The Blarney Stone

There are many stories surrounding this relic.  The most popular concerns a local lord who was involved in a lawsuit and appealed to the faerie/queen of the banshees, Clíodhna, for her intervention.  The queen told this lord to trust in her and kiss the first stone he saw on the way to court in the morning.  He did so and spoke so eloquently in court that he won his case.  He then brought the stone home and incorporated it into his keep to honor her.  There is a small cult devoted to this minor goddess/fairy queen in the town.  They arrange marriages and help young people find true love and help in the fields during the day but at night they become vengeful vigilantes, punishing those who have wronged members of their congregation.


In my campaign, I have two rough ideas for what I want to do with this stone.  The first is pretty straightforward.  Traveling to the keep and kissing the stone grants a one-time +5 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, or Perform (Oratory) checks (in 1st/2nd edition, I would treat this as a Potion of Glibness instead).  This bonus lasts until it is used.  If you are looking for a more permanent option, performing a pair of services for Clíodhna’s congregation, one that addresses both aspects of her faith (helpful during the day and vengeful at night), the stone grants a permanent +2 bonus to the abovementioned skills (or a bonus to the NPC Reaction Adjustment as applicable).

 Example (one that lets me incorporate my copy of the d20 Works of Shakespeare): 

The party makes friends with a family of local merchants (or craftsmen).  This family has a rival they are in direct competition with and there has been a feud raging for the last several years.  The son of one of the dueling families has fallen in love with the daughter of the other – but have they?   A local priest (not from Clíodhna's faith), who claims to be “helping” the two young lovers, had a son who was killed in the crossfire of the feud and is working to bring ruin to both families (see the Love and Magic option on pg. 50 of the d20 Works of Shakespeare).  He has used the Handkerchief of Abiding Love (pg. 31 d20 Works of Shakespeare) to get the couple to fall for each other and even if his original plan fails, he can steal the handkerchief and activate its curse, robbing the lovers of their marital bliss.

The party helps the young couple and punishes the wicked friar, earning the gratitude of Clíodhna, who allows one of them to “kiss the Stone”, granting them incredible powers of persuasion.

 In my campaign, I am planning on dropping this side quest in while the group is traveling through Cerilia (the Birthright Campaign setting) but in the Forgotten Realms, I would probably place this “artifact” in the Moonshae Isles and make Clíodhna a place spirit or quasipower of some sort.

Comments

Post a Comment

Recent Posts

The Elephant of Surprise 🐘

Image
The kids were watching "The Jungle Book" earlier tonight. I was in the kitchen, half-listening for the songs, when they got to the part of the movie where Bagheera is asking the elephants for their help in finding Mowgli. Colonel Hathi then turns to his troops, gives his orders, and tells them that they will have the "element of surprise."  But that is not what I heard. What I heard was "Elephant of Surprise."  So, here we are. I decided to go with a Chaotic Neutral Fey. I'm envisioning a creature who sneaks up behind you and yells "BOO!" before collapsing in a fit of laughter.  As your party progresses through the woods, the Ranger catches sight of a creature up ahead: an elephant standing upright on its hind legs, hiding behind a tree. You are stunned to realize that if your scout hadn't said anything, you would have walked right past the creature without noticing. The Elephant of Surprise CR: 7     Huge Fey     HD: 11d6+55 (91...
Read more

Smoke Powder Golem

Image
Smoke Powder Golem                                     CR13 (Original drawing of Smoke Powder Golem)   A Smoke Powder Golem is a blending of technology and the divine magic of Gond created to serve as temple guardians.   On average, the golem stands 12’ tall and weighs 8,000 pounds.   The smoke powder golem resembles the more common Iron Golem except its right arm has been replaced with the thick barrel of a bombard.   A large “backpack” has been built onto the golem and contains the ammunition for the golem’s cannon (internal magazine of six shells).   Firing the cannon causes the next shell to automatically, move into the firing chamber.   The golem smells of oil and sulfur.   N Large Construct Init: -1; Senses: Listen +0, Spot +0 Languages: Understands the langua...
Read more

