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NAME
relics - special magical, historical artifacts that can be bound with
          certain items in order to fuse their powers with that of the
          bound item

DESCRIPTION
Relics are irreplaceable objects from Alyria's complex and long history
that occasionally turn up in curious places. These relics have been
known to appear in forgotten trunks in attics, hidden within the
cornerstones of buildings, and on the corpses of fearsome, hoarding
dragons. Occasionally religious, but typically secular, these relics
carry the weight and magic of their varied and illustrious histories.

Although some wish for these relics to be kept by such institutions
as the Ilandrama Library and the Museum of Rune, they are most often
stashed away by their discoverer, rather than kept somewhere safe.
For although these rare objects hold great value as historical artifacts
from past epochs, they hold far greater power when combined with
specific pieces of equipment.

Relics are divided into multiple tiers based on the amount of power
they contain. Based on the relics available to researchers, they have
identified three distinct classes.

Equipment with which relics may be combined have slots called 'bindings',
typically one or two, rarely more. When combined with equipment, relics
may confer upon the bound objects special attributes, such as greater
wisdom, youth, or magical resistance. Additionally, many relics may be
combined with other relics, creating even more powerful relics. Three
identical relics may be combined to form an identical-looking relic that is
three times as powerful as its original components, but it requires two
slots to fit into, rather than just one.

Tales speak of special relic and equipment combinations that can create
extremely rare and powerful results. Combinatory relic powers can be
unlocked with the usage of a keyrelic, which are not relics themselves,
but are a required element of the binding process when crafting more
powerful relics from the lesser. The journals and notes of the first
documented recorder of these combinations still exist, but are rare and
often difficult to locate.

The process of fusing relics to special equipment and with each other
was well known to the Druids of ancient Alyria, who employed special
magical machines for these purposes. Rumors abound that such machines
may still exist, survivors of the destruction of the original Ivory
Tower. Myths and legends in books, old scrolls, and songs exist that
hint at the locations of these machines, yet none is so helpful as to
provide exact coordinates.

SEE ALSO
Magical Items