Jovan Vladimir's Cross

Origin
Jovan Vladimir ruled the Serbian state Duklja in the eleventh century, caught in the middle of the Byzantine-Bulgar conflicts. His reputation as a kind and virtuous leader did nothing to change his Byzantine association in the eyes of Tsar Samuel. Around 1010 Jovan was captured and imprisoned; however, his daughter Kosara became smitten and begged for mercy. Samuel agreed by letting them marry, hoping he could receive some information about his enemies - Jovan never helped. Ivan Vladislav, the last ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire, felt Jovan needed to suffer for his complacency. Jovan was publicly beheaded at a church in the capital, and was quickly recognized as a martyr.

Many tales exist surrounding Jovan’s death and his subsequent relics. Before Ivan captured Jovan, he sent him a golden cross to show his benevolent intent. Several holy men later arrived before his execution with a wooden cross, telling him it was another signal of his faith. Several variations state after Jovan was beheaded, he calmly moved towards the church and buried it. The church was supposedly chosen by God, with an eagle and cross to signify its validity. Others tell of thieves who broke into the church and stole horses or relics, only to find rivers suddenly flooding the area until they returned the items.

Although many people converted to Islam in the late 18th century, they refused to damage the cross, believing it provided good harvest. The infamous cross has been held in possession of the Andrović family for centuries after the previous families converted. Local members from both religions would gather for the ceremony and festival to celebrate their fortune.

Effects
Holding while reciting any religious verse will allow the user to cleanly detach their head from their body, with both remaining totally fine. Strangely, their neck always disappears until the pieces are reattached. This ability is seldom used, as it slowly diminishes their vitality until they finally die. Instead, local descendants will feel a renewed surge of health and fertile land when used in their area. Attempting to remove or damage it will summon events to return itself home. Based on previous attempts, it seems to favor unexpected floods to scare bandits. It will change appearance periodically when in a sanctuary, switching between wood and golden ornamentation.

Collection
First collected from a young entertainer in the Ottoman court, the artifact appeared peaceful at first. However, when it passed through the Hungarian Empire, it displayed an overwhelming pull back home. That, and it was bringing massive flooding when agents resisted. They returned it and left an early prototype of the “Beacon”, a one-time emergency contact for entrusted artifact keepers.

During the Socialist regime of Yugoslavia, the government banned public displays of religious worship. The cross was stolen by officials when they realized the mythical history was true and useful. All the guarding families agreed to ask the current incarnation to store their sacred relic until they thought it was safe, waiting in North Dakota from 1959 until 1984. Agent Arthur Nielsen, having at the time reached his decade anniversary, personally delivered the cross back.