Kupala 11 of the Vassals Polishing Stone

Lore Not all who participate in the rituals of Kupala Night seek healing, community, or true divination. For centuries, in the sprawling courts, ambitious guild halls, and servant quarters of Saṃsāra, a different tradition has been quietly observed. This is the origin of the Vassal’s Polishing Stone. On the eve of the summer solstice, those who wish to climb the social ladder—the underlings, the apprentices, the courtiers—do not leap through the great bonfires. Instead, they find smooth, unremarkable river stones. Holding these stones, they approach the magical bonfires and hold them low, bathing the stones not in the purifying flame, but in the thick, oily smoke near the ground. While doing so, they do not chant for good fortune, but softly murmur the names, titles, and accolades of the powerful individuals they seek to please. The hot stone is then quenched in water that has been used to float divinatory wreaths, not to gain a glimpse of the user’s own future, but to absorb the abstract magical concept of “a pleasing outcome.” The resulting item is a subtle tool of sycophancy, designed to curry favor and make one’s superiors shine.

Description The item appears to be nothing more than a simple, palm-sized polishing stone, worn smooth by river currents. It is typically a dark grey or black, with a network of faint, hairline cracks on its surface from the thermal shock of its creation. It is cool and inert to the casual touch. However, when held by its owner and brought into the presence of a person of significantly higher social or political standing, the stone becomes faintly warm, a secret indicator for its user. It has no discernible magical aura to a casual inspection, making it a perfect, discreet tool for the ambitious.

Slot Carried Item

Detailed Stats Tier: 1 Durability: The stone’s magic is sustained by use. If it is not used to physically polish an object for its owner’s superior at least once a week, its magic fades until it is re-attuned in the smoke of another Kupala Night bonfire. Combat-Related Bonuses: None Resistances: None

Passive Magic Subtle Temperature Shift: The stone’s primary passive quality is to act as an emotional barometer for the most powerful or highest-status individual in the immediate vicinity. When that individual is pleased, content, or receptive, the stone grows noticeably warm in the user’s pocket or hand. If the individual becomes annoyed, displeased, or angry, the stone turns cold to the touch. This provides the user with constant, discreet feedback on their superior’s mood.

Diminished Presence: The stone projects a subtle aura of insignificance around its owner. When in the presence of their chosen superior, the user seems less like an individual and more like a natural part of the scenery, like a piece of furniture or a faceless servant. Attention and conversation tend to slide past the user and focus more intently on the superior, allowing the user to observe and act without drawing undue notice to themselves.

Activable Magic Honing the Compliment: To activate this magic, the user must perform the physical act of polishing an item belonging to their target (a piece of their armor, a wooden desk, a silver goblet). While rubbing the stone on the object, the user focuses their will. For the next hour, any direct praise, flattery, or statement of agreement the user makes towards that specific target is magically imbued with an aura of absolute sincerity. The words bypass the target’s natural cynicism and are perceived as genuine and heartfelt, making the flattery far more effective.

Anticipate the Minor Need: Twice per day, the user can hold the stone, close their eyes, and focus intently on their superior. The stone grants them a brief, intuitive flash of insight into a minor, immediate, and non-secret desire the target possesses. The vision is simple: “a glass of chilled wine,” “this room is stuffy,” “my favorite quill has been misplaced.” Fulfilling this simple need without being asked makes the user appear incredibly attentive and indispensable, earning significant favor.

Tags Common, Tier 1, Roleplay, Kupala Night, Divination (Minor), Enchantment, Social, Subterfuge, Carried Item, Utility, Tool, Deception, Political, Empathic, Mundane Appearance, Focus

The commerce surrounding the Kupala 11 of the Vassal’s Polishing Stone is, by its very nature, discreet and often happens in the shadows of more legitimate trade. This is not an item one finds displayed on a pedestal but a tool whose value lies in its secrecy and mundane appearance. Its market is not adventurers or mages, but the vast, ambitious population of political aides, guild apprentices, royal courtiers, and anyone seeking to curry favor with a superior.

The Back-Alley Exchange

This is the most common way the item enters circulation, directly from the individuals who create them. It is not a shop but a clandestine, word-of-mouth transaction.

