Miracle

"And thus, guilt, repentance, mourning and every pain of the soul of all kind were visibly and tangibly manifested, everywhere and in all of us. Sometimes in the form of blessing and grace, sometimes in the form of punishment and corruption. That divine will, equally pious and cruel, which we could not and will never be able to unravel, was called The Miracle."

**The Miracle,** also known as the Sorrowful Miracle or the Grievous Miracle, is a mysterious, supernatural phenomenon that manifested in the lands of Cvstodia and is the central cause for much of the events in Blasphemous.

**The Miracle** is described as having a will of its own beyond mortal comprehension, manifesting in bizarre and often cruel ways upon mortals in the shape of blessings and curses alike. The monstrous and inhuman beings found throughout **Cvstodia** are presumed to have been born of the **Miracle**, created from humans who were punished by its power.

According to Deogracias, the **Miracle** manifested for the first time in the Knot of the Three Words, which is implied to be the origin story of the religious figure the Twisted One. This event is referred to as the **First Miracle**. Another significant occurrence of the **Miracle** is the story of The Turned Throne and the Burnt Tree, presumably leading to the creation of the Last Son of the Miracle. It is not entirely clear how long the **Miracle** has been in effect, but Desamparados mentions in the comic that it has been active for centuries since the **First Miracle**.

The effect of the **Miracle** can be seen all over the land, and it seems to have devastated the population. Tirso mentions that Albero is one of the last safe havens for people, and that there are hardly any people left. He also says that time outside **Albero** "passes strangely", alluding to the fact that time itself in **Cvstodia** may be subject to the power of the **Miracle**.

Many characters in the story are examples of the **Miracle** themselves. The Penitent One is one of these examples, as the comic reveals that the **Miracle** returned him from the dead. The Blessed Lord of Salty Shores claims that he and his realm, where the people were turned to salt for worshipping a false idol, were a punishment from the **Miracle**. Altasgracias refers to themselves as a Grievous Miracle, birthed from three sisters becoming one after they collectively appealed to the **Miracle**. Socorro prayed to the **Miracle** to make the wounds of others her own, and now she endlessly suffers. And Quirce, who was falsely accused of heresy and condemned to burn at the stake, reemerged from the flames due to the **Miracle**. There are plenty of other examples of these divine acts in item descriptions and throughout the world.

## Relevant Item Descriptions

The Works and Graces of the Sorrowful Miracle. First Verse
The great dry tree into which His Holiness was transformed by work and grace of the Miracle burned in a night of heavy storms. It burned for ninety days, and as it was consumed, it left an enormous pile of ashes that covered the cathedral's main ambulatory tower, leaving His Holiness' Turned Throne on the top. All those who were present, and all those who arrived and tried to climb to the summit, were swallowed by the ashes. And the cathedral fell silent.

The Works and Graces of the Sorrowful Miracle. Second Verse.
The wind blew strongly through the fractures of the cathedral that the Great Tree had originated, lifting the ash creating dense gray clouds, hiding the whole Mother Church and drowning her in a deep darkness of lead. The ground began to tremble. Then a terrible cry was heard from the depths of the mountain of ash. And that cry was joined by more and more. Guttural screams, animal roars, monsters, and one which was heard above all: the scream of an old man, which resounded gravely, as out of the throat of a giant.

The Works and Graces of the Sorrowful Miracle. Third Verse.
All those who once were swallowed by the ashes emerged from it in great hordes: the Hordes of the Miracle, the Punished. With only faith in their minds and only rage in their guts. Willing to punish all those who had escaped from such a holy fate, from the will of the Miracle itself.

... I hear his lament. The one who was believed mute from the beginning, since there were witnesses to the First Miracle. The afflicted one who asked for punishment, and had it granted to him. I hear his lament. Even if the Father is no longer with us, even if only his images, large and small, remain in all the sacred places. I hear his lament. It is the Miracle that makes me hear it, this is my punishment as the Eldest Brother and guardian of this congregation whose mystery is the silence of the Father. I hear his lament, and I don't want to hear it anymore. I will have yours cover His. That is my penance.....

 **Deogracias in Wall of the Holy Prohibitions** | [Quirce] was unjustly condemned to the stake for heresy, and the inquisitors bore witness to the flames engulfing his body amidst an atrocious communion of prayers and cries... the merciful Miracle called them forth again, and from them, from the ashes and embers, the body of Quirce rose anew.