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special-bastard · 5 years

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GEMSONAS FROM FINCTIONAL VIDEOGAME MINERALS: WARFRAME MASTERPOST

I havent seen anyone else do this so Im gonna

HERE WE GO LADS

Gemsonas built from Warframe gemstones, using their appearance and the most interesting items those gemstones are components of, to determine their baseline homeworld role and appearance, not accounting for you wanting something different.

This list excludes Azurite because Warframe Azurite is just Azurite.

A thing to note: The way I am envisioning these gems is that the linked version, the refined/cut version of each gem is the Homeworld version, while rebels/renegades/forgotten outpost versions could be born from the uncut, raw versions that the articles link to.

Another thing to note: These are just my suggestions based on my own decisions on how the unexplored elements of Homeworld function. If anything Ive decided here conflicts with your idea of Homeworld, just override what Ive declared with your ideas of Homeworld and make these gems fit how you please.

First is Esher Devar, the refined cut (aka Homeworld version) of Devar

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Esher_Devar

Esher Devar’s most interesting use is building the Gara frame, who is Glass-Samurai themed.

The baseline for a Homeworld/Esher Devar, unless instructed/imagined otherwise, is that of a sort of Samurai Pearl Shogun. A sort of highly aesthetic police, combining the administrative duties of a pearl with a larger build and samurai themes, but also very stylized and making use of clear/reflective materials to reflect the refinement and elegance of The Diamond Authority.

The Esher Devar do not then serve as personal assistants, but are pretty strictly a self-administering police force, mainly used on outposts and stations not personally overseen by a Diamond, or Diamond-appointed overseer. As a result they tend to enforce their aesthetic onto the local populace, be they Gem or a subordinate life-form.

In the spirit of the shogunate and samurai of earth, the Esher Devar are typically arrogant, brash, crude in behaviour, but not especially unpleasant or unfriendly. It depends entirely on your allegiance and your status in the hierarchy, but if the conditions are met, an Esher Devar is a very boisterous and friendly companion.

They are however, incredibly military. Authoritarian, disciplined, lawful and unyielding, the Esher Devar, when left to self-operate, run a Might Makes Right system of government. They are, as the samurai of earth, honor-bound and straight-forward, but also ruthless and brutal. They will cut you down without a second thought if you pose so much as a credible threat to them or their system of governance, and they will enforce their laws without mercy.

But if you submit to their rule, and by extension the rule of the Diamonds, they will protect you as a valued citizen of their outpost, provided you do your assigned job loyally and to the best of your ability. They demand your best efforts, and in return will give you theirs.

Their appearance and Aesthetic is in large contrast to their behaviour, for they keep themselves very well presented. Elegant and clean, shining and pristine, they embody the grace and beauty of a pearl outfitted for strength and endurance in war.

Typically, they are larger and thicker than a Pearl, but still featuring that general bodytype. Typical weapon is a large, two-handed katana (aka Odachi/Nodachi).

Second is the red/blue duo, Marquise Thyst and Radiant Zodian, the refined cuts of Thyst and Zodian

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Marquise_Thyst

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Radiant_Zodian

Both of these gems are used to build the Garuda and Baruuk frames, and also each have a large list of uses in cosmetic items.

Garuda is a claw-wielding vampire frame, while Baruuk is a temperate monk frame, and due to the respective colors and shapes of Thyst and Zodian, I will be ascribing the red and sharp Marquise Thyst to Garuda and the round and blue Radiant Zodian to Baruuk.

Because both gems are used in a large variety of cosmetic items in the game, it can be said that the baseline roles for Marquise Thyst and Radiant Zodian are largely decorative. They serve as living sculptures and artworks, typically found in contemplative gardens and cathedrals, where these gems and their surrounding architectures embody particular aesthetics and mindsets.

