Relics and Pilgrims: Worldbuilding Inspiration from Holy Treasures
Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia
Na'ilah slipped over the wall, keeping to the shadows. It was only a dozen meters to the doors of the temple but the guard patrols made crossing the courtyard nearly impossible. Reaching beneath her tunic, Na’ilah produced a cotton purse with intricate geometric patterns woven into its threads. Slipping her hand into the bag, her arm disappeared up to her elbow as she searched for the right tool for the job. Her fingertips brushed silken fabric and she grasped it. Slowly pulling the shimmering indigo cloak from the bag, she shook it out. With a flourish, she wrapped herself in it and disappeared.
Unfortunately for us in the mundane real world, we don't have fantastical magic items like Bags of Holding or Cloaks of Invisibility. We are left to imagine what it would be like to possess such power. However, in the real world, we do have something that comes close to this idea. For people of certain religions, holy relics hold great significance and some believe they even hold great power.
Charlie Phillips from London, UK, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Holy relics are objects that are believed to either be an item that is associated with or possibly even the remains of a holy person. Relics show up in many of the world's major religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Shintoism. Relics even played a part in the ancient pagan and shaman religions of the past. For those who venerate these relics, they are a way to connect with a higher power - to feel centered in the world and to ask for intercession. The most devout believe that they bring about miracles.
The earliest forms of relics were part of ancestor-focused beliefs. Not exactly "worship" in a western sense, ancestor beliefs revere those who have passed on and believe that they may intercede in the afterlife. Cultures from all over the world believed (and many still do today) that their ancestors still take part in the world but have transcended to something else. Ancestor veneration relics in ancient cultures often took the form of objects or sites that belonged to a significant person. Later in Greek and Roman antiquity, this expanded to include great heroes. In modern times, we see ancestor relics take the form of memorial shrines, like ofrendas, where objects that the person loved in life are placed.
As beliefs evolved into religions, relics took on a different role - they became focal points for stories of great religious works. In medieval Europe and Asia, the vast majority of people were illiterate. Their beliefs were told through stories and lessons. Having a visual representation of that story grounded it in reality and thus in truth. This is where religious artwork and iconography got its start. Relics were a natural evolution of that. While a stained glass window or statue made the story come alive, the actual bone of that saint made it real. Sitting under the Bodhi Tree where Gautama Buddha found enlightenment tied a person directly to Buddha through shared experience.
A Sheikh and his son entering Cairo on their return from a pilgrimage to Mecca
Robert Dowling (04 July 1827 - 08 July 1886 ) (English)
National Gallery of Victoria, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
People began to travel great distances to see these artifacts and places and this is how pilgrimages began. A shared practice among all religions is pilgrimage. Traveling to experience the divine is an important part of faith. It connects the material with the spiritual and often gives the pilgrim a new perspective on their belief through the shared experience with other pilgrims.
These pilgrims would spend money and donate funds to the churches, temples, cities, and towns where these relics were housed. This brought about the world's first tourism and solidified relics as a part of religions. It also brought about counterfeit relics and some of the first religious scam artists.
Unique Relics from the World's Religions
One of the most fascinating aspects about holy relics are the interesting and sometimes bizarre nature of them or the stories around them. Here are a few that you could take inspiration from:
Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Shenalit, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The Tooth of the Buddha. Legend has it that when the Buddha was cremated his disciple, Khema, retrieved a single canine tooth from the pyre. The Dāṭhavaṃsa chronicles the history of the tooth and how possession of it granted the right to rule the land leading to wars being fought over it. The tooth is believed to now reside in the Temple of the Saacred Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Prophet Mohammed’s Bow and its Sheath
Credit: Topkapi Palace Museum / TRTWorld
The Holy Relics of Muhammad. There are many sacred relics of the Prophet Muhammad kept at the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. Some are objects that belonged to him and others are objects that he gifted to others. Of note, is the Blessed Mantle, an overcoat believed to have been worn by Muhammad and venerated by the sultan, his family, and court during Ramadan. The Topkapı Palace also houses the bow and sword of Muhammad as well as a preserved footprint and even hair from his beard.