How It’s Sold: The sale happens in a quiet corner of a tavern kitchen, near the servants’ entrance of a noble’s estate, or in the apprentice barracks of a guild hall. The seller is often the creator themselves—a low-ranking courtier or servant who made a few extra stones during Kupala Night to earn some quick coin. The transaction is initiated through whispers and trusted intermediaries (“I hear you’re having trouble getting the Chamberlain to notice you. I know a guy…”). The exchange is swift, quiet, and deniable.
Cost: This is the cheapest price, as it is direct from the source. The seller is usually desperate for money and has no overhead. The price is typically between 50 and 80 Bronze Shards, a significant sum for a servant but a paltry amount for the promise of advancement.

The Procurer of Social Sundries

In any major city, there are individuals who specialize in “social leverage.” Their shops operate under legitimate fronts—a quiet antiquarian bookstore, a mapmaker’s office, a seller of rare inks—but their real business is conducted in a back room for vetted clients.

How It’s Sold: A potential buyer cannot simply walk in and ask for the item. They must be referred or use a code phrase. The seller is a professional who understands the precise magical function of the stone and other similar items. They are a connoisseur of social magic. They will explain the item’s functions, its limitations, and perhaps even offer advice on the best way to use it on a specific political figure. The transaction is treated like a consultation, valuing expertise and total discretion above all.
Cost: This is the fair market price for a buyer who knows exactly what they are looking for. The cost reflects the procurer’s expertise and the risk they take in dealing such items. A Vassal’s Polishing Stone would cost between 4 and 6 Silver Shards.

The “Dust & Fortune” Trinket Shop

This is the most likely place for an uninitiated but savvy buyer to acquire such an item. These pawn shops and second-hand stores are cluttered with the forgotten belongings of those who have fallen on hard times—or have been swiftly removed from their positions of power.

How It’s Sold: The stone would be found in a dusty wooden bowl on the counter, mixed in with old medals, single cufflinks, foreign coins, and other oddments. The shopkeeper would have no idea of its magical properties, having acquired it from a disgraced courtier who sold all their belongings for passage out of the city. The shopkeeper might sell it as a “lucky worry stone” or a “high-quality polishing stone for leather.” The roleplay is in the buyer recognizing the tell-tale hairline cracks and unique smoothness and haggling for it without revealing its true value.
Cost: The price is based purely on its mundane appearance. An observant buyer could likely purchase it for a pittance, perhaps 10 to 20 Bronze Shards.

The High Court Outfitter

In the most affluent districts that serve the powerful, there are exclusive establishments that sell livery, fine clothing, perfumes, and accessories to the staff of nobles, ministers, and guild masters.

How It’s Sold: The stone is not displayed. It is an “under the counter” item. While a junior aide is being fitted for a new uniform, the tailor—a man who knows all the court’s secrets—might lean in and whisper, “Your new position requires you to be impeccably presented. And it requires the Minister to see that. I have something that helps with the latter.” The sale is presented as a necessary tool for success, an investment in one’s career. It is sold to those who have already begun their climb and need to secure their position.
Cost: This is the most expensive place to acquire the stone. The price is highly inflated, reflecting the exclusive clientele and the convenience of acquiring it in a “safe,” high-status environment. Here, a single stone could cost as much as 1 Gold Shard (equivalent to 10 Silver Shards), a price that is as much for the tailor’s discretion as it is for the item itself.

The Vassal’s Polishing Stone is an instrument of social combat, not physical violence. Its use in “defense” is about deflecting blame, avoiding unwanted attention, and preserving one’s social standing. Its “offense” is the subtle art of social sabotage, of making rivals look foolish or incompetent while making yourself appear indispensable.

In a Noble’s Court or Political Ministry

This is the stone’s natural habitat, a viper’s nest of ambition where a single misstep can lead to ruin. Here, offense and defense are matters of reputation and favor.

Roleplaying for Defense: The avatar, a junior aide, stands in a room with their peers. A powerful Minister is storming about in a cold fury, his latest trade deal having collapsed. He is looking for a scapegoat. The avatar feels the Subtle Temperature Shift from their stone; it’s ice-cold in their pocket, warning them of the danger. As the Minister’s furious gaze sweeps the room, the avatar focuses on their Diminished Presence. They don’t cower; they simply exist less. They stand perfectly still, their expression neutral, appearing as much a part of the room’s fixtures as a bookshelf or a candelabra. The Minister’s eyes slide right past them, seeking a more reactive, more obvious target to blame. The defense is one of social invisibility, of becoming an unworthy target for rage by being utterly unnoticeable.

