Gods Fruit

The sweetest death,
The greatest wealth,
Just have a taste.

Sacred fruit holding a significant importance in Akeron's cultures. Fourth gift from God to Maïsha, the First Prophet, the first specimen appeared one year after the Contract and was consumed by the prophet herself revealing her nature to the world. It is said to be made of pure magic and only chosen ones can taste it without taking any risk.
In old times, it was a privilege reserved to the imperial family, the Church or, later, the nobles, to have access to it. Nowadays, yearly production is sufficient for commoners to have the same privilege, though the Church prefer to hand them sparingly. Blessing for some but deathly for most, Gods Fruit is an iconic fruit of Akeron.

Aspect

Gods Fruit is the consumable fruit of a Gods Tree. It has a round shape with the size of a little hazelnut and a profound golden color like honey. Its surface is very smooth and hard, it is impossible to make even a scratch on it with nails, knife or even a diamond. The only way to pierce it is to use the mouth of a living creature, anything that can consume it actually works such as teeth, beak, mandibles. Strangely enough, the fruit is not hard to bite.
The interior is composed of a supple flesh surrounding a viscous but also incredibly juicy liquid heart with a perfectly spherical and crispy tiny kernel lying at the center of the fruit. Its taste is indescribable and depends on the person eating it but is, according to all witnesses, the best thing one can ever eat.
The fruit does not rot and cannot be cooked but will forever stay fresh and consumable. As a product of pure magic, Gods Fruit is indestructible. It is, in fact, immune to all types of damages, magical or not. The only way to destroy it is to eat it or for it to sprout which is a very rare and random event.

Usage

Gods Fruit is an harmless fruit for a Prophet but for any other creature consuming it, they will die ten seconds later. Those specific properties shaped its different usages.

Prophet identification

Eating a Gods Fruit and survive, is the safest method to identify a new Prophet. The Church only recognize officially a Prophet if they eat a Gods Fruit in front of a sworn member of the Church. When they find a potential candidate, they will also offer them to eat a fruit to verify. Some urban legends are talking about an offer more or less imposed by the Church, but those are pure, ill gossip without any solid proof.

Gourmet food

A Prophet can use a Gods Fruit like any other fruit. For them it is a very tasty and sustaining meal with properties similar to a good berry. An absolute delicacy. However, the influence of those fruits on them was not fully studied. It is proved that the consumption of the first one awake their link to the God they incarnate but the impact of the ingestion of more of them has yet to be documented.

Last hope

When someone is at death's door, be it in their bed, at an hospital or a battlefield, it is tradition for them to eat a Gods Fruit. First and foremost, because it can save them but also because if they die eating a fruit they will not be buried but cremated. Every village has a priest and when someone is dying it will give them the last anointing and provide a fruit. Hospitals and other public places also supply citizens with fruits when necessary. Lastly, soldiers are given a fruit, when engaged, for desperate situation. All have hope to be saved but very few will have the privilege. At least death is sweet.

Execution method

The fruit is used traditionally as an execution method, the idea being to not lose a Prophet stupidly. If the convicted die, it is said that "they ate their last sentence". But if they survived they are "pardoned by the fruit" and become a full fledged Prophet. Executions are always held in a public plaza and seen as an event that gather a lot of people. Everyone wants to be the first witness of a new Prophet discovery. Some extremists say this method of execution is too soft on the convicted and their death should be more painful, but missing a Prophet would be much more harmful for the entire society.

Potent poison

Assassins are very fond of Gods Fruit for their work as there is no antidote and once the first bite taken, the deed is done. But making someone eat one of those fruits against their will is not an easy task, or very discreet, as it cannot be cooked or sliced and therefore is hard to conceal. Rumors are talking about assassins that elevated this practice to the rank of art.

Life blessing

A sprouted fruit is very rare but also a true bless. If the discovery is brought back to the Church, they will provide a great wealth in exchange and the benefactor will gain a lot of influence and recognition. The lucky one will, at least, live the rest of their life worry-free. The majority of noble families have an ancestor that discovered a sprouted Gods Fruit.

It is always a great delight to watch your target have the first taste of your last masterpiece. But if you counted to eleven, well… You're f*

— Anonymous professional

red berry by Giorgio Trovato

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink

Rarity

Gods Fruit are quite common and easy to find but they are under strict control of the Church.

Weight

2g

Dimensions

1,5-2cm (diameter)

Base Price

10sp

Church regulation

As stated above, Gods Fruits are strictly regulated by the Church. Gods Trees are maintained and protected by allowed members only and the harvested fruits are listed one by one. When one of them is used it should be reported and the result consigned. Displacements are, as well, heavily protected and documented.

Harvest

The harvest happens once a year at summer solstice. Throughout the day, the stems of the fruits disappear letting them just fall on the floor. The Church will pick them all and distribute them among priests and other allowed organizations with utmost care.

Investigations

As Gods Fruit is a poison, stocks are regularly revised and a missing fruit, or a murder by involuntary ingestion, are always investigated by the Church. The culprits are severely punished as it is considered as a misuse of a sacred gift from the Gods which is a sacrilege.