A pale many-needled compass that points not north but toward fragments of Earin embedded in the world.
Overview
The Compass resembles a folding survey instrument carved from ivory that cannot be scratched. Its thirteen needles respond to different scales of divine remains, from mountain ranges to blood carried in a living body.
No legend identifies the maker. When opened near ordinary bone it is still; near Earin's remains it produces a chord felt in the teeth rather than heard.
History
Elarian surveyors used the Compass to map the first royal roads, believing it indicated stable ground. The resulting network unintentionally followed buried divine structures.
A Delacroix agent later stole it to confirm the nature of Gizmagrad's foundation. The archive owns a returned instrument, but some scholars suspect the dynasty gave back a copy that points only where they permit.
The present record
The Compass now rotates continuously inside its sealed case. Twelve needles indicate known directions. The thirteenth points upward and has begun moving with the moon.
Deep Road expeditions seek permission to carry it below, where the instrument may reveal whether the network follows a skeleton or something more deliberate.
Notes and record
This article combines campaign record, spoken lore and the mythic account preserved in the Earin archive.