Imozi

portable containers for wormstone

A vubopa, or priest of the Vopa religion, carries small pieces of wormstone with them while performing their missionary work to spread the joy of mutation to others. Because the wormstone requires skin contact, su imozi, "wormstone bodies," are created to contain the wormstone without affecting others.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Su imozi exist to keep someone from accidentally touching wormstone. Because wormstone is not corrosive or otherwise damaging to other materials it is in, su imozi can be made of any material. Wood is the most common, as it is the cheapest solution, but gold is another popular choice. Wood gilded with gold leaf is a popular and cheaper option. The walls must be thick enough to withstand breaking very easily, but the imozi must be small enough to be easily carried in a small bag or pocket. As such, the hollow parts have become smaller and smaller over time until they are fitted to be as small as possible around the wormstone. The compact nature also keeps them resistant to breaking into pieces or losing body parts.
An imozi that is used in a home is often larger than the ones intended for traveling with priests. They often have the same shape, but they may actually have the wormstone exposed to the air to make it visible.

History

After Sumiga and Lope revealed the power of wormstone to the world, the issue about transportation became extremely important. If the rock could cause such powerful mutations in such a short time period, how was anyone supposed to transport wormstone across far distances safely without hurting themselves?
For large pieces, stonecarts were developed. These vehicles were used for religious purposes, but when missionary work to the mainland became a priority, su vubopa needed to change their tactics and carry much smaller pieces. Carrying large pieces by boat not safe, and carrying small pieces by boat carried risks.
Originally, wormstone bodies were made of simple wooden boxes with a lockable lid. The lid was usually locked by magic, but some used mechanical locks (as long as that lock was fixed with magic—it would not do to have a mechanical lock jiggle lose and have the stone fall out), especially for decorative purposes.
Soon it became fashionable for an imozi to take the shape of a person, becoming an obexu. This was achieved by creating a hollow sphere with limbs, head, and tail affixed to it to give it the appearance of a typical Teronura. Then, because of how wormstone mutates the body, it became even more popular for su vubopa to add atypical body parts to the imozi until it became a unique object.

Significance

Because of their important purpose, they are highly significant. Having a beautiful imozi in the house is seen as a sign of a highly religious family, and priests can be judged based on the complexity and material of their own imozi. Having a simple imozi is quaint, but if one is to attract a crowd it is expected to have something flashier. Intricate carvings and complex arrangements of affixed body parts are seen as signs of more dedicated followers.

Rarity

Every vubopa has one, and individuals who opt to keep wormstone in their own home often have them, too, although those are not the same transportable ones.