Relics

Tumok's Totem and Glintbound Bezoar Relics.^[1]

There are powerful relics scattered throughout the world of Verra and we want you to go find them. Some of them may be really easy to find. Some maybe not so. The ones that are straightforward, some of them can be found via like killing an enemy, others can have little clues hidden on interactables and item descriptions that will require a little bit more investigation to discover. Once a relic has spawned, you can pick it up via a caravan and take it back to a node of your choosing. Once your caravan has landed at the node it will enter the nodes inventory. The mayor and citizens can view the node's relics from the node UI.^[1] – Margaret Krohn

Relics are discoverable items that provide bonuses and benefits to nodes and their citizens, or citizens within their ZOI.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] Some relics may even impact the entire world.^[7]

That is with our relics that are going to be essentially caravan boxes that can be found out in the wild and brought back to nodes and kept within the node's trophy building, or Reliquary as we call it. And then upon destruction, or upon a successful siege, those will be lootable along with any material resources.^[2] – Steven Sharif

There are different types and rarities of relics. Some may be automatically granted to nodes upon discovery, others may require transportation back to the node as cargo (via caravans, merchant ships, or mules). Some exclusive relics may need to be fought over or stolen.^[1]^[8]^[9]^[3]^[4] Previously it was stated that relics automatically manifest in the node's reliquary when specific conditions are met by that node. For example, it may require a certain number of citizens to accomplish a particular achievement a number of times before the relic is granted to the node.^[5]^[10]
- Some relics may drop from certain bosses and mobs.^[9]
- Some relics will require more investigation to discover.^[9]
- Certain relics are unique per server realm.^[11]

Some are super legendary to the point that only one of them can exist on the realm at a time; and then some are less legendary, but still limited. Additionally they are very rare. Finding one will be very difficult to say the least and obviously we're not going to give you too much information in regards to that because we want you to go explore and find them.^[11] – Margaret Krohn

Inactive and active relic benefits are granted to citizens of a node and its vassals based on the relics stored in that node's reliquary.^[1]^[9]^[4]^[12]

All vehicles with storage will be able to transport relics.^[8]^[9]^[3]^[4]

Eventually, when we continue this vehicle refactor, any vehicle that has the capability for storage will be able to transport relics.^[8] – Devon Emerick

Q: I'm curious to know if the intended mechanics or design for relics have changed during development? When Steven picked up the relic, was it automatically put into the nodes reliquary or is this something the player does when they return to the node?

A: They're talking about the Firebrand egg is that what they're referencing? So the relic system is still having some outstanding feature work that's necessary and there are different types of relics that can be acquired. Generally the way that relics will be surfaced is through our cargo system, which means that you will be required to either have a mule or a caravan, or later down the road depending on the size of the relic perhaps a merchant ship that can facilitate the dimensions of the relic; and it does conform to the spatial grid confinements of the cargo space in the Caravan or other cargo hold that you will then have to bring back to the node. You can be interrupted through PvP with that transition if you want to. There might also be some relics, upon completion of the quest or completion of the task, that just automatically get granted to the node. It depends on what the purpose of the relic is. There's a lot of common relics out there and there's a lot of exclusive relics that need to be fought over or potentially stolen, or pursued if a node acquires it.^[4] – Steven Sharif

Relics can be awarded for accomplishments that span many different progression paths, such the number of citizens achieving advanced stages of their artisan classes.^[5]

The other component of relics that's important to note is that it's not just adventuring relics, these are accomplishments that span a lot of the different progression paths. So you could have accomplishments get unlocked by how many number of citizens achieve the creation of a particular type of item. You may have now an alchemical genius that is a citizen of your node and as a result there is an alchemical relic that's been granted to your reliquary in a similar fashion to the dragon.^[5] – Steven Sharif

Relics include the four Ancient artifacts of Verra that were originally discovered by King Atrax in his pursuit of the power of The Essence.^[13]^[14]
- These artifacts were in close alignment to The Essence on Verra due to their proximity to the ley lines of Essence spread across the world.^[15]
- These artifacts were originally housed in the vault of Fallow's Hold, which is one of the great dungeons of Ashes of Creation, located near the capital city of the ancient Toren empire, Torall.^[15]

