Dragonshard Prices Soar Amid Shortage

Sypheros 6th, 997YK

Prices for raw dragonshards have almost doubled in recent weeks, leaving shard brokers with scant supplies but hefty profits. Though dragonshards are not available in public markets, they are common in the exclusive, private auction houses in the Korranath district.

Jessen Urtannek, owner of Silverpick Prospecting, said that his company has recently had production difficulties in both the Shadow Marches and Q'Barra. Thus, bidders are competing for a smaller supply of dragonshards, and prices are rising. He says that while output in the Shadow Marches has been good, it seems that some caravans are going missing on the trip home. Utrannek attributes this to the high amount of banditry in Droaam. He has suggested using different routes or even hiring House Lyrandar for Sea or Air travel, or a cheaper but more risky solution of increasing the guards for the caravans.

Dragonshard broker Pavlika Grihl said that supply disruptions are only exacerbating a surge in demand for the dragonshards, which have a variety of magical applications. There are always representatives from the dragonmarked houses at the auctions, as they are always in need of dragonshards, regardless of the grade. Some newer collectors and crafters have been visiting the auctions as well, but they are less picky about the quality of the dragonshard.

Grihl speculated that the newcomers to the dragonshard auction houses are probably commodity speculators. "Outside of powerful magicians and the houses, no one can really use dragonshards," she said. She thinks that all the dragonshards will return to the market when the speculators think the bubble will burst.