Sunstones are special gemstone that serves as the power-source of Dinotopia.
Depictions[]
Book Series[]
Sunstones are enigmatic gemstones which originated from the World Beneath, said to give off power, light, and even strength, leading to their prominent usage by the Empire of Poseidos. True to their namesake, they can absorb sunlight and convert it into usable energy in the same vein as modern-day solar panels.
In their natural crystal form, they mostly resemble calcite, clear gems with smooth, flat sides and pointed tops. Like calcite, sunstones grow in dark caves and massive "gardens" of sparkling beauty. The sunstones must be processed first in order to be used, as they hold little power in their raw state. But it wasn't an easy task as Arthur correctly deduced that it had been fashioned into its current form through forgotten ancient science.
The shape of a refined sunstone is relative to its intended function as discovered by people of Poseidos:
- Hexagonal Pyramid: Battery for strutters and skimmers.
- Flat, Multifaceted Prism: To transmit messages.
- Hexagonal tear-drop: As beacons.
How the sunstone's energy being used is relative on its purity/clarity, cut, and size. The better its purity/clarity (level of 1-10, 7 being rare and 10 being perfect) the more efficiently the sunstone can use its power. The cut can help refract and trap the light within a sunstone, allowing its energy to be used for a chosen purpose. The larger the sunstone, the more energy it can store; although, a smaller sunstone with greater purity/clarity can be more powerful than larger one with lower purity/clarity.
Sunstones also vary in colors. It's not yet known if the color affects the sunstone type, but the power sunstones found by Arthur Denison were green, the transmitter stones red, and beacon stones amethyst.
In addition of aforementioned functions, sunstones possess other abilities:
- Ruby Sunstone, the legendary variant of the Sunstone, is said to have the ability "to magnify the dark desires in anything it touched, human or machine".
- The sunstone, at least in natural state and large numbers, can show someone their deepest, most desperate desire. An instance of this was when Oriana learned more about not just her mother, but also her maternal ancestors with the help of sunstones.
- The energy from multiple sunstones can accelerate the growth of plants, even in its raw state.
One popular myth about sunstones is that they can protect humans and herbivorous saurians from carnosaurs and Pteranodons. This belief is completely untrue and holds no trace of voracity. In fact, carnosaurs guarded the sunstones for centuries, as did Pteranodons. When fleeing the destruction of Poseidos, Ogthar gave his entire treasury, including sunstones, to the Giganotosaurs in exchange fro safe passage through the Rainy Basin. The treasure remained untouched and unseen by humans until Stinktooth, King of the Basin, allowed Arthur, Oriana, and Bix to enter the Lost Temple.
Up until expedition to World Beneath by Arthur, Sunstones were thought to be myths alongside Poseidos since its downfall long ago. The rediscovery of Poseidos' source of power saw Dinotopians harvesting more Sunstones for their own uses such as internal lighting, improvement of crystal beacons of some settlements, as lighting on sky galleys, and for powering lanterns. Thin slices of sunstones have also seen some use in night vision goggles, where they have been found to be able to mimic the way dinosaurs see.
Miniseries and TV Series[]
| Non-Canon | The subject of this article or section is non-canon since it only features in noncanonical material, such as the 2002 miniseries, or features material that otherwise conflicts with accepted canon sources. |
In the miniseries and tv series, Sunstones provide protection to the island by amending a high-pitched sound when placed in a sunstone holder that keep the Carnivores inside the Rainy Basin and the Pteranodons in the lower half of Canyon City. All towns and cities own a sunstone for protection.
A sunstone is usually shaped as an oval and usually smooth to the touch. It always glows bright white, due to the sunlight it takes in, then releases its stored energy slowly like a rechargeable battery. It comes in many sizes, ranging from one that fits in the palm of your hand to around the size of a bowling ball.
Video Game[]
In the video game Dinotopia: The Sunstone Odyssey, Sunstones also used as counterweight for combat staff/war hammer wielded by Guardians of Dinotopia. Smaller ones can be added into the slot of the mallet head of the Guardian's weapon to unveil its full combat potential.