Myths and Legends: Chaos Emeralds
Presumably the oldest and by far the most mysterious artifacts from Mobian antiquity are the legendary Chaos Emeralds, head-sized colorful gems of flawless quality. During the monarchy, they were 'first tier protected artifacts', which put them on par in value with the Sword of Acorns. Seven of these brilliant jewels resided within the Emerald Vaults at Mobotropolis. Protected by an intricate series of locking gateways, these gems are highly treasured, despite virtually no one understanding anything about them. No one seems to be sure who built the protective system in the vaults, nor is anyone certain of just what the emeralds were originally for. The few scientists who have been permitted to study them over history concluded that each gem contained a tremendous amount of magical power, but no way to access the energy was found, and no attempts were made to do so, fearing some terrible consequence.
Attempts to date the gemstone that made up the emeralds yielded bizarre results, and the unauthorized attempt to cut into one proved utterly futile with the best technology available at the time. Exactly how these stones were cut and faceted in the first place is perhaps the most enduring mystery. Another oddity is in origin of the name, 'Chaos Emerald', which scholars continue to track down. What works written on them that site references site works that site older references still, so it has proven difficult to find out who first called the stones Chaos Emeralds, or why. Even the true material that forms the green gems is unknown, as it has proven to be far stronger than actual emeralds; so strong in fact, that not even a fleck can be chipped away for microscopic analysis.
During the coup, the Scientific Council braved the vault and solved the puzzles in their way in order to take the emeralds and keep them from the hands of Dr. Robotnik. Where these ancient artifacts wound up from there is just another in a long line of mysteries surrounding them. More recent writings suggest that the emeralds were part of an even larger set, and that only seven had been found and therefore accounted for. Whether this is due to an emerald from the vaults turning up again and erroneously being (re)counted, or in fact other emeralds have turned up is unclear.
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