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|books=[[The Stormlight Archive]]
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A '''gemheart''' is a
== Origin and Purpose ==
It was found in the bodies of [[Chasmfiend]]s and other large [[chull|chull-like]] animals called Greatshells.{{book ref|twok|36}} The bigger the animal, the bigger the stone. Those found in Chasmfiends were worth a small fortune.{{book ref|twok|13}} [[Dalinar Kholin]] stated that the ones found in Chasmfiends were the largest gemhearts he had ever seen.▼
Gemhearts occur because Investiture leaks into the anatomy of certain Rosharan species, creating an effect similar to the formation of [[atium]] on Scadrial.{{wob ref|4678}}
Like any gemstone that is one of the ten [[Polestone]]s, gemhearts can glow with either [[Stormlight]] or [[Voidlight]], suggesting that an animal's gemheart is the thing that enables the types of Investiture that many such animals utilize, usually involving a [[spren]] bond. A singer's gemheart, for example, contains the spren the gives him his current [[Singer#Forms|form]], which varies depending on the type of spren he bonds.{{book ref|sa3|i|6}}
The discovery of Chasmfiends containing such valuable gemhearts completely altered the [[War of Reckoning]]. Attempting to directly attack the [[Parshendi]] base, located far into the [[Shattered Plains]], was risky and expensive. However, when Chasmfiends climbed onto a plateau to pupate, the [[highprince]]s and Parshendi alike would extend themselves to attempt to retrieve its gemheart. The [[highprince]]s all agreed that these periodic clashes suitably upheld the [[Vengeance Pact]], and the War of Reckoning effectively devolved into little more than a decade-long competition.▼
Humans on Roshar, even [[Surgebinder]]s with spren bonds, do not have gemhearts{{wob ref|2685}}, but those who swallow [[Yelig-nar]]{{book ref|sa3|120}} have been known to undergo several physical transformations, including having their heart and lungs replaced with a large Voidlight-filled amethyst that has been described as a "gemstone heart".{{book ref|sa3|120}} It is uncertain whether this can be considered a gemheart or not, but its nature is similar in that it is a gemstone created through Investiture and it functions as a vital part of the transformed human, who would not survive if it is destroyed.
During the War of Reckoning, Highprince [[Roion]] was the one who captured the fewest gemhearts.▼
== Size ==
▲
== Gemheart Harvesting ==
Just as Stormlight is considered valuable by the people on Roshar, so are the Polestones that hold Stormlight. Because much of the land on the continent has been covered by crem, mining is more difficult compared to other planets, and so most gemstones that people use are from gemhearts, which are harvested from various animals.
Some species have gemhearts that are of just one gemstone type, while others vary. Species that only have one type of gemheart are considered more ideal for harvesting.{{wob ref|3772}}
[[Gumfrems]], small chull-like animals,
Chasmfiends have emerald gemhearts. The ability to Soulcast grain from them, combined with their relatively large size, makes Chasmfiend gemhearts extremely valuable. Because Chasmfiends are aggressive and extremely dangerous Greatshells that cannot be domesticated, humans resort to hunting for their chrysalises on the [[Shattered Plains]] most of the time.
=== The War of Reckoning ===
▲The discovery of Chasmfiends containing such valuable gemhearts completely altered the [[War of Reckoning]]. Attempting to directly attack the [[Parshendi]] base, located far into the [[Shattered Plains]], was risky and expensive. However, when
▲During the War of Reckoning, Highprince [[Roion]] was the one who captured the fewest gemhearts.
=== Ecological Effect ===
▲[[Gumfrems]], small chull-like animals, were raised and harvested for their gemhearts by some farmers in [[Alethkar]].{{book ref|sa3|10}}
The hunting for chasmfiends to gain gemhearts will harm [[Roshar]]'s ecology in the long run.{{17s ref|post|42221|When was the last pupation of a Chasmfiend?|date=26 September 2012}} The extinction or near-extinction of a Greatshell species due to excessive hunting has happened before, as in the case of the [[lanceryn]]. In the case of the chasmfiends, the sudden drop in the number of juveniles that reach maturity, due to the hunting of chrysalises, have led to fewer chrysalises appearing over time. This is because the chrysalises are being hunted almost at a faster rate than the chasmfiend population could recover from given their slow growth and slow reproduction rate.{{book ref|sa2|49}}
== Known
*[[Chull]]
*[[Chasmfiend]]
*[[Tai-na]]
*[[Singers]]
*[[Gumfrems]]
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