The Artifacts

The Artifacts are three items of Nephilimic make which have the power to alter and control the spiritual realm. they appear to be made of solid gold, though it is unknown what they are actually composed of as they are indestructable. They are the Artifact of Destruction, the Artifact of Empowerment, and the Artifact of the Dead. They can only be used by a being formed from a bond of spiritual and physical.

They are the centrepiece for Attempts on Earth and a key component in Sattanael's overall plan.

Creation and History
The Artifacts were created by the Nephilim a few years after their beginning. It is unknown to even the Demons how this was accomplished, and after the Flood the secret was lost.

They were first used before the Flood, in the War of the Vera. Using them they gathered the wreckfin and made the spirit realm visible. Along with that, they strengthened the manifestation of the entire Nephilim nation. After the Flood, the Artifacts were taken into hiding by the Angels, as they cannot be destroyed until the End of Time. Only a few times in history have they ever been recaptured, and never all three together until the War of the Artifacts in 2016. The Artifacts were then used to reglorify the demons and release all the demons from Hell. Afterwards, they were used for a short time to give Sattanael back his spiritual form and raise a small army of kalayfin, but were then hidden again by the angels.

They were used to create the Nephilimic Runes.

The Artifacts
There are three Artifacts, though many smaller, weaker ones have been forged using the energy of the originals. These are nowhere near as powerful and can only accomplish little tasks, but can still be very dangerous and are useful for the enemies of God. All appear to be gold objects on top of gold bases, but while the newer ones are gold, the originals are made from an unknown, indestructable substance. The first three require Thaeran blood to operate, and have a small blade sticking out of the front with which one bleeds upon the image. The others, however, operate via a small amount of blood from any source and a wick atop the image; this will stay lit until it is physically snuffed out or the blood is emptied from the image, and the affect of the artifact remains until that time.

The Artifact of Destruction
The Artifact of Destruction is an open hand with slightly curled fingers, the wrist attached to base adorned with the Nephilimic Rune for freeing or opening.

When gripped by the bloodied hand of a Thaeran being, the fingers close upon the hand and in the sky above the Artifact opens a gateway from the Prison. This releases the Veruvatalisamthira, allowing them to destroy and kill at will as long as the gateway is open. Once it closes, the spirits are pulled back into the Prison. The gateway is small and only a few can exit at once; however it is the only known way to open the Prison.

It is known to be the first Artifact created, and it has been theorized that the other two were not originally planned. Only after seeing the potential of the first did the Nephilim create more.

The Artifact of Empowerment
The Artifact of Empowerment appears to be a human heart with all attached veins and arteries snaking down into the base, which is adorned with strengthening runes.

When the bloodied hand of a Thaera rests upon the heart, it begins to beat. If a willing human woman rests within the area of effect of the Artifact, she will be consumed by Spirits of Destruction. This will create a Sekaris.

The Artifact of the Dead
The Artifacts of the Dead appears to be a human eyes, with all blood vessels and nerves snaking down into the base, which is adorned with the rune for giving life.

When blood of a Thaera is splashed onto the eye, it swivels to "look" at the Thaera who provided the blood. If a male corpse is in the area of the Artifact's affect the eye will after a few moments swivel to look at it, and two Spirits of Destruction will be locked into the corpse. It will then reanimate, creating an Unliving.

Other Artifacts
Other artifacts (note the lowercase "a") can have many affects depending on the rune carved into their base. Their power is broken if all runes on the base are destroyed, so these artifacts, made from relatively soft gold, are very well-protected. The designs of the image atop the base is random, but always holds a small dip in the top to hold a wick and some blood.

If the base is completely seperated from the image or the part of the image holding the wick, the artifact ceases to work until repaired. The affect can also be changed by added or removing runes; runes can be combined for a nearly limitless range of abilities. The power of an artifact will change only once the artifact is dormant, so runes changed while it is lit and active do not change the affect until the wick is snuffed out.