Gem Seeds and Gem VinesThe boundary between animate
Living Stone and inanimate
Hidden Gem is not always simple or obvious. Some
Hidden Gems still contain enough force that they can be coaxed back to life. A dwarf can attempt to extract a
Gem Seed from a
Hidden Gem at an appropriate
Tribute. If the extraction is successful, the
Gem Seed can be planted to produce
Gem Vines that can be brewed into alcohol and occasionally produce more
Hidden Gems.
snipTributes and AltarsA Tribute is a 3x3 workshop constructed from three blocks of a layer stone, while an Altar is a 1x1 workshop constructed from a slab of a layer stone. An Altar will only function if it is built inside a temple dedicated to a deity associated with an appropriate Sphere (see Secrets below).
The Masonry labor is required to construct a Tribute or Altar and the Mining labor is required to perform sacrifices or extract Gem Seeds at one. The sacrifices are very expensive, so it is recommended that a Manager be used to assign a specific miner to the workshop to ensure that the intended Dwarf performs the sacrifice.
Each Tribute or Altar allows two "sacrifice" reactions, either of which has the same effect upon the Dwarf performing the reaction. The first reaction (shortcut lowercase-L) consumes a large gem, and the second one (shortcut lowercase-H) consumes a normal cut gem of the Hidden Gem associated with that stone. For example, the Tribute to Marble allows "Sacrifice large gem (l)" and "Sacrifice hidden beryl (h)".
| | Tribute O O XXX
∩ XXX
O O XXX |
The Dwarf performing the sacrifice will be permanently affected by a syndrome (e.g., "marble favor") that has two effects. The first effect is to reduce the hostility of any
Awakened Stones or
Wyrms that the Dwarf releases from
Living Stone. The second effect is that the Dwarf suffers half-damage from anything made of that stone, including falling onto a floor of that material. Repeated sacrifices do not further reduce the damage.
The third reaction attempts to extract a
Gem Seed from a rough
Hidden Gem, with a shortcut key of lowercase-X. For example, the
Tribute to Marble allows "Extract hidden beryl seed (x)". The attempt
always destroys the rough
Hidden Gem and produces a usable
Gem Seed 50% of the time.
snipGem Seeds and Gem VinesIf the fortress extracts a Gem Seed from a rough Hidden Gem at a Tribute, that seed can be planted in an underground farm plot to produce a Gem Vine. Each type of Hidden Gem has its own species of Gem Vine. The growths of this plant, known as "clusters," can be processed at a Still to produce 5 units of alcoholic "spirits" and a 20% chance of recovering a rough Hidden Gem. For example, an amethyst seed can grow into an amethyst vine which produces amethyst clusters; those clusters can be brought to a Still to produce amethyst spirits and possibly a rough hidden amethyst.
The reaction at the Still is "brew gem cluster (g)" and requires a barrel or pot to hold the spirits. | Gem Vine
"
Urist likes gem vines for their gem clusters. |
