Imozi
Portable Containers for Wormstone
A
vubopa, or priest of the
Vopa
religion, carries small pieces of
wormstone
with them while performing their missionary work to spread the joy
of mutation to others. Because the wormstone requires skin contact,
imozis, "wormstone bodies," are created to contain the wormstone
without affecting others.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
Imozis exist to keep someone from accidentally touching wormstone.
Because wormstone is not corrosive or otherwise damaging to other
materials it is in, imozis can be made of any material. Wood is
the most common, as it is the cheapest solution, but gold is
another popular choice. Wood gilded with gold leaf is a popular
and cheaper option. The walls must be thick enough to withstand
breaking very easily, but the imozi must be small enough to be
easily carried in a small bag or pocket. As such, the hollow parts
have become smaller and smaller over time until they are fitted to
be as small as possible around the wormstone. The compact nature
also keeps them resistant to breaking into pieces or losing body
parts.
An imozi that is used in a home is often larger than the ones
intended for traveling with priests. They often have the same
shape, but they may actually have the wormstone exposed to the air
to make it visible.
Cultural Relevance
History
After
Sumiga
and
Lope
revealed the power of wormstone to the world, the issue of
transportation became extremely important. If the material could
cause such powerful mutations in such a short time period, how
was anyone supposed to transport wormstone across far distances
safely without hurting themselves?
For large pieces, stonecarts were developed. These vehicles were
used for religious purposes, but when missionary work to the
mainland became a priority, vubopas needed to change their
tactics and carry much smaller pieces. Carrying large pieces by
boat not safe, and carrying small pieces by boat carried risks.
Originally, imozis were made of simple wooden boxes with a
lockable lid. The lid was usually locked by magic, but some used
mechanical locks (as long as that lock was fixed with magic—it
would not do to have a mechanical lock jiggle lose and have the
stone fall out), especially for decorative purposes.
Soon it became fashionable for an imozi to take the shape of a
person, becoming an
obexu. This was achieved by creating a hollow sphere with limbs,
head, and tail affixed to it to give it the appearance of a
typical Teronura. Then, because of how wormstone mutates the
body, it became even more popular for su vubopa to add atypical
body parts to the imozi until it became a unique object.
Significance
Because of their important purpose, they are highly significant
to the lives of Vopa followers. Having a beautiful imozi in the
house is seen as a sign of a highly religious family, and
priests can be judged based on the complexity and material of
their own imozi. Having a simple imozi is quaint, but if one is
to attract a crowd it is expected to have something flashier.
Intricate carvings and complex arrangements of affixed body
parts are seen as signs of more dedicated followers.