With Garuda being a vampire frame, Marquise Thysts are the occupants of Red Cathedrals. These places are the spiritual centers of the physical components of the Gem race. The fluids used in Kindergartens, combining with the minerals in the soil to grow and produce Gem warriors and civil servants. The “blood” of Gems, as it were.

Through complete coincidence, these cathedrals and their occupants feature a very gothic aesthetic and architecture, with little lighting bathed in a deep red glow. The cathedrals are tall and slim, and because of their red color are popular with particularly “religious” rubies, as places of diamond worship.

The Marquise Thysts themselves are also very tall and slim, typically covering themselves under floor-length shawls and heavy hoods, with their faces hidden behind haunting masks that are featureless save for two pin-prick eyeholes.

When the cathedrals are empty the Thysts wander them slowly, and aimlessly, basking in their aesthetic and gothic mood. When the cathedrals have visitors, the Thysts will either stand still where they were, like statues, or else retreat and stand between the ribbing/pillars of the walls, like vampire gargoyles, staring at the visitors and ensuring the proper atmosphere is observed.

Though they are decorative set-pieces, the thysts are very capable of fighting, with the baseline for their weaponry being large jointed razor-sharp claws, which function much like long slender fingers. They have normal hands, and the claw are wrist-mounted, but tend to flex and gesture in unison with their actual fingers when in use.

In contrast, the Radiant Zodians occupy zen gardens, which are wide and open. These gardens are supposed to resemble a Gem’s clarity of vision and purpose, as given to them by their diamonds, and a gem who is lost and unable (or afraid to) seek guidance from their diamonds can come to one of these gardens and meditate on their given purpose and determine what they should be doing.

The Radiant Zodians cultivate these gardens, combing the stones and “tending to” the “plants”, which are really just crystalline growths which can be ground into a paste-like substance. It’s most common use is what passes for medicine for the gem race, being a substance that can repair cracks and “heal” gem warriors and constructions, as it is the same substance used by peridots and their flask robonoids to repair crystal structures such as warp pads.

As such, the zen gardens and their zodian custodians can be said to be “hospitals” and “doctors” of a sort, though with a distinctly buddhist monk aesthetic. The calm of the gardens can put to rest a weary soul, while the zodians apply the crystalline substance to any physical damage and tend to any wounded warriors.

Marquise Thysts and Radiant Zodians rarely interact, but when they do it is very polarizing. They either develop a strong revulsion to oneanother due to conflicting aesthetics and attitudes, or their stark differences make them the best of friends. It varies on the individual personalities of the gems themselves, if indeed they have the freedom to develop any.

Like their thyst cousins, the zodians are also very capable of fighting despite being more set-dressing than warriors, but where the thysts use large razor claws, the zodians use their

fists. The do encase their fists in a rock-hard material, but not to the degree of say, a gauntlet of some sort. Rather, they give their fists a thin coating which can protect, but can also be shattered and the pieces expelled as knife-like shards for a ranged attack.

The zodians typically avoid using actual weaponry because their most common cause for fighting is to enforce calm in their gardens, and they would never dare do any real damage to a fellow gem, so they have learned to use blunt force and pacifying attacks to subdue unruly visitors and set them on the path of meditation and calm.

Third is Star Amarast, the Homeworld cut of Amarast

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Amarast

By color and name alone, Amarast is obviously going to be just a deviation of an Amethyst. As such, they’re going to be rank-and-file soldiery, above that of ruby grunts but by much. Though star amarast is a component of Garuda, I figured since thats already taken then that the next most interesting uses of Star Amarast is in building K-Drives (high speed hover-boards) and kitguns (kitbashed laserguns just incase you needed that explained), as well as a one-handed short scythe.

As such, I decided that Amarasts would be the cavalry to an Amethyst infantry. What they mount depends on their post and what they have at their disposal. If they have a retinue of peridots they will most likely be mounted on vehicles. If Lapis, they will most likely be using wildlife, typically aquatic life. In some rare and extreme cases, an Amarast might be known to tame and mount an animalistic corrupted Gem as a steed of sorts.