Certain relics can only be discovered through exploration.^[16] Constellations enable the acquisition of certain relics.^[17]

Relic benefits

Inactive and active relic benefits are granted to citizens of a node and its vassals based on the relics stored in that node's reliquary.^[1]^[9]^[4]^[12]

Each relic has an inactive benefit, which is a passive benefit for the node just owning the relic; and they also have an active benefit, which can be activated specifically by the mayor. So, the node has a limited amount of essence that you can power; and essence power you can use for the relic slots. So you have to choose very carefully which ones you want, which ones you're going to keep activated.^[1] – Margaret Krohn

Some relics offer AoE buffs (such as damage, attack range, or health). There is some flexibility in choosing the types and range that these buffs may offer.^[4]^[18]^[19]

Q: While most or the majority of relics will benefit all citizens of a node and their vassal nodes, will there be relics that only benefit patron guilds of a node and its vassal nodes?

A: There aren't any planned right now that just focus on benefiting those groups, however there is flexibility in the relic system where you can assign different types of benefits to different types of groups. That is functionality that we want to preserve for relics: the types of buffs that they grant, whether it be zone of influence wide or down to just individual groups.^[4] – Steven Sharif

Some relics provide recipes to citizens of the node and nodes within its ZOI.^[7]^[5]^[6]

Relics are embodiments of certain types of achievements. You may have the scale of a dragon that's been defeated- the all-scale aspect of it- and from that every week a citizen might be able to derive one scale material component that can be used across a plethora of high-end types of crafting.^[5] – Steven Sharif

Benefits may also be conferred to those who capture, steal or sabotage relics held the reliquary, but they do not grant benefits to the carrier while being transported.^[4]^[12]

Q: If a found relic is not automatically sent to the reliquary are there any benefits provided to the carrier while it is in their possession?

A: No. The relic isn't meant to be kept or hoarded by an individual. It's a hot potato. You want to get that thing back to a safe space and until you do that you're in jeopardy.^[4] – Steven Sharif

Active relic benefits

Active relic benefits require activation of the relic by the Node's Mayor via a Relic management UI to unlock their benefits.^[1]^[9]

Activated relics consume a node's Relic essence, so mayors must carefully choose which relics they want to keep activated.^[1]

Inactive relic benefits

Inactive relic benefits are provided as soon as a relic is acquired by a node.^[1]^[9]

List of relics

Item	Icon	Flavor text
Befallen Anvil		The accursed anvil of Braithreach is forged of an otherwordly marbled-looking steel. It is more than twice the size of a common anvil, but is pitted and roughly formed except for the mirror-bright work surface. It eternally glows a dull orange, shifting in hue like a banked coal.
Dusklit Revelation		The Dusklit Revelation is an ethereal construct of tightly interlocked crystals that once shimmered with vibrant hues even in dim light. Thin hairline cracks only slightly mar the otherwise pristine surface of the polyhedral form, it now emits a more subdued, spectral glow. Quiet, ghostlike imagery of merriment and laughter flickers forever within its facets, and light refracts oddly through the subtle cracks, creating haunting silhouettes that flicker eerily across any surrounding walls.
Eskra Owl		This statue of a stately owl stands just over a meter high. It is carved from a single piece of Eskra Crystal, and bears a tranquil countenance whose gaze transmits wisdom and tranquility. Its feathers, meticulously crafted and polished, shimmer and refract the ambient light. The craftwork is sublime.
Glintbound Bezoar		While some Glintbound Bezoars can be quite plain, others boast an otherworldly luster and an irregular shape, resembling a river-worn stone. They are surprisingly warm to the touch and radiate subtle magical energy. While the majority of these stones appear plain grey or beige at first, subtle ribbons of color on their surface shift between deep blues, purples, and iridescent highlights. Flecks of Glint can sometimes give the impression that tiny stars are trapped deep within.
Horn of Firebrand		The Horn of Firebrand is crafted from the massive, spiraled horn of the great dragon Ignusis ?Firebrand.? The surface has a lustrous, fiery sheen that shifts colors in sunlight - gleaming hues of crimson, gold, and deep orange wash the relic's surface, mimicking dancing flame. The horn's wide base tapers smoothly to a fine point.
Telsaula Stinger		The terminating segment of the tail of a giant desert scorpid comprises this monstrous relic. Over a yard long, this desiccated spine yet drips an endless trickle of caustic venom. It is ever warm to the touch, and emits a not-entirely-unpleasant scent of sand and sweet, sickly, rot.
Tumok's Totem		The fat bole of a Sujomman Bobe forms the heart of Tumok's Totem. Scraped and scarred by the vast distances, and unnumbered hardships that Tumok has faced since leaving his homelands, the hardy bobe-trunk remains sturdy and firm. Only a few short branches afford the attachment of fetishes and baubles, collected along Tumok's long travels.