🎶 🎶 He's a Were-House 🎶 🎶 (to the tune of "Brick House")

Image
One of my players recently tagged me in this picture, more or less daring me to see what I could come up with. There are already other versions of this concept out there (I really like this one ). I know that larger versions of Mimics exist and I could convert them to whatever edition of the game we are playing but that would be cheating and doesn't fit the "spirit" of the post. This is what I came up with... Faizard Skitterbrook the Were-House CR: 3     Medium Humanoid (Human/Shapechanger) HD: 3d4    Hp: 8 Init: +1     Spd: 30' AC: 11 (+1 Dex), t: 11, ff: 10 or 15 (+1 Dex, +4 Mage Armor spell) Attacks: (BAB+1/Grap +1) ; +1 Staff: 1d6 (20/x2) or +2 Light Crossbow: 1d8 (19-20/×2, 80') SA: Arcane Spells (CL3; DC12 + spell level; 4/3/2); Improvised Weapons SQ: Transformation Align: CN    Saves: Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +4 Str: 11, Dex: 13, Con: 11, Int: 15, Wi...
Read more

The EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle

Image
1976 GMC Motorhome Palm Beach model 26' Crew: 4     Passengers: 19 Cargo: 425 lbs.* Init: -4 Top Speed: 60 (6) - approximately 35 - 40 mph Defense: 6 (-4 size) Hardness: 10 SZ: G (8' wide x 26' long x 10' high) Purchase: 45     Restriction: Mil (+3) * each unused passenger slot allows the vehicle to carry an additional 100 lbs. of cargo. • 6 wheels with reinforced tires • Communications: High-Range Radio, Compass, GPS, Night Vision (via driver's periscope) • Back of vehicle opens for assault ramp Armaments: • 7.62mm Machine Guns (x2, forward arc) • Flamethrowers (4/side, fire-linked, over rear wheels) • Light Tank Gun (rear arc) • Rocket Rack (roof-mounted, retractable, 6 rockets) Despite performing well on its one and only (unauthorized) mission , the prototype EM-50 was decommissioned and flown back to the United States and placed in storage at the Sierra Army D...
Read more

Beldam (Other Mother from Coraline)

Image
I watched the movie “ Coraline ” for the first time this weekend.   Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen snippets of the film here and there over the years and I recognized the character when the movie started but I have never sat down and Watched the movie (or read the book).   By the time the show was over, I have to admit that I was fascinated by the entire thing.   The animation and pacing were incredibly well done and the main antagonist was delightfully wicked.   This is who I want to focus on today – Beldam, a.k.a. the Other Mother.   Some viewers may think that she was some sort of demon, offering children their heart’s desire in exchange for their souls, much like a crossroads demon but I feel like she more closely resembles a faerie, a member of the Unseelie Court who is allowed a great deal of independence in her operations.   I also think that since the protagonist, Coraline, was just a child that Beldam wouldn’t necessarily have been overly power...
Read more

A Horse By Any Other Name (Part 6)

Image
One Month after the Summer Solstice (Seventh Moon, 1000 ALB) Ra'ziir follows along beside Foil Hat, "What makes you think this 'Abacus' knows anything about planar travel?" The conspiracy theorist replies, "Oh, he's a wizard, knows all kinds of things about conjurations and summonings. If he doesn't have your answers, he'll probably know who to ask." "My little ponies!" Grotto winnies, "The confection shop is this way! How can we expect to confront this unknown on the word of the paranoid pony? We should surely go to this confectionery and get some information from another source. Are we to trust this one only because it was the first we encountered? More information is needed! We should fill our bellies, get reliable corroborating information there! Are we to blindly trust this one to lead us to a trap in the vulnerable state we are in?!" Grotto insists. "Plus that is where these phillies are!" Grotto thinks to ...
Read more