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 1^st/2^nd 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.