The Relics

Relics are the great magical artifacts left in the world by the Everlasting. Although they may take different forms, all of them have a deep connection with the fundamental magic of the world, the same magic used to lay its foundations, and are thus capable of changing it. The effects they can bring about are both wondrous and terrifying, and any person who underestimates their power is in for a rude awakening.

Although the historical record from before the Fall is sparse at best, we do know that the Relics were introduced to the world by the Everlasting, unimaginably powerful beings that introduced magic into the world. They were able to raise mountains and dry the seas, turn deserts into lush forests, or raise volcanos from the depths of the earth. They were able to create entire cities out of thin air or just as easily make them disappear. All of this they did through their own power, and so they were able to shape the world according to their ultimate design, their plan for creation. 

Once they were satisfied with the form the world had finally taken, they turned to the creatures who inhabited it. They elevated us from the lowly beings that we were to great societies that spanned entire continents. Once it was time for them to leave the mortal realms, they decided to gift mortals the power to shape the world as they had. Through a great work of magic, they created the first Relics, vessels for their own powers that would sit at the center of each of the great cities of the age. Satisfied with their work the Everlasting departed, leaving mortals to their own devices. Through the use of these artifacts, mortals could tap into the same power their creators had and could shape the world according to their wishes. This began the second age of the world, the Age of Relics.

During this new age, the people of the world created Relics of their own. They would use the power of the Everlasting Relics to do so and would give just a sliver of its power to a new object, forged from the prima materia, krysalite. These lesser relics could be taken far from their cities, and through them, their wielders could produce great feats of magic. Some gained control over the elements, some over the forces that govern life and death. Many lived well beyond what the natural lifespan of a mortal should be, and many became leaders of their people. Many heroes and villains arose in this new age, and some of them are still remembered in song, but this age was not to last, for the Fall would destroy all those heroes and all their kingdoms. 

With the cataclysmic Fall of Osterath, something fundamentally changed with the world and its magic. This certainly affected the Relics as well, with many being lost in the final conflict of the age, but their magic was also altered in a way we still do not understand. Many relics lay dormant for years after, and many believed that they had died, the essence inside of them having been consumed or destroyed in some way. It wasn’t until years later that new heroes would appear and take possession of these lesser Relics, awakening them to the world. Since then they have been an integral part of our world again. With the Fall, the secret to creating Relics was lost, and considering the part they played in that final war, we may have been better for it. 

The Relics most people would know of now are these “lesser” Relics, the ones often talked about in legend and song, but don’t let the name fool you, for their powers are still frightening to behold. They can’t change the world in the same way that the Everlasting Relics can, but a Relic sword may be able to split stone and metal like it was butter or even cut through space itself, allowing their wielders to quickly travel across the battlefield. Many Relics take the form of implements of war, such as weapons and armor, but some take more unassuming forms, like a bone needle for instance. Do not assume that this second type of Relic would be any less dangerous than the first. That is a mistake one usually only makes once.

Each great nation of the world still holds on to an Everlasting Relic, and each of them craves for control of more and more of the lesser ones. Each of them has their own reasons for this, but one thing that is true for all of them is they know if they don’t get the Relic superiority, the other ones will. 

This finally leads us to the state of Relics in the world today. For many centuries, most of the Relics had been lost to us, trapped within the Malediction, that accursed the final battlefield of the War of the Fall. For centuries all exploration of the Malediction had only led to tragedy, but in recent decades things have changed. Some of the wielders of the Relics have been able to use their power to temporarily heal the wound on the land, and, instead of shaping reality, they ground it, so that the magical havoc of the land cannot destroy them. Each of these Relic wielders has been entrusted by their people to brave the Malediction and recover as many Relics as possible. They gather groups of like-minded (or well-paid) individuals and venture forth into the dangerous and unknown to seek out the Relics. For this, these individuals have received the name Seekers.

The Seekers have been the driving force for what some are calling the third age of the world. By recovering the Relics they have permitted the advance of civilization in a way that has not been seen since before the Fall. 

Much is still unknown about the Relics. Many believe they are to be our salvation, some believe they are to be our doom. Whatever the truth may be, things are changing quickly now, and we will find out soon enough.