Lyre of Life and Lamentations

Those who worship Mora believe their lives are an epic song played upon the instruments of life. In the deepest of meditation, it is said you can even hear your own notes being sounded. Death is merely the end of your melody. As your song closes, your soul splits from the body and is able to see and hear the ethereal staffs, bars, and notes of those continuing to live, some in harmony and others in discord.
In honor of this, the Vigo Melodia, a religious order of Mora, use instruments in lieu of other more traditional relics to cast their spells. The most famous of these is the Lyre of Life and Lamentations, or more simply the Lyre of Mora.

Manufacturing process

To ensure a deep, personal connection between each member of the Vigo Melodia and their instrument, the Melodite must collect the materials themselves. The process in which the materials are collected are designed to teach a lesson of Mora.
The ebony core of a persimmon tree must be collected without harming the tree. If the tree dies or is unable to produce fruit the following year, the Melodite is immediately expelled from the order. To do this, the Melodite must nurture the tree from a young age slowly twisting the trunk back on itself to produce an outcropping. This outcropping is slowly trimmed away, allowing the tree to develop without need of the removed section. This arduous journey can take years which is why most members join in late childhood. The first lesson is to not needlessly take a life.
The entire snowy elm must be cut down and the various parts of the tree: leaves, bark, fruit, and remaining wood must be given to the nearby villages for exactly four silver. Additionally, all seeds must be planted and nurtured to a sapling stage. This reminds the Melodite of the pain one must feel if taking a life, and that if done, the death should be used to bring forth more life.
The catgut must be collected from the intestines of a livestock animal that has been slaughtered for food and dry the catgut themselves. This time the Melodite is to be reminded that while life is important, death is not something to fear or avoid entirely.
Finally, the Melodite must learn of their own melody in life. They will go into a deep meditation, listening for the faint notes of their soul and inscribe the notes they hear.
Once all of these materials have been collected, they are provided to a luthier to produce the harp. The wood is carved with intricate patterns of joyous scenes displaying life: adolescent animals frolicking, humanites enacting plays, various forestry, and so on. Intertwined amongst the scenes are the various stanzas making up the song of the Melodite, producing a wholly unique instrument for each member. The four silver coins are melted down to produce the tuning pegs and the string gaskets, and the catgut is finally strung into the instrument before being returned to the Melodite during their ordination.

Weight

5lb

Dimensions

4x12x18in

Raw materials & Components

Ebony core of the persimmon tree
Alabaster wood of the snowy elm
Silver
Catgut