Roleplaying for Offense: The avatar wishes to sabotage a smarmy rival who is competing for the same coveted promotion. Before the rival is set to give a presentation to the Minister, the avatar finds a moment to polish the silver inkwell on the Minister’s desk. While doing so, they use Honing the Compliment, telling the Minister, “Your insight into these matters is always so much clearer than any written report, my Lord. A true gift.” A few minutes later, using Anticipate the Minor Need, the avatar sees the Minister squinting and fetches his reading spectacles without being asked. Now, when the rival begins their presentation, the Minister is already predisposed to favor the avatar’s attentiveness. The rival makes a key point, and the avatar, from the side of the room, says just loud enough for the Minister to hear, “A clever point, of course, but it does not have the nuance of the strategy you outlined last week, my Lord.” The sincerity of the compliment is magically assured, and the Minister, flattered and pleased, dismisses the rival’s idea. The offense is the complete theft of a rival’s thunder.

In a Competitive Merchant or Artisan’s Guild

In the halls of commerce and craft, reputation and the favor of the Guildmaster are everything. Offense and defense are about making your work—and yourself—shine brighter than others.

Roleplaying for Defense: The Guildmaster is performing a surprise inspection of the apprentices’ work. The avatar knows their own project has a small, but noticeable, flaw. A sharp-eyed rival is standing nearby, eager to point it out. As the Guildmaster approaches their workbench, the avatar holds the stone and uses Anticipate the Minor Need, getting a flash of “a dry throat.” The avatar immediately steps forward with a cup of water, saying, “Master, you’ve been speaking all morning. Please.” While the Guildmaster is momentarily occupied by this thoughtful gesture, the avatar uses that split second to activate Honing the Compliment, turning to the rival’s work and praising it effusively. “Master, before you look at my crude attempt, you must see the flawless finish Kaelen has achieved. It is truly masterful.” The Guildmaster, pleased by the water and impressed by the avatar’s apparent humility, turns their critical eye to the rival’s work first. This act buys the avatar crucial goodwill and diverts initial scrutiny.

Roleplaying for Offense: The avatar wants to make a talented but lazy rival apprentice look incompetent. Throughout the day, the avatar keeps the stone in hand. They repeatedly use Anticipate the Minor Need in relation to the Guildmaster. They see “this chisel is dull,” “the light is poor here,” “my tea is cold,” and address each issue silently and efficiently before the Master is even consciously aware of the problem. Meanwhile, the rival is focused only on their own work. At the end of the day, the avatar, while polishing the Guildmaster’s favorite tools, uses Honing the Compliment to say, “It is a privilege to work in a space where everything is kept just so, Master. It shows a true attention to detail that others sadly lack.” The Guildmaster, whose day has been uncannily smooth and comfortable, will grunt in agreement, and his gaze will fall upon the rival, who now appears utterly oblivious and inattentive by comparison.

In a Military Camp or City Watch Barracks

Even in a martial environment, favor with the commanding officer is key to survival and promotion. Here, the stone is used to navigate the rigid hierarchy.

Roleplaying for Defense: A notoriously ill-tempered Sergeant is looking for someone to volunteer for a truly awful, dangerous task. The avatar can feel the “coldness” from their stone as the Sergeant scans the room. They do not wish to be chosen. They use Diminished Presence to its fullest. They stand at attention but seem to take up less space. Their face is a mask of placid neutrality. They are a post, a wall, a uniform on a rack. There is nothing about them to catch the Sergeant’s eye. The Sergeant’s gaze, seeking a flicker of fear, arrogance, or anything noteworthy, passes over the avatar and lands on the unfortunate soul next to them who fidgeted at the wrong moment. The defense is to be the grey rock in a field of sticks.

Roleplaying for OffCense: The avatar covets a spot on a special detail being assigned by the Captain, but a more experienced soldier is the likely choice. The day before the assignment, the avatar is on cleaning duty, which includes polishing the Captain’s ceremonial breastplate. They use the stone and Honing the Compliment, but they flatter the Captain’s judgment rather than his strength. “Anyone can be strong, Captain,” the avatar says while polishing, “but your ability to see the right person for the right task… that’s a rare gift.” Later, as the Captain is reviewing the candidates, the avatar uses Anticipate the Minor Need and gets an image of the Captain’s map-case strap, which is about to break. The avatar quietly retrieves a spare leather strap and replaces it without being asked. The Captain, his mind already seeded with the idea of “finding the right person,” sees this incredible act of foresight and attention to detail. He re-evaluates his choice, now believing the avatar to be more observant and prepared than the more experienced but less attentive rival.

