Spectre
From Qwiki
The Q Logo/Q Symbol ring is named Spectre and has an interesting history both realistically and fictionally. We'll start with the fictional and then get on to the more mundane, real-world version of the rings history.
Item Name: Spectre
Item Type: Ring
Owner: Quorlan
Creator: Quorlan
Properties: properties to be added
In the tales of Quorlan, he has always worn rings. No matter which incarnation, almost without exception, Quorlan has always used rings as a source of power. Of these rings, the first two were acquired in Quorlan's travels through the Multiverse. The third, which he named Spectre, was special. Quorlan forged Spectre on his own. After decades of learning the mystical arts of a variety of cultures and civilizations, Quorlan forged a ring which bore his symbol. Into the ring, he bound a permanent channel into the core energies of the Multiverse itself. Once he had established such a means to never lose contact with the core of his own power, he bound his soul, his very essence into the metal of the ring. He melted down runes of power and mixed them with molten silver, infusing the metal with the power of those runes, binding his own mystical energies with those of the Multiverse and the power of the runes to command those energies into the molten metal.
Next, Quorlan cast intricate magical spells, further strengthening the bond between his life force, the runes, and the core energies of the Multiverse as he poured the molten silver into the mold he had created for just this purpose. He allowed the heavy liquid metal to settle into the mold for only a few moments before casting the mold into a basin of icy water. The mold itself dissolved almost immediately in a gigantic hissing cloud of vapor. After the steam had cleared, Quorlan peered into the basin. The ice had all melted and the water was rapidly settling into stillness. And there, at the bottom of the basin, he saw it. The ring was forged, there didn't appear to be any cracks and the ring seemed intact. He allowed it too fully cool for a few more minutes before reaching into the water with a pair of tongs and pulling the ring out. He held it with the tongs before his eyes for a moment, admiring the look and shape of it. Bits of the mold still clung to the surface and it would need plenty of sanding and polishing before it was perfect, but the ring of power was forged. His symbol of power was clearly etched into the eight-sided face of the ring. A faint, practically indistinguishable glow throbbed in the glare of light off the silvery metal. He had done it.
That's it for the fiction part. The whole forging of Spectre and subsequent stories are available in The Quorlan Chronicles or in other works of fiction to come in the future. For a little more detail about the final steps in forging Spectre, you can read the Forging Spectre entry.
As for the real life story of this ring, it's name will also be Spectre. At this moment, it doesn't yet exist. However it is being made. Within the next month or so the ring will be commissioned and the master jewelers will begin crafting. The picture at the start of this article is similar to what the finished ring will look like, but it is just my own, very limited use of Photoshop to make a mock-up of the ring. It is not an actual picture. The next step will be for the jeweler to send me their rendering of what it will look like, which should be a lot closer to reality. I'll get a few of those up here as soon as I have them and pictures of the actual ring once it is made and delivered.
- Update: I've received confirmation that the ring has been cast and is on schedule for delivery sometime in the middle of next week. As far as I understand the process that means that they now have my ring, cast in silver and are working on the finishing stps of cutting off the sprue, filing, sanding and polishing. Since they have already said they keep a mold indefinitely, I assume that means they will also be making a mold (I am operating under the assumption the original ring was cast using the lost wax casting process, but I don't know for certain). I love the idea that I can go back to them at any time and have new pieces made featuring this symbol. That means I can sell custom jewelry in the form or rings, pendants, earrings, or whatever if anyone is interested. The pieces aren't cheap but they sure are one of a kind.
As for the story behind it, it's something I've wanted to do for a very long time. When I first designed the logo, it was based on two other rings I owned and wore frequently and used in the various fictional representations of Quorlan as well. At the time, right after I finished the design, I remember thinking how ironic and interesting it would be to take a symbol or logo that was based on rings and turn it into a ring itself. I've had the idea for years now, but only recently did the option become available to actually have it made. Watch this space for photos once it's done.
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