The Tangible Remains of St. Aiya

Vekaiyu and Vayan Catholicism owes their existence in part to the works of St. Aiya. Her name and the several books tacked onto the Vayan Bible regarding her times and prayers have made a lasting impression on the Vekaiyun people. But unlike most saints exclusive to the Vayan Catholic faith, her body remains on display under the towering barrel vaulted ceiling of the appropriately-named Cathedral of St. Aiya, located in Eldura.

The reason her body has withstood nearly 1700 years of decay is not really miraculous, but rather is a consequence of centuries of work. After being stabbed to death in ~317 A.D. by the Nugalan King Horos, her body was mummified in Nugalan pagan traditions and entombed. St. Kabuu rescued her remains and, with a cast of her followers, carefully undid the bandages and replaced them with cloths painted in early Christian symbols. Her face was affixed with a platinum death mask and her body was kept hidden in the basement of the Sederi family near Skendia for almost 300 years. Upon her canonization by the Vayan Catholic Church in 605 A.D. (which resulted in a schism with the Roman Catholic Church earlier), her body was removed from their basement and moved to Eldura in the Cathedral of the Sacraments. Once the church of her namesake was built, her body was moved there in 895 A.D. Over the years, her remains would receive "updates": patches were made where the body had weakened, a new platinum death mask was constructed by master craftsmen (with inlaid eyes constructed of obsidian, emerald, and moonstone), and the clothes which the mummified body was wearing was "retired" for a more updated look. During the process, the body lost three fingers and several teeth, which became relics used elsewhere. But, after a study performed in 1973, scientists concluded that much of the body had been preserved adequately.

Today, the body remains on display, dressed in an ornate dress, facsimile hair, even fine leather shoes. Only on certain days or occasions is it displayed in an upright position, as it rests in a glass coffin near the center of the church. Every day tens of thousands of individuals come to visit the relic, which is guarded around-the-clock by guards hand-picked by the Vayan Pope. On St. Aiya Day (May 5th), the body will "go on a walk" as it is transported along several streets in Eldura by selected pallbearers. Despite this, the body has never successfully been stolen, but several attempts have been made over the years. It is rumored that should her body turn up missing, the Vekaiyun state will crumble.