Perception of Activation:

Sight

User’s Perspective: When the magic is activated, you see the network of faint, hairline cracks on the stone’s dark surface seem to momentarily deepen, as if they are fissures absorbing the ambient light. There is no glow or flash, merely a split-second optical illusion of greater depth and shadow within the stone itself.
Observer’s Perspective: There is no perceivable visual effect. To an observer, the user is simply holding or using a common polishing stone.
Positives: The complete lack of a visual cue provides perfect discretion. The item’s magic can be activated in plain sight during a conversation or formal event without anyone being the wiser.
Negatives: There is no visual confirmation for the user that the magic has worked; they must trust the other sensory cues. The item cannot be used to create any sort of visual signal.

Sound

User’s Perspective: You perceive a psychic “sound” rather than an audible one. It is the faint, internal sound of fine sand being ground against glass—a soft, scraping hum that seems to exist only inside your skull. It is the mental sound of smoothing over social friction.
Observer’s Perspective: The activation is perfectly silent.
Positives: The stone’s silent operation makes it ideal for use in quiet, tense social situations like a royal court, a formal negotiation, or during a whispered conversation.
Negatives: The lack of an audible cue means it cannot be used to signal an ally, and the internal sound, while subtle, could be a minor distraction during a complex conversation.

Smell

User’s Perspective: At the moment of activation, you are hit with a brief, phantom scent of ozone and warm metal. It is the distinct smell of a coin that has been held tightly in a nervous, sweaty palm—the smell of currency and anxious ambition.
Observer’s Perspective: There is no perceivable odor.
Positives: The unique scent serves as a discreet and personal confirmation that the magic has been triggered.
Negatives: The smell is not necessarily pleasant, carrying a slightly acrid and desperate undertone that can be a bit unsettling for the user.

Touch

User’s Perspective: This is the primary physical sensation. The stone, normally cool or at ambient temperature, floods with a deep, penetrating warmth. It is not the heat of a fire, but the specific, comforting warmth of approval, as if you are feeling the positive reaction you hope to create in your superior before it even happens.
Observer’s Perspective: There is no effect unless the observer is physically touching the stone, in which case they would feel a sudden, inexplicable rise in its temperature.
Positives: This provides the most reliable and unambiguous physical feedback that the stone’s magic is working. The sensation can be reassuring in a high-stress social situation.
Negatives: If the user is being searched, or is in physical contact with someone (even a simple handshake), the sudden change in temperature would be immediately noticed and highly suspicious.

Taste

User’s Perspective: Activation leaves a phantom taste at the back of your throat. It is the cloying, saccharine flavor of cheap, overly sweet wine or honeyed words, a physical manifestation of the insincere flattery you are about to dispense.
Observer’s Perspective: There is no effect.
Positives: It is another layer of absolute confirmation for the user that the magic is active.
Negatives: The cloying sweetness can be mildly nauseating and serves as a constant, unpleasant reminder of the sycophantic nature of the act being performed.

Extra-Sensory: Magical (Mind’s Eye)

User’s Perspective: Through your “Mind’s Eye,” the magic feels obsequious and fawning. It does not project outward with force; it “seeps” out from the stone and actively seeks the aura of the most powerful individual nearby to please. You feel your own magical signature being consciously suppressed, flattened, and made smaller, as if you are tucking it away to appear less threatening.
Observer’s Perspective: A magically-attuned individual would perceive a very strange phenomenon: a brief “dimming” of the user’s aura, as if they are intentionally making themselves magically insignificant. They might also detect a thin, probing tendril of magic, not aimed to attack, but to sample and appease the aura of the targeted superior.
Positives: The magical signature is so strange and subservient that it is unlikely to be identified as a hostile or even noteworthy spell. It appears more like a personal magical tic or a sign of a weak will.
Negatives: A powerful mage or astute magical investigator might find the user’s unnaturally “flattened” aura to be suspicious, flagging them as someone who is hiding something or using a strange form of social magic.

