Jasper crystal

The jasper crystal was a type of Force-imbued tasar crystal from the Inner Rim planet Tasariq. It granted an individual that had become attuned to it the Magnify Senses Force ability. During the Galactic Civil War, the Tasari Garuk and Valjak both wore headbands with a jasper crystal on them, and the Human Imperial Intelligence agent Yasinda Bardak also wore an amulet that contained what, unbeknown to her, was a jasper crystal.

Description

The jasper crystal was one of the several types of Force-imbued tasar crystals that could be found on the Inner Rim planet Tasariq. Its color ranged from brown-shaded to blue-black. If an individual carried a jasper crystal on their person for a number of months, they gradually became attuned to it and as a result became able to use—even if they were not Force-sensitive—the Magnify Senses Force ability.^[1]

History

During the Galactic Civil War between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance, the Tasari Garuk, the secret leader of one of Tasariq's secret blood cults, wore a ceremonial headband that had a jasper crystal on it. The Tasari Valjak, who was a member of the secret anti–blood-cult order known as the Kiana, likewise donned a headband with an inset jasper crystal, with both Tasari being attuned to their respective crystals.^[1]

Two years prior to some point during the Galactic Civil War, Emperor Palpatine of the Galactic Empire, curious about the effects of the Force-imbued tasar crystals on individuals with latent Force-sensitivity, decided to subject the Human Imperial Intelligence agent Yasinda Bardak to an experiment. He had Bardak's lover^[1] Sarcev Quest^[2]—who, unbewknown to Bardak, was also an Intelligence operative—gift her with an amulet containing a jasper crystal that had been modified to look like a more mundane gemstone. Two years later, after Bardak had been transferred to Tasariq and had become attuned to the crystal that she was regularly wearing around her neck, she had began to experience the effects of the ability granted by the crystal as well as her own inner Force abilities—none of which she realized the source of.^[1]

Behind the scenes

The jasper crystal was mentioned in "Tasariq: The Crystal Planet," a West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game source article written by Tom Moldvay and Steve Miller and published in the November 1997 fifteenth issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal magazine. In the article, the crystal is illustrated by Jeff Menges, and in one instance, the crystal's name is capitalized as "Jasper crystal."^[1] In the real world, jasper is a mineral that can exhibit various colors but most commonly is red or brownish red. It is used in jewelry and ornamentation.^[3]

"Tasariq: The Crystal Planet" suggests that, if the player characters are mining tasar crystals on Tasariq, they should have a chance of discovering Force-imbued crystals such as the jasper crystal, with the probability ranging from one-in-six to 1-in-216 of finding one or three such crystals, respectively, for every seven days they spend working in an area with an abundance of crystals. Additionally, the article suggests that, should the gamemaster player wish to determine randomly what crystals in particular the characters discover, the chance of obtaining a jasper crystal be one-in-thirty.^[1]

Sources

• "Tasariq: The Crystal Planet" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 15 (First mentioned)

Notes and references