THE CONTRACTS
The contracts between the gods and the Vibquians serve as a pact for maintaining homeostasis. Through worship via respect and admiration, as opposed to fear, the gods allowed Vibque to prosper. In return, Vibque became a central hub for many patron gods in the region due to its functional complacency.
The contracts, itself, are made by conjoining a fragment of the god and the summoner’s soul, bound together by the god’s power. Early summoners initiated the contracts by an incantation, but later on, many can do so without. Contracts only have three innate prepositions: (1) we will help each other, (2) we will not destroy each other, (3) we will do everything we can to maintain the contract. Additional rules can be negotiated upon request.
Breaking the contracts were highly taboo. Gods did not want to because breaking the contract meant forfeiting a piece of their soul, and in essence, a piece of their power. To them, this sacrifice of power is a price they did not want to pay for the admiration of their minions. Summoners did not want to break the contract because breaking the contract meant forfeiting time off their lives and angering divine entities.
When contracts are formed, they can be seen as glyphs on the pages made from the Blessed Tree. Due to the power of these contracts, these glyphs are often seen glowing with iridescent colors. When summoners contract many gods, they often keep the pages bound together, forming a book. Vibquian summoners keep their books close to them because divine damage to these books can sometimes result in a fractured glyph. Fractured glyphs can be repaired with a renewal of consent of both parties but are often seen as an insult – for a person to not value and respect a pact they made with god means they do not respect the god.