Extra-Sensory: Empathic/Social

User’s Perspective: You experience a sudden, overwhelming, and almost unpleasantly intimate flash of empathy with your target. You feel a direct sense of their ego, their immediate emotional state, and their deep-seated need for validation or respect. It is this raw data that allows you to perfectly tailor your next compliment or action.
Observer’s Perspective: An empath might feel a sudden, unnatural “pull” in the room, as if the user is a vacuum suddenly sucking up all the emotional residue surrounding a person of high status. It would feel intrusive and manipulative.
Positives: This provides the user with an incredibly accurate, unfiltered understanding of what their target wants to hear, making their flattery devastatingly effective.
Negatives: The empathic insight is a raw feed of another person’s ego and can be mentally disorienting. Feeling the sheer force of a powerful person’s narcissism or insecurity, even for a second, can be psychically taxing and may cause the user to momentarily lose their own sense of self.

Forging the Stone of Fawning

Materials Needed

One Unremarkable Stone: A palm-sized, perfectly smooth, dark river stone. It must be specifically chosen for its utter plainness, lacking any interesting color, shape, or texture. It represents the desire to be overlooked.
A Pinch of Fool’s Gold (Pyrite): A small nugget of pyrite, which must be ground into a fine, glittering powder. It embodies the concept of creating a false or exaggerated shine.
Three Petals of a Mimic-Bloom: The Mimic-Bloom is a common, pale wildflower whose petals will slowly take on the hue of the most vibrant flower nearby. The petals must be picked on Kupala Night while they are in the process of mimicking another flower, symbolizing the desire to reflect a superior’s glory.
A Personal Token: A small, flammable token from the person the user wishes to influence. A dropped thread from their cloak, a splinter of wood from their chair, or a bit of dried mud from their bootprint will suffice. This focuses the magic.
A Square of Undyed Wool Cloth: A simple, rough-spun woolen cloth, about the size of a hand. It will be used to perform the “first polish.”
Oily Bonfire Smoke: The smoke must be from the base of a true Kupala Night bonfire, where the wood is damp and the smoke is thick, black, and oily. This represents obscurity and the hiding of one’s true intentions.

Tools Required

Iron Fire-Tongs: A simple set of tongs for holding the stone in the fire’s smoke without burning oneself.
Unglazed Clay Bowl: A small bowl to be filled with cool water for the quenching ritual.
A Hard, Rough Stone: Used as a makeshift pestle to grind the pyrite into dust. A refined mortar and pestle is not to be used, as this is a craft of raw ambition, not refined alchemy.

Skill Requirements

Subterfuge or Deception (Practiced): The primary skill for this craft is not physical, but mental. The creator must have a practiced ability to mask their own intentions and project a false demeanor. The magic is fueled by the user’s own ambitious and sycophantic will.
Mind’s Eye (Sensitive): The creator must be able to focus their will into a singular, sharp point. They need to hold a clear and unwavering image of their superior in their mind, channeling their desire for favor and approval directly into the stone. No other crafting, alchemy, or herbalism skill is necessary.

Crafting Steps

Preparation: On the eve of Kupala Night, find a secluded, flat rock to serve as a grinding surface. Use the hard stone to crush the pyrite nugget into a fine, glittering dust. Place the three petals of the Mimic-Bloom and the personal token into the unglazed clay bowl and cover them with cool, clean water.
The Smoking: Approach a large, active Kupala Night bonfire. Using the iron tongs, hold the Unremarkable Stone not in the flames, but low to the ground, deep within the thickest, oiliest smoke. The stone must remain in the smoke for several minutes until it is hot to the touch and coated in a thin layer of black soot. Throughout this process, the creator must stare at the stone and softly chant the name, titles, and praises of the superior they wish to influence, focusing their ambition through their Mind’s Eye and into the stone.
The Quenching: Immediately after removing the stone from the smoke, while it is still hot, plunge it into the clay bowl of water. A loud hiss will rise, and the water will cloud with the soot from the stone and the essence of the petals. The personal token will often dissolve or char from the heat. This act seals the magic within the stone and attunes it to the concept of pleasing the targeted superior.
The First Polish: Leave the stone in the water until it is completely cool. Once removed, do not wipe it dry. Take the damp stone and the woolen cloth. Sprinkle the powdered Fool’s Gold onto the cloth. Now, perform the first act of subservience: use the magical stone to laboriously polish the glittering dust into the very fibers of the wool cloth until the cloth has a faint, unnatural shimmer and the stone is wiped clean of all soot.
Curing: The stone’s magic is now active. The accompanying woolen cloth, now imbued with the concept of “false shine,” should be kept with the stone and used as the physical tool for the “Honing the Compliment” ability. The stone itself requires no further curing and is ready for its discreet purpose.

