The Ascendancy understands what most mortals have forgotten:
Vessel-Artifacts are not mere weapons.
They are fragments of the lost sunlit world given will—proof that the Forevernight is not the natural order, but an occupation.
They are existential threats to the Opera’s narrative.
A Duster’s primary mission is often to locate, corrupt, or destroy Vessel-Artifacts—subjecting them to profane rituals in the Opera’s basements, attempting to drown heroic Aggregate in screams and nihilistic art. The goal is not merely to break metal.
It is to rewrite Purpose.
To turn a sword of justice into a prop for tragedy.
To turn liberation into spectacle.
To wield a Vessel is to declare:
You are not an actor on their stage.
You are a continuation of history—armed with a library that fights back.