Blessed Branch

Description

A Blessed Branch is an ashen relic from the Old World that carries a splinter of divinity. These sacred artifacts were created by the Grand Ordinants before they vanished following The Apostasy, and they are the only known means of creating or reigniting a Sacred Pyre.

Each Blessed Branch appears as a piece of wood that has been touched by divine fire—charred but never consumed, warm to the touch, and faintly glowing with an inner light that pushes back the darkness of The Umbra.

Properties & Effects

Igniting a Sacred Pyre

When a Blessed Branch is ignited:

• All Enduring present gain 3 Hope
• The flame it emits repels all but the most powerful monsters from its immediate vicinity
• Only a bit of kindling must be provided daily to maintain the slow-burning blaze
• The Pyre serves as a beacon of safety visible from great distances

Creating New Settlements

Those who possess a Blessed Branch can:

• Reignite an extinguished Sacred Pyre
• Create a new Sacred Pyre to found a new settlement
• Expand the reach of The Age of Umbra/03 Factions/The Enduring into previously uninhabitable territory

Rarity & Value

Blessed Branches are extremely rare—among the most precious artifacts in the Halcyon Domain. They are:

• Carried as reliquaries by those who wish to found new encampments
• Guarded jealously by communities who possess spares
• The subject of quests by those who hope to establish new settlements
• Worth more than any material wealth to the Enduring

Source & Location

The Blessed Branches were created by the waning conclave of Grand Ordinants before they vanished following the Apostasy. No new Blessed Branches can be created—only found.

Possible sources include:

• Ruins of Old World temples and holy sites
• Hidden caches left by the Grand Ordinants
• Fallen settlements whose Pyres have gone cold
• Consecrated embers that persist in forgotten places

Plot Hooks

• A rumor spreads of a Blessed Branch hidden in the depths of the Shalk Chasm
• The Celsian Athenaeum or The Damask Queens possess one and might trade—or it might be stolen
• A dying settlement's Pyre is failing, and they desperately seek a new Branch
• The party discovers one and must decide whether to keep it or deliver it to those in need