Fable of the Stone That Polished Favor

And it came to pass, in the citadel of the sun-scorched mountains, there ruled a great man, General Kaelon, whose heart was a mirror and it loved its own face. His armor was brighter than all others, and his voice was a trumpet that enjoyed its own sound. To serve him was to serve a great fire, which gives warmth to those who praise its heat and burns those who remark upon its smoke.

In his shadow there moved a servant, his name was Tavin, his station was low. Tavin was not strong of arm nor quick of mind. His hands were for carrying, and his voice was for saying, “Yes, my General.” He watched as another servant, Lucian, who was clever and skilled, performed his duties with great talent. But the General’s eye did not see Lucian’s talent. The General’s ear did not hear Lucian’s quiet competence. Lucian’s work was good, but it did not praise the General, and so it was invisible.

Tavin’s ambition was a great hunger in a small belly. He wished for a higher station. He wished for the General’s eye to fall upon him and be pleased.

The time of the Kupala festival arrived, a night of great magic and fire. The General and his favored captains leaped through the tall flames to show their strength and bravery. They cast wreaths in the sacred pool to see their fortunes. Tavin watched from the darkness. He did not see cleansing in the fire, he saw power. He did not see the future in the water, he saw opportunity.

He went to the river that ran below the citadel and found a stone. It was dark and smooth and unremarkable. It showed no light of its own. It was like him. Tavin took this stone, and he did not go to the purifying flame. He went to the base of the bonfire, where the smoke was thick and black like secrets. He held the stone in the smoke with tongs of iron. He put his hunger for height into the stone. He bathed it in the secret breath of the fire. He spoke the General’s name and listed his victories, not as a prayer for the General, but as a lesson for the stone.

Then, while the stone was hot with dark purpose, he plunged it into a bowl of water. In the water he had placed a petal from a rose that grew in the General’s private garden, a thing he had stolen. The water screamed, and the stone was quenched, and the magic was sealed within.

The next day, General Kaelon was in a foul temper. His boots were stained with the mud of the training yard. He shouted, but Lucian was busy organizing the quartermaster’s logs, a task of great importance. Tavin saw his moment. He came forward and bowed low. He said nothing, but he took out his new stone and began to polish the General’s muddy boots. The stone felt warm in his hand. As he polished, he spoke. He spoke words that were not his own, but the stone’s words, and they were sweet. “My General,” Tavin said, “even the dirt of the earth wishes to cling to your boots, to be part of your great march to glory.”

The General, who was ready to kick, paused. The words felt true. They felt like his own thoughts. He looked down, and his boots shone with a luster that was deeper and richer than any polish had made before. He looked at Tavin, and for the first time, he truly saw him. He was pleased.

From that day, Tavin’s station began to rise. The stone in his pocket would grow warm when the General was happy, and cold when he was displeased, and so Tavin always knew what to say. He used the stone’s magic to feel the General’s small needs before the General felt them himself. He would appear with wine, with a map, with a favored weapon, always a moment before he was asked. His flattery, blessed by the stone, was always received as wisdom. The competent Lucian grew confused, for Tavin did no great work, yet he was praised. The stone did not give skill, but the appearance of devotion, which was more prized.

The time came for a great battle. Lucian, the skilled aide, presented a wise plan of caution and flanking maneuvers. The General listened, and his face was a cloud. Then Tavin, who knew nothing of war, stepped forward. He had polished the General’s helmet that morning. He said, “A wise plan, for a lesser commander. But you, Great General, are a storm. A storm does not need cunning, only the courage to strike! One bold, direct charge, a glorious strike that will be sung about for ages! That is a victory worthy of you!”

The General’s heart, which was a mirror, saw its own favored image in Tavin’s words. He declared Tavin’s plan the true one. He called Lucian a coward and demoted him to the stables. Tavin was given Lucian’s former station and stood by the General’s side, his plain stone warm in his pocket. And so the servant, with no skill but a hungry heart and a secret stone, rose to a great height on the polished words of flattery.

Moral of the story: A powerful man will sooner reward the mirror than the lamp.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu

The Acolyte’s Worry Stone

This is a smooth, dark river stone, unremarkable in every way except for the faint, heat-induced cracks on its surface. It is cool to the touch. Such stones have been found in the possession of junior members of various esoteric cults, seemingly used as a focus for meditation or a simple touchstone. Their true purpose is far more insidious.

Game Mechanics: An Investigator holding the stone can use it to manipulate and integrate themselves into hierarchical organizations.

