From Ashes to Ashes to Diamonds

I enjoy reading a variety of things ranging from discovering underwater cities in the modern era, to discovery of mass graveyards due to drug wars and other bits that might be considered either morbid or useless.


I do this because they are fuel for the imagination. You either have precedent for something happening, or you have new information coming to light.


Among the resources I follow, is good old NPR.


Their latest article discusses turning human remains and ashes into diamonds using a process similar to that used by the earth itself.


I can't imagine any roleplaying game that doesn't automatically have potential for such a thing.


In modern and post modern games, like all remains of loved ones, the objects become objects of worth not necessarily based on their monetary gain, but their sentimental gain. Depending on the wealth of the individual making the stone, there could be real value involved with it.


Players in a Cyberpunk 2020 game could be hired to retrieve such a diamond or steal one.


In a fantasy game, it should be obvious that there are a ton of possibilities for such a use.


For example, what if this was an old preservation process? Imagine a ten thousand year old diamond found that contains the remains of a powerful sorcerer or warrior whose techniques made him invincible on the field. Perhaps the forging of people's ashes into this type of diamond negates the aging process for things like raise dead or resurrection spells.


There are other potential uses such as ioun stones. Perhaps ioun stones are actually made in this method using different types of creature's ashes.


Other magic items could be applicable as well. Anything that is a gem could be forged in this manner.


Cursed items? What if a lich uses such a stone as his hiding place? What if a gem is haunted by a ghost or some other type of malign intelligence?


Diamonds just went from being 'only' a rare piece of jewelry to potential magic.