The Doctrine of Release (The Forgewrights’ Union)

“Every strike frees the sleeping.”

According to the Forgewrights — the pragmatic traditionalists — the quieting of mirrorstone is proof that the trapped soul has moved on.

To them, mining is a holy act of mercy:

Each blow of the pick breaks a reflection, allowing the spirit to ascend.

To refuse the work would be to leave one’s ancestors imprisoned in darkness.

They baptize newborns in powdered mirrorstone mixed with oil, symbolizing the continuation of the cycle.

Yet the Union’s comfort is self-serving: their trade deals depend on this belief. And lately, the “released” stones have begun to whisper again, faintly, in the vaults where they’re stored.

The Forgewrights are right:

breaking the stone does free the soul — but only if the miner’s heart is pure, and such miners are rare. Most souls remain trapped in fragments, half-awake. The mines hum with unquiet ghosts; players might undertake a ritual or quest to finish freeing them.

If souls are freed:

The Church would sanctify mining, and Harlequin Vale’s weapons would be viewed as blessed tools.