To all citizens and commune members of the Basin:

With another Avechary passed, the Ministry of Information in Hallifax has drafted a formal missive on the practice of gathering sand from the curious manifestations of the dreaming. In an effort to combat widespread ignorance, they have urged me to post this information publicly. I have attempted to reword their documentation to the level of understanding expected of those not part of the Beacon or its allies:

A manifestation must be alive during the month of Avechary for 1 to 24 hours in order to develop sands. If they are slain prior to their sand production, they will still produce sand later in the month, or even the month following. Each manifestation will produce only one pile of this sparkling sand.

Now, sometimes, manifestations will produce sands rapidly, well before the 24 hour period has ended. I have seen evidence of this, myself - though it is possible Chancellor Maligorn accessed aeonic magic not accounted for by other testing. Further inquiry is necessary. In any case, killing the manifestations early is a risk based on chance. Killing them following the 24 hour period will guarantee the desired sands, assuming they have not yet been harvested from.

What this means, Basin, is that harvesting these sands is not a matter of luck or brute force: Like all science, it is a process requiring time and patience. As Hallifax already excels at both disciplines, we recognized a duty to pass along this information for general dissemination.

You are welcome.
-Kethaera, gatherer of sands

Penned by my hand on the 7th of Tzarin, in the year 527 CE.