Heartstone

A Heartstone by Larry Dixon

A Heartstone is both an artificial node produced by the Tayledras and the node's physical anchor. The knowledge of how to create a Heartstone was given to the Tayledras by the Star-Eyed after the Sundering of the Clans. She tasked the Tayledras to cleanse the untamed magic caused by the Mage Wars. A Heartstone is used as a vessel to contain the cleansed magic. Ley-Lines are re-routed by Adepts and Masters to drain entirely into the Heartstone, bringing the surrounding area back to normal. Once their work is finished at that location, the Clan will establish a new Vale and Heartstone in a new area that needs cleansing. They drain the old Heartstone entirely and transfer the energy to the new Heartstone where they will begin their work anew.

The mage energy stored in a Heartstone can be drawn upon for magical uses by Master and Adept mages, much like the pools of energy accumulated by Mage Schools.

The only known Heartstones not controlled by the Hawkbrothers are under the ruins of the palace in what was once Lineas, and under the palace in Haven. The first was left behind by the Tayledras because it was welding shut a fault line caused by the Mage Wars. The second was created by Vanyel with advice from the Tayledras. Mornelithe Falconsbane also attempted to create a Heartstone but failed, presumably due to the lack of divine instruction.

Heartstones seem to have a limited consciousness as discovered by Vanyel "communicating" with the Lineas Heartstone hidden in Lineas Castle.

k'Sheyna Heartstone

The Heartstone present in k'Sheyna Vale was the only known case of a corrupted Heartstone. Mornelithe Falconsbane forced Starblade k'Sheyna to weaken the Heartstone. Upon the conclusion of k'Sheyna's Cleansing, the usual process of draining became a catastrophe when the Heartstone shattered, violently releasing magical energy built up in the Heartstone.

Haven

The Heartstone in Haven was created by Vanyel. He had been gradually augmenting an existing mage-node under the Palace for several years, preparing it to supply power to the Web-Spell that guarded Valdemar from hostile magic. It had been powered by four Web-Guardians, but Herald-Mages were becoming too rare. In the heavily shielded work room above it, the four Web-Guardians contributed their energies and their focus stones to modify the spell. The Haven Heartstone was apparently forgotten after magic in Valdemar ceased.

Later, the spirit of Vanyel stole the power of the k'Sheyna Heartstone at the moment of its' repair in order to activate the Haven Heartstone.