Lupine Matriarchal Signet Amulet
Origins and Significance
Occasionally Lost or Misplaced
Summary
This amulet is of great cultural and spiritual significance for the Lupine race and for the royal family of the Lupine Democratic Monarchy. It is an extremely old item, dating back several thousand years to well before the Lupine people left their homeworld of Vulfheort to colonize other planets and expand their space-bound territory.
The piece itself was crafted for one of the first queens of the Lupine, though it has been lost to time exactly which queen this was and it remains widely debated. What is known about its origins is that it was crafted by one of Vulfheort's then-greatest jewellers, who was awarded the commission after winning a contest that brought together the world's best jewellers and craftsmen.
The Lupine Matriarchal Signet Amulet was to be crafted out of platinum and a locally mined silver found only on Vulfheort near its capital Lunaris. The silver is of significance as it represents the Lupine homeworld even if the amulet finds its way off-world. Importantly, the amulet would be inscribed with detailed runes and symbols that called out to the spiritualism of the Lupine people and the divine rights bestowed upon the royal family in the early days of the monarchy.
Upon completion of the crafting, the amulet would undergo a special ritual conducted by elder Lupine matriarchs in order to bless the bracelet and those that would wear it with good fortune. And while it was not expressly told in the amulet's origin story it would become widely accepted that the bracelet holds within it a part of the spirits of each passed on matriarch queen of the Lupine. With each queen leaving a part of themselves within the amulet in order to continue their duties of protecting the Lupine even after their deaths. As such it has become an important ritual for all queens to wear the bracelet upon their passing. It is considered extremely bad luck if this ritual does not happen.
Ever since its creation, the amulet has signified that its wearer is the rightful ruler of the Lupine people. And in modern times, ever since the Lupine moved towards a cooperative rule system where the queen matriarch and her democratically elected council rule in unison, it has had the additional symbolism of the queen's right to participate in the democratic governance of her territory and its people.
Since this amulet is so old, it has on occasion gone missing, and in a few small circumstances went missing for a significant amount of time. In the amulet's long history, the longest it went missing was 75 years. This occasion took place nearly six hundred years ago. The current monarch of the time during a public assembly of her public, temporarily laid the amulet aside in order to rest her wrist. The talisman weighs several pounds and can become quite burdensome for most wearers after too long a time.
Normally, the talisman would be given to a minder who would either hold the talisman for the required amount of time or return it to the royal vaults for safekeeping. However, in this case, the queen of the time simply placed it beside her on a small side table near where she was sitting. Intending to only give herself a brief respite from its weight upon her. But, she soon became distracted by the work at hand and she forgot to retrieve the talisman or tell anyone that she had taken it off.
The day went on, and eventually, the queen and her entourage left, leaving behind the forgotten talisman. Shortly afterwards the whereabouts of the talisman were questioned and a panicked search began to retrieve it. Upon returning to the area the talisman was no longer where it had been left, and despite numerous days and weeks of searching the talisman would not resurface again for over seven decades.
Sadly, the queen that lost it would become known as the Forgetful One and would die long before her name could be cleared and the amulet found.
Eventually, the talisman resurfaced in a storage chest in the attic of a former servant family, whose relatives were cleaning out the space after the elder male had passed on. The talisman was discovered with a note explaining how they had come upon the amulet and why they had kept it for song long.
The note told a story of a young boy, who had stumbled upon the signet amulet while their parents, who were also royal servants, worked to clean the area. The boy not knowing what he now possessed pocketed the talisman within his pack and returned home. He would occasionally play with it as if it were play jewellery, but soon it would become forgotten like many of his other toys. His parents never noticed the talisman as they were often too busy to pay the boy much mind.
As the boy grew into adulthood he forgot about the talisman completely, having placed it away in some box somewhere. Until one day he was involved in a discussion about the lost treasure, the story of the forgetful queen, and about how the amulet had never been recovered. In that moment he realized what he had in his possession, and he panicked. Not wanting him or his family to be reprimanded or imprisoned for the long-time transgression he hid the talisman away. Eventually writing a note to accompany it within its hiding space. The note stating that if it were to be found after his passing that he did not intend to steal the talisman away and that any guilt should pass along with him and not sit with his surviving family.
The family would give the talisman back to the royal family, who greatly appreciated its return, and instead of punishing the passed man or his family the royal family paid for his funeral rites and awarded the family a finders rewards as a thanks for keeping the talisman safe and protected for all those long decades.
The Lupine Matriarchal Signet Amulet is one of the oldest pieces of cultural significance to the Lupine people and their monarchy. The amulet is said to be several thousand years old, and stories are told that it holds within it the spirits of past Lupine monarchs.
Wearing this talisman signifies that the one in its possession has a right to rule over the Lupine people as their queen. In modern times, the amulet continues to hold significance and has come to show the commitment a queen must make to sacrifice for her people.
It also represents the queen's right to participate and vote within the Lupine Democratic Monarchy's democratic process as a part of the elected council.
The Lupine Matriarchal Signet Talisman is a large bracelet made from platinum and silver, the latter of which was mined from the Lupine homeworld of Vulfheort. While the underside of the bracelet is lined with red leather. Both sides are intricately adorned with numerous designs representing Lupine culture and faith, including a large front-facing Lupine symbol for Matriarch.
The bracelet weighs several pounds and can be uncomfortable to wear on the wrist for long stretches of time, it has been on occasion hung on a heavy chain and worn around the neck or waist. The metal and leather are frequently cleaned, polished, and oiled. And the leather is occasionally repaired and replaced depending on any damage it takes while worn.
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