Mood Indicator: When in the presence of an individual the Investigator perceives as a leader or superior, the stone subtly changes temperature to match their mood. It grows warm when the leader is pleased or receptive and cold when they are angry or displeased. This grants the Investigator one Bonus Die to any Psychology roll made to gauge that specific person’s emotional state.
Sincere Flattery: Once per day, the Investigator may make a statement of praise or deference to their target. The target must succeed on a Hard POW roll to resist the statement’s unnatural sincerity. If the roll fails, the target is convinced of the Investigator’s loyalty and admiration, granting a Bonus Die to the Investigator’s next Fast Talk or Persuade roll against them.

Cost to Sanity: Each time the “Sincere Flattery” power is used, the Investigator must make a Sanity roll (0/1 SAN loss), as their own identity is eroded by the act of projecting such profound, magical sycophancy.

Blades in the Dark

The Grooming Stone

A simple, dark pebble, smooth as glass. A worthless rock to most, but a key to power for a Spider, Whisper, or any scoundrel trying to manage a powerful patron or faction leader. They say if you polish a noble’s silver with one of these, you’re really polishing your own future. It takes up 1 Load.

Game Mechanics: This is a Fine tool used for social infiltration and manipulation.

Read the Mark: When you try to discern a powerful target’s immediate desires or disposition, you can Gather Information using Sway instead of a more conventional skill. You get +1 Effect to your roll. The GM will tell you what your target currently wants or what will make them happy.
Ingratiate: When you perform a minor service or offer a piece of flattery to a faction leader, you can mark one extra tick on that faction’s positive status clock. For example, if a successful Consort roll lets you mark 2 ticks, you can mark 3 instead.
Fade into the Livery: When you are in the presence of your patron or superior and are acting in a subservient role, you can choose to become socially invisible. You cannot be the target of threats, questions, or social actions unless you speak up or otherwise draw direct attention to yourself.

Dungeons & Dragons

The Squire’s Stone Wondrous item, common

This simple, palm-sized black river stone is worn perfectly smooth. It feels cool to the touch but grows noticeably warm in the presence of a creature with a strong, commanding personality.

Game Mechanics: While holding this stone, you have advantage on any Wisdom (Insight) check you make to determine the current mood or true intentions of a creature you perceive as your superior or leader.

In addition, you can use the stone to curry favor. Once per day, you can empower a single statement of flattery or praise you make to one creature. When you do, you make a Charisma (Persuasion) check with advantage. If you succeed, the target is charmed by your loyalty and sincerity. For the next hour, you have advantage on the next ability check you make to request a minor, non-harmful favor from that creature.

Knave

Toady Stone

Item Slot: 1

A dark, smooth river stone. It is completely unremarkable, except that it gets warm when powerful people are happy and cold when they are angry.

Game Mechanics:

Mood Ring: You always know the basic emotional state (e.g., pleased, angry, suspicious) of the most powerful person near you.
Pleasing Words: If you spend your turn physically polishing an item that belongs to a person while complimenting them, that person must Save versus Magic or be convinced of your absolute sincerity. A person so convinced is very likely to grant you small favors or overlook your minor mistakes.
Anticipate Needs: Once per day, you can hold the stone and ask the GM for one small, immediate thing your superior wants (e.g., a drink, a closed window, a specific tool).
Unseen Menial: As long as you are performing a subservient action (like cleaning, serving, or standing guard), enemies must Save versus Magic to view you as a threat or even notice you at all, unless you take hostile action.

Fate

The Mirror Pebble

This is not a powerful artifact in its own right, but a tool for leveraging the power of others. It is best represented as an Item Aspect that a character possesses, which opens up new narrative permissions and opportunities for invoking and compelling.

Aspect: Reflector of Greatness

Game Mechanics: A character with the Mirror Pebble can interact with this aspect in several ways:

Invoke: A player can spend a Fate Point to invoke Reflector of Greatness for a +2 bonus or a reroll. This is best used on Rapport or Deceive checks when trying to ingratiate oneself with a powerful Non-Player Character. It can also be used on an Empathy check to get an uncannily accurate read of what a superior wants to hear.
Compel: A GM can offer a Fate Point to compel the aspect. For example: “Your flattery is so effective that the Baron insists you stay by his side for the entire tedious feast, meaning you miss the opportunity to sneak away. That’s a complication because you are a Reflector of Greatness.”

