Beginning in the early Steam Age, the lads and ladies were instructed to put lumenstones in their various mechanical wonders and did not bat an eyelash. They worked for Luciole Ltd., powering the numerous innovations that have become part of our everyday life; from sky transports to the Pneumatic Translation Devices (PTDs) that allow us reliable communication in the palm of our hands. Since the work required great detail, only those with a sharp set of eyes and steady hands were allowed the final step in the manufacturing process. Each worker would repeat this hundreds of times per day. Work was also available to those with more strenuous inclinations; mining the precious gems was overseen by the Bāhira faction. If there was any uneasiness or danger with this process, the labor of the Irregulars was soon alleviated by the machines performing the select tasks.
Auxientia, and eventually the rest of the world, was enamored with lumenstones. Beyond the lumenstone’s application to power mechanics, early entrepreneurs claimed there was little it could not do. The glowing gem was hailed as a panacea for everything from blindness to hysteria. “No medicine, no drugs,” raves one ad for an item claiming to help alleviate asthma and nine other things. “Just a light, small, comfortable, inexpensive stone worn on the back by day and over the stomach at night.”
Products that did not have anything to do with lumenstones carried the name of the expensive gem to add allure. Numerous are the ads of this time for wares like “lumenstone butter” emblazoned on them. It is unlikely that said butter contained any lumenstones whatsoever, but it must’ve been a boon to sales. Those with the means to afford the actual gem, such as The Gilded, adorned themselves like Auxientus himself, using lumenstones to display their status, as well as powering the city grid.
Lumenstone was claimed to be more than a power source by Bāhira. According to that faction, the gems were once harnessed as weapons, but no written records have surfaced, and Auxientian top scientists have yet to unlock such applications. Such a discovery would be revolutionary, as the city has not the means to produce gunpowder and relies on the Parastin Order to maintain our borders from beyonders.
Such cheap, accessible power has come at a price. Five years ago, the Auxientia Observer ran the headline, “New Lumenstone Corruption Found, Automated Staircase Killed 5.” Owners of mechanical devices were advised to regularly check the “health and color” of the lumenstones powering their devices. Corrupted lumenstones were reported to be behind a slew of recent injuries when the mechanical wonders turned against their benevolent masters.
Auxientia City Hall outlawed deceptive packaging that made Glow Stone and other lumenstone-branded products marketable. Bye-bye Lumenstone Brand Creamery Butter. Bye-bye glow hats. The only place to find brands like these now is tucked away on granny’s shelf. The Lumenstone Authenticity Committee (LAC) works tirelessly to ensure to veracity of the lumenstones on the market. As Luciole Ltd. advertising informs us, “Power is natural and all around us. Wisdom informs us where it truly resides.”
