Altar of Sturn

"By my hand it was created, by his followers shall it be carried, and by his foes it shall be filled. Praise be to Sturn, our father, forever shall we carry him with us." - Mortair, Mother of Rituals

Origin

Mortair created The Altar shortly before her Ascension. The rituals that she taught and performed worked better with a focus to apply them towards. These were often burning idols in the square of Bakison or the large, immovable altars of the temples dedicated to Sturn and Dahlia. However, the temples didn't look too kind on large crowds of commoners trying to frequently fill their space. Mortair was resolved in spreading her rituals as far amongst the Dahlen people as she could, regardless of class or membership status within the temples. She set about creating altars for ritualistic sacrifice and ceremonies throughout all of Bakison.
After Sturn reached out to her from the Realm of the Dead and offered her the keys to Ascension, her magickal prowess flourished. She received a piece of Sturn's essence that was meant to help her in her Ascension to godhood. Mortair took hold off this essence and used it to forge The Altar of Sturn. The Altar forged with Sturn's essence bound a piece of him onto the Mortal Realm; all worship and sacrifice offered to The Altar would received by Sturn directly. This provided her with the contact she desired with her god and although it set her one step back from her path to godhood, this was all the more important in her eyes. 
Mortair knew of course that a direct link to a god, especially hers, could be far more dangerous a tool than it's usefulness belied. As such, The Altar was enchanted to be assigned to a single living bearer - one who was a born and devout follower of Sturn. He himself would judge the soul of who would bear his altar, and entrust it to one who believed would serve him well in life.

Powers

The bearer of The Altar of Sturn is able to summon and dismiss it at will, despite where they may be located in the world. After being summoned, the altar immediately begins spewing it's congregation of shadow and sand onto the nearby land. How far the sand spreads will depend on the bearer and the current power of the altar. It's first bearer after Mortair was said to have it reach over a kilometer by the end of his life. Whilst standing in the sand, it can be absorbed by the bearer and their allies. The absorbed sand can be used to either heal their wounds, or empower future attacks. Enemies designated by the bearer will suffer extreme penalties while within the sand, such as restricted movement, sapped strength and endurance, or reduced regeneration. The Altar still provides the bearer with a direct connection to Sturn, and as such are much more likely to have their prayers heard by their god.
The Altar runs off of ritual prayer and sacrifice. If a foe would fall while within the sand, their blood and essence is absorbed by it, quickly flowing back to The Altar and filling the goblet inside. Every trickle increases the power of The Altar, if only by a little; the more powerful the foe, the more their magickal essence enhances The Altar and it's powers. Altar Bearers are expected to hunt out numerous powerful foes in order to strengthen it and reach it's true potential.

Appearance

Fashioned out of a unique type of grey limestone, The Altar resembled the head of a viper with it's jaws agape, leaning over a goblet. It bears a striking similarity to an emblem of Sturn's worship. When in use, the eyes glow a deep crimson as a shadowy conglomerate of mist begins to pour out of the mouth, filling the goblet and pouring out onto the earth around it.

Item type

Religious / Ritualistic

Rumors of a True Purpose

While The Altar is known to have a direct connection with Sturn, many have believed over the centuries that it bears a higher purpose than a ritualistic prayer device or piece of power. Some theorize that once The Altar has been filled to it's maximum potential, that it's true nature would be revealed. Some believe that The Altar will open the gate to the Realm of The Dead and allow Sturn to walk the Mortal Realm again. Others believe that the bearer will become a vessel - their body being handed over to Sturn to become his avatar.