God Fragment

God Fragment
Experimental viewcatcher picture, from the High Rectorate's archives
Type	Relic
Origin	Precursor (theorized)

The God Fragment is the core of the Ravelian Faith and is believed to be the medium through which the High Rector and Veridicals communicate with the One True God. Originally thought to simply be a diamond-shaped, fist-sized crystal that shines the teal-blue of damestear-infused magical energy when emitting noise, recent inquiries with an artificery-enhanced lens have revealed a fluctuating black, gem-like cubic shard in the center. It is monitored for its rare communication through high-pitched hums which are then transcribed by the High Rector and the Veridicals to share amongst the followers.

Discovery

The 16th century saw many expeditions looking for intact Precursor remnants in Aelantir that legends, rumors and cyptic messages found in ruins mentioned. Among them was the search for the birthplace of the Precursor Empire all over Noruin in the 1580s. The leader of the expedition, adventurer-captain Vincen "Godsighter", enlisted the help of people such as Evn'do or famous elven archeologist Torrieth, whose help was crucial. Vincen's personal journal mentions that Torrieth began to hear "the voices of the precursors" after an encounter with a place of power in an old ruin, guiding them towards their goal.

"I must follow them, captain. They speak to me. They want my help. I do not recognize their words, but in a way... I do. Sometimes it throbs in my brain when we go in certain directions, and sometimes, I hear nothing at all."

―Torrieth Godspeaker

In 1585 they found what they believed was the birthplace of the Precursor Empire in an underground chamber propped up by four large trunk-like pillars of a design predating the empire. They however did not find the birthplace of the empire, but the so-called "birthplace of magic" in finding the God Fragment hovering at the chamber's center. All the members of the expedition reported to have been shaken to the core upon seeing it, kneeling before Torrieth.

An artist's depiction of the discovery

As a Precursor expert and given her affinity with the object, Torrieth decided to stay and study the Fragment, taking residence on the site of discovery. Captain Vincen however decided to retire after the experience, founding Vincenton in western Cestirmark. The town would become the main destination for scholars hearing of the discovery and brave enough to head deep inland to join Torrieth in her studies, and her team grew over the years.

Findings

Many of the scholars under Torrieth's direction were members of the Ravelian Society, a collective of intellectuals seeking to discover the true nature of the world. The organization took great interest in the discovery and provided as much resources as possible to help with the research, Torrieth herself joining their ranks along the way.

After decades, the team led by Torrieth managed not only to create a code able to translate the high-pitched pure tones of the Fragment into a language similar to Precursor Elven, thought to be an archaic form of it, but also to make a number of discoveries after collecting years' worth of its messages. Those were such that the Fragment was brought to Cannor in great secrecy to be put in the Society's care.

Some examples of revelations gained through the God Fragment and believed by followers of Ravelianism are that it houses the last remaining essence of a god that preceded Precursors, who is the one true God, and source of all magic in the Prime Material Plane. This God, trapped within the Fragment, had provided the Precursor Elves with their magic after he allowed his defeat at their hands . Furthermore, that all gods believed by other pantheons such as the Cannorian Pantheon or Bulwari Pantheon are simply manifestations, or interpretations, of this one true God.

Torrieth, now known as the Godspeaker, became the first High Rector of the newly created Ravelian faith that formed around the Society from those revelations.

Current status

As the most prized possession of the Ravelian Church, the God Fragment is guarded in a hidden location only known to the upper echelons of the High Rectorate and monitored for its rare communications. While it is theorized by many it is kept in the depths of Aranthíl, this was never confirmed.

The High Rector and the Veridicals are the first to hear the messages of the God Fragment, and it is often up to them to discern what revelations and insights it can offer - once a new revelation is found, the High Rector acts as the speaker to evocate the God Fragment's message.

Controversies

The divine nature of the God Fragment was questioned on many occasions, and such debates are hard to separate from anti-Ravelian sentiment. While the refusal of the Church to make access to the Fragment public has only strengthened wild speculation, it should be noted that:

• The Fragment predates the Precursor Empire, and thus is unlikely to be itself of Precursor origin.
• The Fragment's messages were already translated before being taken by the Ravelians, and thus do have a meaning. It was even theorized by some artificers that the translation process could be automated.
• The Fragment is not directly worshipped by the Ravelian Church as a physical object, but considered divine due to being the voice of God, in the same way the church considers magic itself as divine.

Alternate theories on the God Fragment's origins are diverse, ranging from the coalesced magic of the Ruin to an artefact dating back to the time of the Rule of Dragons. The most common form of criticism, however, is much more grounded, as many people questioning the authority of the church have contested that the church's interpretation of the Fragment's messages was accurate, stating that the High Rector and veredicals were favoring interpretations benefitting the church's political interests.