Crown Jewels of Atralran

The Crown Jewels of Atralran, known also as the Royal Regalia, are a collection of richly-adorned items that serve symbolic significance to the power of the Gildhearth Throne and the Kingdom of Atralran as a whole.

## Usage

The first and foremost usage of the Crown Jewels of Atralran are for usage during ceremonies such as the coronation of a new monarch for the Gildhearth Throne with each component having a part to play in the traditional ceremony. The involvement of each part is seen by many to be a statement of an individual's ascension to the Throne, blessed in doing so by the Principal Sixteen. Beyond this, some members of the House of Goldlor have used parts of the Royal Regalia for other purposes, such as wearing the Crown of Civility during court functions, or utilising the Blade of Benevolence to dub would-be Knights after the completion of their Trial of Spirit.

When not in usage, it has become customary for the Crown Jewels to be held securing by the Aureate Archivist of Atralran, who is also responsible for their maintenance as well as protection.

## Components

It is said that the Royal Regalia was presented to Gilbert Goldlor, first of the House of Goldlor by divine seneschals of the gods Ilemer and Tohmos, upon the top of Orchard Crest when he first made his declaration of rulership.

### Blade of Benevolence

Seemingly wrought from a single vast faintly-translucent sapphire, the blade of the Blade of Benevolence features metal only as additional detailing and filigrees upon its surface, yet nonetheless appears to hold a sharp edge all the same. A highly ornate longsword, the crossguard features depictions of bird wings shaped from precious metals - silver, gold, platinum, mithral and novanite with woven wirework further embellishing the handle, itself wrapped in dragon hide leather.

For many, the Blade of Benevolence is seen as a sign of knighthood, a weapon of war and protection alike. However, such assumptions are, in the minds of many theologians and scholars, misplaced, for the Blade of Benevolence's impractical composition is instead surely testament to its ceremonial purpose, for elevating those that have dedicated themselves to Atralran by means of their thoughts, words and deeds, the monarch likewise echoing these ideals. During the coronation, the Blade of Benevolence is wielded by the Archcleric of Atralran, and used to dub the Throne-Ascendant in each of the Seven Virtues of Chivalry.

### Crown of Civility

The definitive statement of royalty, the Crown of Civility is widely considered to be the 'crown jewel' of the Crown Jewels. Shaped from alloys of gold, platinum, mithril and novanite and set with a bounty of gemstones - twenty-eight large sapphires, over sixty smaller blue gemstones of various composition and ninety-two small diamonds that serve to frame many of the larger details. The dome is woven from silken satin, and features of a rim of dyed Fangor Goat wool.

While King Gilbert I Goldlor and his sons Larkin and Adom wore the Crown of Civility as their crown, it became customary for later Monarchs to use the Crown in their coronation, and have a different less unwieldy item created for day-to-day usage, though often utilising similar materials, albeit less extensive.

### Gilded Diamond

Originally worn as a cravat-pin by King Gilbert I Goldlor, the blue diamond at the centre of the Gilded Diamond is stated to be fifty carats in size, having been found already exquisitely-cut and prepared. Subsequently mounted in a brooch, and then a frame of gold leaf, white diamonds and polished quartz, the Gilded Diamond has been worn by numerous royals throughout the ages in various configurations. During the Margaste coup on 552AG, the Crown Jewels were believed to be lost, but were instead hidden away by the then Aureate Archivist, Lorens Forbrand at the cost of their life. Upon the re-emergence of the Crown Prince Irving, it was discovered that the Gilded Diamond had been stolen, although was fortunately recovered eleven years later, at which point King Irving II Goldlor had a new coronation organised so that all six items were present.

During the coronation ceremony, it is traditional for the concave facets on the front-facing surface of the central diamond to be used as a receptacle for consecrated oil that is marked upon the Throne-Ascendant's brow, cheeks and lips.

### Orb of Oblige

Said to be made in the image of the first apple plucked from the groves tended to by King Gilbert I Goldlor atop the hill of Orchard Crest, around which the city of Chalimar came to be, the Orb of Oblige is a hollow golden sphere set with pieces of crystalline glass of white, yellow, oranges and clear hues that seem to dance and flicker in brightness, as if a flame burns within - despite none, mundane or magical - doing so.

The Orb of Oblige is large enough in diameter that even an individual with a particularly wide finger span would struggle to hold it alone, symbolising the sharing of responsibility and burden between themselves and those that surround them. During the coronation, it is customary for this sharing to be manifested physically, with the Throne-Ascendant inviting those they anticipate relying upon particularly during the reign to take a place at their side to help support the Orb for the remainder of the ceremony.

### Paten of Prosperity

Nearly four foot in diameter, the Paten of Prosperity is, like all the rest of the Crown Jewels, highly decorative, although breaks the standard of the other instruments of coronation with the inclusion of precious and semi-precious gemstones in colourations other than blue, white and yellow. The Paten depicts the bounties of the Realm of Atralran, particularly so that of its fruit orchards, rolling fields and vineyards throughout the seasons, their produce represented with garnets, jaspers and carnelians.

During the coronation ceremony, the Paten of Prosperity is typically piled high with produce from across the Provinces, with the four Marquises charged with watching over and ruling each of them expected to present goods during the ceremony until the Paten itself starts to overflow. Afterwards, it is customary to share the bounties present amongst those gathered, either within the cathedral, or, more commonly, those waiting outside.

### Sceptre of Sanctity

Shaped to mimic the form of a shepherd's croft fashioned from a fallen branch wielded by King Gilbert I Goldlor when he started to lead the people of the fledgling Atralran, the Sceptre of Sanctity is about three foot long and set with nine large gemstones, including a perfectly spherical piece of lapis lazuli two and a half inches in diameter, as well as over two hundred smaller gemstones set into the feathers wrapped around the staff.

After the Crown of Civility, the Sceptre of Sanctity is seen as the most potent symbol of the right to rule from the Gildhearth Throne. During the treachery of the Sanridges after the breaking of the Siege of Iron in 974AG, the Sceptre of Sanctity vanished, subsequently finding its way into the collection of the Hall of the Virtuous, where it has remained ever since.