The Golden Gryphon

The Golden Gryphon, are 5 extremely rare artifacts, formerly owned by the Enirian royal family. They are 30 x 70 x 40 cm large gryphon statues made out of gold, with large diamond eyes, and meteor steel claws. Many copies have been made, but none can imitate the Meteor Steel. Any skilled blacksmith (Or the nobility, if they have a loyal blacksmith working for them) will recognise the material, and thus know whether or not is is in fact a Golden Gryphon. Currently, we only know the residence of two of these 5. One is in The Delta city of Enir Bas , more specifically The Palace of Enir Bas . The other can be found in Uruthgast . It was given to Emperor Arkan as part of the peace treaty after The Nine Years War of 1420-1429 , to the great humiliation, dismay and anger of Eniria. You can be certain, that they want it back. It almost symbolises their lost honour, the great respect they had before the war. Could it be regained, it would overshadow their defeat.

Significance

Apart from the immense value of a Gryphon, it has a symbolic or political significance to the Rex family.
King Poros of Eniria is said to meditate in front of his Gryphon every morning, by sun rise. He has been heard saying that the Gryphons symbolise The House of Rex to him, and when he sits in front of it, he can hear his ancestors, as they encourage him to get through the hard work of being a king.
The statues were created by Queen Beatrix the Cunning around 1350, after she transformed the Kingdom of Eniria into what it is today. Originally, the Gryphons all belonged to the Rex's, but as their power dwindled, so did their amount of Gryphons. They sold one during a financial crisis, but some just disappeared, with no sign of a break in. Could be magic, could be a very good thief.
The Gryphon is based off of the Gryphons residing in Eniria, that are also on the crest of House Rex

Item type

Unique Artifact

Rarity

Only 5 exists, although people have of course attempted to copy it. 1 belongs to the Enirian royal family, 1 belongs to Emperor Arkan , and the remaining 3 are lost. Sometimes one shows up, circulated around, before disappearing again. Often times, a fake version will arrive, and some more naive lords or ladies may buy it, only to find out later that it's a fake.

Weight

50 kg

Dimensions

30 x 70 x 40 cm

Raw materials & Components

Apart from the traditional gold and diamond, the steel of a meteorite is also used. Eniria is famous for having blacksmiths that are able to build with it. The steel is however not very good, and cannot be used for weapons (Except the ceremonial ones, like the Swords of the Knights of the Order of Queen Beatrix )
Many foreign countries will ship meteors that crash into their country, to Eniria, where they will be transformed into jewelry that is then given back to the countries after a large payment.