St Cuthbert's engraved wooden coffin, centrepiece of The Treasures of St Cuthbert (Image: David Wood for Durham Cathedral)
The Body of St. Cuthbert. There are so many choices when it comes to Christian relics. It seems that every saint has a bone, tooth or head (sometimes multiples! Looking at you, John the Baptist) to choose from. But as far as relics that had a profound connection on the history of the world, the body of St. Cuthbert is near the top the list. RPG fans may recognize St. Cuthbert as being part of the Greyhawk mythology but Cuthbert was an actual person. When Cuthbert died he was entombed at Lindisfarne, the Holy Island off of Northumbria. When his coffin was opened 11 years after his death the body had not decayed, one of many miracles associated with Cuthbert after his death. Cuthbert's body also factors into the reshaping of Britain into the English kingdom. In 875, what is believed to be the first Danish attack on Britain occurred at Lindisfarne. The monks fled and took St. Cuthbert's body with them. The Danes would sweep across Britain and reforge the land. It is said that King Alfred the Great had a vision from St. Cuthbert that gave him hope in his struggle against the Danes.
Artist's impression of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. Photos of the original regalia are not disclosed.
三神器.jpg: Unclemcderivative work: PawełMM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Sanshu no Jingi or Three Sacred Treasures are the Imperial Regalia of Japan. They are the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the mirror Yata no Kagami, and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama. They are believed to be items that originally belonged to the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu and represent valour, wisdom, and benevolence respectively. Kept in separate shrines, they are only brought together when a new emperor takes the throne.
Worldbuilding Inspiration from Relics
A relic from the Holy Catacombs of Pancratius.
Ilhamnobi, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Relics are the closest thing we have to magical items in our world. They are steeped in legends and some have even shaped civilization. Your magic items, especially artifacts, should have this amount of weight to them. But, they don't have to be holy or belong to the founder of a religion. They could be tied a ruler or a hero. Even the more common magic items should have stories and names to them. If you are building your own campaign world take time to consider where the magic items you give your players came from.
The stories don't have to be elaborate for every magic item, but consider the following when giving out magic items as treasure.
Who did that item belong to? What was their significance, why would they have this item?
What does it look like? Is it an item that belonged to the person or is it actually part of that person?
When did that person live? When did they use that item?
Where was it made? Where did its story take place? Where did the players find it?
Why was this item made? Why is the figure or story behind the item significant?
How was the item made? How did it come to be where it was found?
Adding in a little bit of mythology to you magic items will make them special and unique. Players will be more likely to hang onto their items instead of simply swapping out a +1 for a +2. Don't be afraid to re-skin items. The type of item doesn't always have to be what makes the most sense.
For example, sticking with the holy relic concept, rather than a Belt of Giant Strength you instead find the bracers that belonged to a great warrior gifted with strength by a god. This leads to additional questions that might even turn into adventure hooks. What happened to this warrior? Was he actually strong or was it always the bracers? Did his legendary strength somehow inhabit the bracers? Does using them grant the wearer some type of connection with that god?
Worldbuilding Inspiration from Pilgrimages
Another way we can take inspiration from relics is in the pilgrimages around them. The very idea of a group of travelers leaving their homes and setting off into distant lands to see the site of a great event or a legendary relic is an adventure itself! Some of the foundational stories of medieval fantasy involve pilgrimages. The Canterbury Tales, the Quest for the Holy Grail (the ultimate relic!), and the Crusades all involved journeying in search of something greater. The deeds that were accomplished along those pilgrim trails became legendary.
Artist is Ezra Winter (1886–1949). Photographed 2007 by Carol Highsmith (1946–), who explicitly placed the photograph in the public domain., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Pilgrimages don't have to be strictly for holy worship either. In our modern world, people travel to see great and important things to this day. Sometimes it is a remnant of ages past, other times it is to the site of a terrible battle, or the birthplace of a hobby!
Here are some adventure hooks involving pilgrimages:
The adventuring party is hired to guard pilgrims on a long route that is known to be the target of raiders.
The party must travel with their cleric or mage to a place of power where they can level up.
Pilgrims travel to the haunted site of the last great battle and pay their respects to those who died there.
There are rumors of a new relic that is performing unbelievable miracles. Those who pilgrimage to see it never return.
A counterfeit relic salesman is selling mimics to unsuspecting pilgrims!
A Final Note on Religious Sensitivity
Ilhamnobi, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Using relics and the veneration practices around them can give your own campaign world depth. However, many cultures still hold relics in great esteem and sanctity. Be sure that your players are comfortable with the topic. Do not lightly copy a relic from real life into your world. Instead make up your own relics and magic items. Make your holy sites and places of power something that belongs to your world alone. Then use the context of our world to bring them to life. In doing so, you will be respectful to the real world and give authenticity to your imagined one.
