![[Vaul.png]] ^[Illustrated by [[Aerbeald Rewis]]] Of all the Divine Echoes still acknowledged by the pragmatic minds of [[Velgrath]], none loom so concretely over our daily existence as **Vaul** — known variously as _The Hand of Industry_, _The Flame in the Gear_, and to some older sects, _The Forgemind_. Many claim to have seen him. I believe they speak only of his statues littered throughout the city. Vaul is not a god in the conventional sense but a representation, perhaps even a remnant, of divine mechanical purpose. His likeness is carved into the foundry-walls, his scriptures etched on steel tablets worn by regulators and guildmasters alike. One does not _worship_ Vaul in the traditional sense; one _adheres_ to him. He is law, form, and motion, sanctified in efficiency. Depictions show him as a towering, grim figure clad in functional robes scorched by soot and time. Most notable is his arm — an immense brass-and-iron gauntlet, engraved with impossible theorems and humming with internal fire. It is said that Vaul forged the first engines beneath the earth after the gods abandoned us, and that every great advance since has been but a dim echo of his will. I remain skeptical of his divinity in the conventional framework. Many old books mention him as a creation of the people, and less of the world. ^[Reminder to scratch this "blasphemy" before publishing]