Typically however, a company of Amarasts will be equipped with vehicles to work with in the first place.

Treat them as you would a regular Amethyst, but maybe with a slimmer build and preference for ranged weaponry, and hit&run fighting. Also a keen interest in animal taming or vehicles wouldnt hurt.

Fourth are Heart Nyth and Radian Sentrium, the Homeworld cuts of Nyth and Sentrium

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Heart_Nyth

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Radian_Sentirum

As implied by the name, and the lack of functional uses, BUT because of the aesthetic of the cosmetics Heart Nyth and Radian Sentrium are used to make, I have decided that they are essentially a kind of Cheerleader/Standard Bearer for ground forces. They occupy battlefield administration of a sort, while also catering to the morale of occupying/invading forces by using themselves as a resplendent symbol of Homeworld beauty and the beautiful might of the Diamond Empire. They inspire troops and if a civil conflict arises, can serve limited diplomatic roles, negotiating ceasefires, POW needs/transfers, terms of surrender and so on. They are the symbolic face of the Gem warrior armies, representing the will of the empire in war and conquest, until such a time as a Diamond appears to present their will directly, or the Esher Devars appear to take over a new outpost.

I imagine their appearance to be essentially like a pearl, trying to emulate a Diamond aesthetic. Not so uncanny as to appear to be a usurper, but presenting themselves as a living symbol of the diamonds, a sign of what’s to come when you surrender or fall to their armies.

Fifth is Goblite Tears, the Homeworld cut of Goblite

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Goblite_Tears

In this instance, I must immediately address the difference between Homeworld Goblite and non-homeworld Goblite, because in the refinement process, Goblite is cut into pieces, into “tears”, whereas the unrefined Goblite is a single piece. As such, this is the first time I would strongly recommend a distinct difference, in that Homeworld Goblites are a small horde of tinkering assistants, much in the vein of pebbles, assisting various gems, in particular crafting/manufacture/maintenance gems such as peridots or bismuths, in their duties.

Compare this to raw, unrefined Goblite

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Goblite

Unbroken Goblite is a single, ordinary sized Gem, who serves as more of a general, all-purpose handy-man, able to do most things reasonably well but clearly lacking specialization in anything.

Because of the name Goblite, I would say they’re relatively short, maybe close to a ruby or sapphire in size, and relatively grubby, not in the least bit interested in presenting a clean and graceful appearance, they are the type to get “stuck in” and get elbow-deep in all kinds of muck to get the job done. Not especially effective fighters maybe, but their wide range of inherent skills and complete lack of regard for elegance and appearance could make them tricky and unpredictable combatants to deal with, making use of tools and if you’re in their territory, whatever ramshackle home they’ve built can likely be torn apart in interesting and threatening ways.

Unrefined Goblite would essentially take the place of a rebel peridot, but less nerdy and more goblincore

Sixth is Star Crimzian, the Homeworld cut of Crimzian

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Crimzian

Star Crimzian is very limited in its uses, and they aren’t particularly interesting, so I don’t have a lot to say on them. Based on what little uses they do have, however, I feel comfortable saying that Star Crimzians are just a specialized sort of Ruby soldier. Instead of general purpose foot-grunts, Star Crimzians are artillery crew. They work in teams to operate homeworld artillery guns in war and particularly in sieging an occupied stronghold, and that’s about it.

Seventh is Marquise Veridos

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Marquise_Veridos

Despite the name, Marquise Veridos have little in common with Marquise Thyst. Given that the uses for Marquise Veridos have nothing by way of cosmetics and are primarily used to make the Strike or “Blade” of kitbashed melee weapons called “Zaws” in the game, I thought a fitting role for this Gem would be a weapon designer. While Bismuths are clearly the smiths occupied with making functional weapons and tools, Marquise Veridos could be their artisan counterpart, making finely crafted and delicate weapons that serve more as status symbols than actual tools of war. Maybe they even work WITH Bismuths to “pretty up” their tools and weapons, or maybe they work exclusively for overseers crafting artisanal weapons of authority and status.

