course, without a Macralith, many mages remain skeptical that a structure as large as Skyscour could even be constructed in the first place, and the topic is one of hot debate among the upper echelons of the imperial circles.

The dwarven government has taken a similar stance towards the issue, closing down the Macra Mines and barring entrance to the Clayfen site entirely. Very few Macra sapphires remain in existence, most circling the black market or in the hands of a few high-ranking magical officials.

To this day, many mages express disbelief that a Macralith could even feasibly be made. The general public within the Teris Empire and surrounding regions barely know that such a concept even exists. The truth behind the Clayfen Incident may have been lost to history.

Trivia
Kysander Papren initially wanted to call the Macralith the "Magical Macro Mega Mumbo-Jumbo Monolith Machine", but was expressly told by his students that it was a terrible idea. He later settled for "Macralith".