Ancient artifacts

Toren Godspike concept art.^[20]

A staff of the Ancients 3D render.^[21]

This is not the Staff of the Ancients per-se, it's a staff... Here in the curvature and design of this staff you'll see that it has a very specific and unique looking type of mold so-to-speak. So there could be some relationship between these designs of the staves and/or weapons that you'll see, which are used to harness or focus the use of the Essence, or magic; and how perhaps those structures relate to the types of magic that those creatures are using.^[21] – Steven Sharif

The Ancient artifacts of Verra were originally discovered by King Atrax in his pursuit of the power of The Essence.^[13]^[14] These artifacts were in close alignment to The Essence on Verra due to their proximity to the ley lines of Essence spread across the world.^[15] These artifacts were originally housed in the vault of Fallow's Hold, which is one of the great dungeons of Ashes of Creation, located near the capital city of the ancient Toren empire, Torall.^[15] They are now considered relics that can be acquired by nodes and housed in their reliquary.^[13]^[14]

The Golden Chalice was believed to bring everlasting life but was actually allowing the corruption of manipulating The Essence to enter the soul through the physical representation of drinking something.^[13]
The Crown represented a direct link The Ancients had into the thought process of King Atrax that the Ancients were able to manipulate.^[13]
The Sword brought unusual power through manipulation of the evil side of the Essence, which is how Atrax maintained his dominance over his people: through physical might, essentially striking down any foe that opposed him among his administration.^[13]
The Staff enabled Atrax to project his magic across great distances, which enabled him to extend his power and manipulation throughout the lands of Verra and allowed him to maintain vigilance over his realm.^[13]
The Toren Godspike is an artifact that could initiate a fissure that can siphon out Essence that lies within Verra. It is used as a PvP objective in certain node war types.^[22]^[20]^[23]

King Atrax

A staff of the Ancients 3D render.^[21] ^[24]

A glorious staff of the Ancients that we revealed during November's development update!^[24]

The last ruling house of the Toren empire, which oversaw its downfall was the house of Atrax. King Atrax was actually its longest ruler, also its last ruler, and he was a very powerful and advanced wizard for his time. He dedicated the vast majority of his early rule to seeking out artifacts, knowledge, the focal points of essence; and he discovered its purpose as it becomes the manipulating matter behind exploiting magic for any means. He became obsessed with the pursuit of that knowledge as a very accomplished wizard and one of the ways he pursued that ever-longing learning was to try and achieve immortality; and in his pursuit of immortality he discovered that manipulating the life-force of a soul essentially is to greater increase your ability to focus the essence, because each person's soul acts as, in some way shape or form, a conduit of the essence across the plains. So that's essentially how the gods are capable of reaching into the material plane- one of the ways- is through the souls of their divine beings, which are the four great races and their descendants. In his pursuit of immortality he came across some more dark applications of the essence and in doing so- discovering these artifacts along the ley lines that are in Verra- he came into contact with forces that existed outside of the material plane in the void itself. Now these were unbeknownst to him The Ancients as well The Others and manipulating that contact.^[14] – Steven Sharif

