Heirophant's Stone

The Heirophant's Stone, also known as the **Blaghmendghu**, or **Priest's Tongue** is a major artifact that is believed to have been created by Önio Nomen, the First Mortal. It is acclaimed to have the power to control any living creature that was born on Urz and is considered by some theologians to be the very crux on which creation began.

## Origin

In every teaching of the Ecclesia des Vitanthropos, the *Blaghmendghu* was formed by Önio Nomen. He drained power from both Ashtar and atavius to form it. After its creation, Önio Nomen was banished to a planar prison known as Ayareath, the Spectral Realm. The stone, however, was lost in the sands of time.

## The Parasite

Finding the Priest's Tongue was regarded as La Vacisleurd's greatest goal, but despite his desperate campaigns to seek it out, he never once came close to finding the Wall of Sea and Flame. His Parasitic Empire failed because its master over-extended his control and was defeated by the Sorcerer Knight King T'raa Mawort.

## Sea and Flame

The *Blaghmendghu* resurfaced millennia after creation, found in an anomaly of natural law south of the human nation of Parnaak. A knight of the Sorcerer Knight King T'raa Garwain came upon it eighteen-thousand years Before Ryiomand and with lore brough down the Wall of Sea and Flame around a small unnamed island. It was here that the knight, Deru Egnis, removed the stone from its cradle and returned to his country.

With it, Deru Egnis ended the War of the Serpent. After concluding the war and bringing right to a world at war, Deru returned the Priest's Tongue to its cradle and the isle fell into the sea, swallowing the knight with it. In the Agamidaenid, Deru Egnis is known as Iveriu.

## The Battle at the Mirror

The stone was pursued by many people during the Gray War and was eventually removed from its cradle in Arcania by Raden Phere. Many others warred outside on the isle and it is believed by many sects of the Ecclesia des Vitanthropos that Aryiomand was mortally wounded by Invellios Laire Varhuine at the command of Alu'nsu-Ro, who could manipulate the stone's power through Raden. The stone was taken by the Seeker Tak and hidden away.

## The Rending

At a later date, the stone was given to Nalan Balcard by Tak to remove one of three alien souls from Nalan. It was then given back to the Seeker as payment. This event happened sometime during the second year of the Age of Gods.

## Formation of the Marydian Republic

Since its creation, the Nation of Marydia had a failing body of government that decreed no law would be accepted unless it was accepted by all citizens of Marydia. Tak, at the request of his student Gideon Illuminus, used the power of the stone to create a working body of government in Marydia. The Marydian Republic was formed 4 AG. Shortly there after, the stone became black like coal and its powers were inert. To some scholars, this signaled the return of the Elder Gods.

## Reformation

After the return and defeat of the Abominations, power was restored to the stone at the hands of Atavius. He decreed a divine edict; it was mandated that the Gray Order, which included such great heroes as Nalan Balcard and Thorn Stacianodel, would name mortals across the Material Plane to ascend into the seats of power once filled by the offspring of the Bynod. The stone, however, had been fragmented in its dormant state and a shard had been retrieved by the Alu'nsu-Ro's replacement. atavius, unbound by the stone's power, warded the [[Gray Order]] from its power and made the new Alu'nsu-Ro mortal with his hammer, Amen Creber. His defeat was swift and Thorn Stacianodel fought him past the end with a murderous rage. The shard and the new stone where given by atavius to Nalan Balcard.

## Lost in Kenji's Bag

The stone and shard were hurled from Arcania by Nalan Balcard after the ritual of ascension was completed. Since that time, the shard was recovered by Kenji Otomo on 3rd Ziv, 215 AR. Never being sold or identified, Otomo passed the stone and the bag to his son, Kenji Toru. It still resides within the bag of the traveling merchant as of 21 Tishri, 1002 AR.