Shroud of the Pale God

Wearing it is unlike anything I have ever felt. It is light as a feather. Lighter, even. It drapes across the skin like a warm mist and yet it protects much better than even the most masterfully crafted armour. I walked into battle naked but for the Shroud once. Neither arrows nor magic could touch me. I was powerful. I was immortal. I was invincible. But that was also the day that I realized the armour did not make me wholly invulnerable.
I had grown arrogant in my power, and as I struck down man after man, who could not lay a hand on me despite the fact that I wore only light upon my skin, I sneered at them. It was then that I realized that while the blades of dying men could not harm me, the curses that they flung in my direction could. Like wicked barbed daggers of obsidian being driven into my back and twisted, their curses took me to my knees and voided the breath from my lungs.
The agony was intense. Like being pulled apart from an infinitude of directions all at once. My sanity frayed in that instant, but I learned a valuable lesson. I could not be complacent despite my power. I could not treat my enemies as dirt. I would do what I had to, but I would do so with honour and compassion where it was merited. I told myself that I would be humble, that I would give up the power given to me when my work was done, and so I did. Now here I am, alive still, while countless others before me have been erased from history.

— Anonymous Wielder of the Shroud

The Shroud of the Pale God is an artefact known only to a select few, particularly those with close ties to the Stranger. The Faith of the Nine's official stance on the matter is that the Shroud might or might not exist, but that if it does, it will only be known to those that the Stranger deems worthy of the knowledge. Even the Grand Rookery, renowned for its extensive archives, has no record of individuals coming into possession of the Shroud save for one that is stored deep in the hearts of the Imperial Vault, inaccessible for anyone but the Imperial Trinity themselves.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The will of the Stranger given material form, the Shroud of the Pale God acts as an extension of the aspect of the multiverse controlled by the Pale God. While it is worn, the wearer is neither alive, nor dead, nor undead. They are removed entirely from the concept of life and death and thus are untouchable by either.
The Shroud of the Pale God confers metaphysical invulnerability upon its user, rendering them almost impervious to any and all damage that they might otherwise suffer. But this comes at a cost. Removed from the dichotomy that is life and death, the user of the Shroud falls prey to a different kind of "death." While wearing the Shroud, any damage that they receive beyond its protective capabilities causes their very existence to fray. "Death" for a user of the Shroud means being erased from reality altogether.
This erasure extends beyond their physical existence, consuming all three metaphysical aspects of the person: the body, the soul, and the essence. This means that even the memory of them is stricken from history. The memory of their actions remains, but no one will know who they are, or what their motives were. And to the memory of those contemporary to the wielder's effect on history, they will be nothing more than a featureless humanoid shape made of pale white light.

Manufacturing process

The Shroud of the Pale God is "forged" on an altar dedicated to the Stranger. The only tools required in the actual process of forging are faith and a strong conviction in the cause that one is fighting for. Without these, it is nigh-impossible to muster the force of will required to bring the ingredients together and convince the Stranger that he should make the Shroud manifest.

Significance

The Shroud of the Pale God is not known to many, save for the most devoted of scholars and the most favoured of the Stranger's followers. It is an item that both exists and doesn't exist, as it becomes manifest solely by the will of the Stranger. Without the Stranger's blessing, the Shroud ceases to exist, and thus, whenever a person wishes to become the new master of the Shroud, they must "remake" it by gathering the three components necessary for its fabrication.

Item type

Armor

Related ethnicities

• Deýliri

Rarity

Unique

Weight

Weightless

Dimensions

Conforms to the shape of the user

Base Price

Priceless

Raw materials & Components

According to tradition, there are three components to the Shroud of the Pale God:

• A damned soul's last hope, freely given
• The cries of an infant that never wanted to be born
• The last breath of a life that never was

Glossary of Terms

Dominion, the

The most powerful empire the world has ever seen

Faith of the Nine

Official religion of the Dominion centring around the worship of nine major gods

Grand Rookery, the

Most prestigious institution of arts and sciences in the Dominion

Imperial Trinity, the

Ruling body of the Dominion. Consists of the Pale Imperator, ruler of the Dominion, as well as the Prince of Ravens and the Prince of Lances

Pale God, the

See Stranger, the

Pale Imperator, the

Absolute ruler of the Dominion

Prince of Lances

Highest military advisor of the Pale Imperator. Traditionally, also his male lover

Prince of Ravens

Highest diplomatic advisor of the Pale Imperator. Traditionally, also his male lover

Stranger, the

God of the veil between life and death. Also known as the Pale God. Primary deity of the Faith of the Nine