King Atrax began to manipulate the essence in a way that was trying to capitalize on everlasting life, on immortality. So in doing so he came into contact with the ancients; and the Ancients took advantage of this- was their first contact with any of the divine races actually- and this is what led the Ancients to begin their pursuit of Verra: to start that process of the Harbingers eventually finding Verra and coming to the planet to pervert what the gods- the seven gods- had created through their second creation. Now the Ancients created this contact with Atrax through summoning rituals that Atrax had learned through manipulating the essence; and it was through these contact rituals that Atrax learned how to achieve immortality. But the Ancients were deceptive in actually not informing Atrax how this would deform his conduit, his soul essentially that exists with the Essence. So he underwent a process of essentially lichdom where he was the first lich and the first undead on Verra; and it was from him and his pursuit of immortality that undeath became a reality on Verra; and it was his subjects that suffered as a result of his desire to become immortal. So he began different rituals on his subjects, which allowed the undeath to propagate across the world in his population over time. So he would- before he became a lich he experimented on his citizens; and that's what really was the origin of the undead and this undead the Ancients- one of the unique things about the Ancients was in their first discovery of how they could use the Essence and what the Others taught them was they became immortal themselves. But they became immortal in a more pure form, essentially akin to the godhood that exists among the Pantheon; and that prohibited them from encompassing this undeath component. But they did not teach that to King Atrax. So that talks a little bit about the origins of the undeath on Verra and undeath in general.^[25] – Steven Sharif

King Atrax was the last and longest serving ruler of the ancient Toren empire, which was one of the greatest and first civilizations of Verra.^[14]

King Atrax was a powerful and advanced wizard for his time who dedicated the majority of his rule to seeking out artifacts, knowledge, the focal points of The Essence. He discovered its purpose, manipulating matter and exploiting magic for any means.^[14]
His goal was to achieve immortality; and in this pursuit he discovered that manipulating the life-force of a soul essentially increases one's ability to focus the Essence, as each person's soul acts as a conduit of the essence across the planes of existence.^[14]^[25]
In his pursuit of immortality he came across other dark applications of the Essence and in doing so he came into contact with forces that existed outside of the material plane: in The Void itself. Unbeknownst to him these were The Ancients and The Others who began manipulating that contact through summoning rituals that Atrax had learned in his studies of the Essence.^[25]^[14]
- This contact prompted the Ancients to begin their pursuit of Verra, which started the process of the Harbingers eventually finding Verra and coming to the planet to pervert what The Seven gods had created (in their second creation).^[25]
Through his summoning rituals Atrax finally learned how to achieve immortality. But the Ancients were deceptive in actually not informing him how this would deform his conduit (his soul) that exists with the Essence. Atrax eventually underwent a process of becoming first Lich and first undead on Verra.^[25]
- It was from this pursuit of immortality that undeath became a reality on Verra: Atrax had begun different rituals on his subjects, which allowed the undeath to propagate across the world, causing suffering amongst his subjects.^[25]
- The Ancients had previously learned from The Others how to use the Essence to achieve immortality themselves. Unlike Atrax, they became immortal in a pure form, more akin to the godhood that exists among the Pantheon, which prohibited them from encompassing this undeath component themselves. This pure form of immortality was not taught to King Atrax.^[25]
After his lichdom was achieved Atrax continued to enslave his undead subjects, having them procure ancient artifacts from around the world so that he could further pursue his manipulation of the Essence and magic.^[15]
- These artifacts were housed in the vault of Fallow's Hold, which is one of the great dungeons of Ashes of Creation, located near the capital city of the ancient Toren empire, Torall.^[15]
Following The Great War of the Undying with King Atrax, the Aelan people would form the Aelan Empire.^[26]^[27]

Toren empire

Statues near Squall's End in the Sandsquall Desert that may be a reference to the Toren empire.^[28]

The Toren empire, it's equitable to what the Roman empire was on Earth in the sense that this was one of the first major civilizations; and partially the reason why the area you're in currently is considered the badlands or the frontier and is riddled with ruins during this time in Verra before the actual Apocalypse.^[29] – Steven Sharif

The Toren empire was the greatest and first civilizations of Verra. Its capital city was Torall.^[20]^[14]

The Toren empire originated on the Elyrium continent.^[30]
The Torens were half-elves: A mixture of what was once the predecessor to the Aelan kingdom- the humans, and the Pyrian elves.^[20]^[14]
King Atrax was the last and longest serving ruler of the Toren empire.^[14]

The ancient capital city of Torall... was the center of one of the greatest and first civilizations of Verra. This was actually a very rare civilization known as the Toren empire. The Torens were essentially half elves. They were a mixture of what was once the predecessor to the Aelan kingdom- the humans, and the Pyrian elves.^[14] – Steven Sharif