The Mercenary's Pearl (Common Variant)

The common variant of Pearls of Power does not boast an origin of careful artistry, but rather of cataclysmic magical discharge. On 04 November 1, a pivotal event in Coia's history led to their creation. The intrepid Dragonbone Vanguard achieved their goal of shattering the corrupted Bukhara Spire Gateways, thereby severing infernal ties to other planes.

This act of destruction released an immense shockwave of crystallized magical energy, showering the surrounding battlefields. Thousands of shards from the shattered spires rained down, marking the spontaneous birth of these powerful fragments. This day forever etched itself into the very fabric of Coia's magical landscape.

In the immediate aftermath, scavengers and opportunistic merchants, driven by the same greed that defined the Commerce to Civil War era, descended upon the debris. They meticulously collected these raw, magically charged fragments. While these pieces could no longer bridge dimensions, they still retained a potent "muscle memory" of magical channeling.

Lapidaries in the bustling trade centers of Rueside and Ironhold soon discovered how to harness this residual energy. They began roughly polishing the fragments, turning them into a marketable commodity. These items quickly became known as Bukhara Fragments or Mercenary's Pearls.

These roughly polished pearls soon flooded the market, becoming a testament to Coia's violent magical history. They served as a cheap, disposable battery for the lowest tiers of magic, commonly found in the pockets of hedge wizards and academy dropouts alike. Their abundance made them a staple for novice spellcasters.

In more recent times, an interesting phenomenon has emerged with the awakening of Wild Magic in the Iron Mountain. Some of these pearls, dubbed Resonant Shards, have become subtly entangled with the chaotic relic binding Ursula Nachthex. This entanglement grants them unpredictable effects, with a chance to trigger a Wild Magic Surge under specific circumstances.

Despite these rare and chaotic anomalies, no Mercenary's Pearls are known to have been destroyed. They continue to be widely circulated across the land. These versatile items are commonly found in adventurer packs or displayed on the shelves of curio shops in Rueside, serving their purpose as a simple source of arcane power.