Holy Tunic
The Holy Tunic is the holiest relic of the Reformed Church. Hundreds of thousands come each year to the Great Temple of Blati to pray in front of the old robes of the Prophet once covered in liquid gold (his blood), the ultimate sign of the Prophet divine claims that he was the avatar of Abbon Shabai, the god of wisdom.
The Tunic was, alongside other relics such as the statues of the gods, shipped to Blati days before Ikaria fell to the barbarians. Its arrival was received with a mixture of happiness and sadness, as its arrival meant Ikaria had fallen and the Empire was no more, but it also meant that the city would be protected by the divine forces, as Blati was the hometown of the Prophet. Since then, the Holy Tunic has been paraded every year during the festival of the Prophet across the streets of Blati, from the Great Temple of Blati where it is currently kept under the watchful eyes of the priests of the temple, to the Imperial Forum.
The Holy Tunic was also paraded around the city walls during the two great sieges of Blati, in 512 and 650 AP respectively, and the salvation of the city was attributed as much to this relic as to the goddess Zerah.
Description
The Holy tunic is basically a long piece of cloth, , originally white but which over the centuries has turned greyish, speckled in several places by large spots of liquid gold that has solidified (and which followers believe to be the blood that the prophet shed when he was stabbed).The Origins of the Relic
The Perymenion tells us that one day Blatikuski was on its way to the Gardens of Peace where a crowd went to receive him crying "Blessed are you the one sent by the gods" when suddenly an assassin disguised as a merchant stroke the Prophet in his back with a daga while shouting "You're are not the Sun God!, death to the false prophet!". The crowd was in shock, people run towards the merchant in order to kill him or to stop stabbing Blatikuski when suddenly his disciples noticed that his body was missing and where the prophet had fallen there was only his tunic and a pool of liquid gold ( The gods bleed gold in Davidovian mythology), that was the definite proof of Blatikuski divinity. A voice was heard : "Next week come to see me at White Mountain". Also, according to tradition the assassin turned to ashes where the clothes and the liquid gold were found.Keeping the relic
The relic was kept by the Prophet's closest followers and disciples. A century later, when the Reformed Faith became the official religion of the Ikarian Empire the Holy Tunic was kept at the Great Temple at Ikaria for four centuries until that dissastrous year of 460 AP.
Veneration
SInce its arrival in Blati the Holy Tunic has become one of the most venerated relics or religious objects you can find in this great capital. The Holy tunic is kept in a gold reliquary inlaid with pearls, sapphires and rubies. The sides of the reliquary are made of transparent glass through which the faithful can see the tunic with its gold spots, as if someone had poured liquid gold on the tunic and it had solidified.
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Ooo, interesting relic. I wonder how much of the story is the truth. I love that the reliquary has transparent sides so people can see the liquid gold.