As such I would imagine their appearance to be a blend of ‘artist’ and ‘blacksmith’ with a keen eye for aesthetic and, depending on how closely they work with a Bismuth, an eye for deadliness.

Seventh are Heart Noctrul and Smooth Phasmin, who I combine into one entry because they have a common theme in their uses.

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Heart_Noctrul

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Smooth_Phasmin

That shared theme is robotics, where in the game both of these stones are used in making parts of MOAs, which are like robotic bird-things. Essentially a laser gun on a pair of chicken legs is the jist of MOAs (and also an extinct flightless bird from New Zealand)

As such, I would believe Heart Noctrul and Smooth Phasmins to work together often. Smooth Phasmin’s uses are almost entirely on robotics, so they would easily be the robotics engineers overseeing the construction and maintenance of robotic servants, like robonoids or drones or limb enhancers, and so on, while Heart Noctrul shares its list of uses with a fair amount of weapons and even a k-drive piece, which indicates to me that a Heart Noctrul gemsona would be working with a Smooth Phasmin, and trying to figure out ways to weaponize and otherwise modify their robotic creations, being adept at creating and installing all kinds of ranged weapons and mobility enhancements on a phasmin’s constructs.

I would imagine them to both be relatively peridot-like in appearance, though maybe noctruls could be outfitted with a little extra rigging to signify their role as weaponizing a phasmin’s robots.

Now we come to the game’s “vanilla” resources, which are pre-mining update and therefore do not have refined/raw versions, they just are.

So, Eighth is Rubedo

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Rubedo

Rubedo is an alchemical reference, typically referring to the penultimate stage of a great work nearing completion.

Based on my own ‘sonas of this stone, I would determine that Rubedos are Ruby commanders. Slightly taller, slightly smarter, and just slightly better in all respects than a typical Ruby, Rubedos serve as commanders, trainers and leaders of Ruby grunts. Because of the alchemical concept referring to a near-complete but unfinished work, I would imagine Rubedos are typically missing a part of the full humanoid form, and that missing piece is where their gemstone is found. My personal Rubedos are both missing their right arm, and their gemstones form the stumps. Consequently, they both possess the power to generate Green Lantern style light-constructs to serve as fill-ins for their missing arms, and I would imagine all Rubedos generally do this.

Ninth is Argon

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Argon_Crystal

Although Argon is a real-world element, I don’t know anything about it. In the game however, Argon is found in crystal form, so I count it as a Gem. Argon is also unique in that it is the only resource in the game which deteriorates and disappears over time.

Because of this, and because of the most interesting use for Argon Crystals is to create the Mirage frame, which is a sort of jester/clown, I would imagine Homeworld Argons to be similar. Entertainers and acrobats, loving the attention and spotlight and loving to make people laugh and smile. Physically I think of them as like a pearl, with more curves and a bigger, rounder head, and wearing asymmetrical uniforms and patterns.

Somewhat clownish in nature, I would imagine Argons to also be very private, and secretive. They would be reluctant to talk about themselves or open up to anyone, preferring to have people interact with their public entertainer face.

Because Argon Crystals in the game disappear over time, perhaps Homeworld Argons are very short-lived, or have some flaw which causes them to be effectively mortal, needing to fuel themselves to keep existing and maybe they even age like mortal creatures.

Finally, Tenth is Cryotic

https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Cryotic

Its ice. It’s a crystal super-ice that freezes anything it touches. It’s an extremely potent contact-coolant. I’m sure I don’t have to come up with much detail on what kind of ‘sona this could be made into.

I imagine them to be like high ranking Sapphire overseers, much like Rubedo for Rubies.

That concludes every known material in Warframe that I would describe as being a Gemstone

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