Stunts Granted by the Pebble:

Perfect Compliment: Because I possess The Mirror Pebble, once per session, I can use my Deceive skill to Create an Advantage on a powerful target, representing their belief in my absolute sincerity. The aspect created is Utterly Loyal and Sincere.
Anticipated Need: Because I possess The Mirror Pebble, I can spend a Fate Point to declare that I have already anticipated and handled a minor, mundane need for my superior (such as fetching their preferred drink or a specific document), creating a Surprisingly Attentive situation aspect for the scene which I or my allies can invoke.

Numenera & Cypher System

Ego-Resonator

This artifact of the prior worlds is a smooth, dark, ovoid stone made from a non-reflective, bio-receptive material. It functions as a low-frequency psychic amplifier, sampling the ego and desires of a target and feeding a filtered version back to the user, allowing them to craft the perfect response.

Level: 4 Form: A palm-sized, smooth black stone that is always warm to the touch. Effect: A character holding the stone is considered trained in all social interaction tasks based on etiquette, flattery, or discerning the moods of others.

The artifact has two active functions:

Sincere Flattery: The user can focus on a target they are speaking with. The stone then emits a subtle psychic frequency that makes the user’s words of praise feel profoundly genuine to the target. This is an Intellect-based action. On a success, the target’s disposition toward the user is shifted by one positive step for the next hour.
Need Divination: By concentrating on a single, powerful individual for one minute, the user receives a short, clear mental image of a simple, non-secret task they can perform to gain favor (e.g., fetching a specific tool, adjusting the lighting in the room, chasing off a minor annoyance).

Depletion: 1 in 1d10 (Check each time Sincere Flattery is used).

Pathfinder

The Courtier’s Polishing Stone Item 3 Uncommon, Magical, Divination, Enchantment Price 60 gp Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk L

This smooth, dark river stone seems unremarkable, but it is a common, if well-hidden, tool in the political arenas of Absalom and the courts of Taldor. The stone feels cool to the touch but warms in the presence of those with great personal authority.

Game Mechanics: Passive: You have a constant, imprecise sense of the general mood (positive, negative, or neutral) of the creature with the highest level within 30 feet of you. This allows you to use the Sense Motive action of the Perception skill as a free action once per round, but only targeting that specific creature.

Activate [two-actions] Interact, Command; Frequency once per hour; Effect You must be physically polishing an item belonging to a creature while speaking words of praise to them. For the next 10 minutes, your flattery is magically potent towards that creature. You gain a +1 item bonus to Diplomacy checks to Make an Impression on them or to Request something of them. If you critically succeed on your check to Make an Impression, the creature’s attitude toward you improves by two steps instead of one.

Savage Worlds

The Yes-Man’s Stone

A simple, dark river rock. They say if you carry one of these in the court of a king, you’ll never have to worry about your head—unless he finds out you have it. It’s a tool for the ambitious and the cowardly, and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.

Game Mechanics:

Mood Ring: The character holding the stone automatically knows the general mood (pleased, angry, neutral) of the character with the highest Status or Rank in the immediate vicinity. This grants the user a +1 bonus to Notice rolls to perceive that person’s shifting attitudes or tells.
Magic Words: Once per session, the user can polish an item belonging to a superior while delivering a line of flattery. This act of sycophancy is so effective it generates a Conviction token for the user. This token represents the superior’s temporary but powerful favor.
Ignore Me: When an enemy attacks a group that includes the user and their superior, the user can spend a Benny to force the enemy to target someone else. This effect only works if the user has been acting in a subservient manner and has not taken any hostile actions.

Shadowrun

The Sycophant’s Weasel Stone

A small, unassuming river stone, often cleverly integrated into a piece of corporate jewelry like a tie-pin or cufflink. On the street, this fetish is known as a “weasel stone” for its ability to help its owner slip out of trouble and into a superior’s good graces. It’s a low-level magical tool for the ambitious wageslave or the desperate shadowrunner trying to manage a demanding Johnson.

Game Mechanics:

Type: Enchanting Focus (Fetish)
Force: 2

Passive Mood-Reader: The fetish gives the user a constant, subtle sense of the emotional state of a single person they designate as their “superior.” This grants the user a +1 dice pool bonus on all Judge Intentions (Charisma + Intuition) tests made against that target.

Active Abilities:

Sincere Flattery: As a Minor Action, the user can activate the fetish. For the next minute, their words of praise or agreement directed at their designated target are magically enhanced to seem deeply sincere. This grants a +2 dice pool bonus to all Negotiation or Etiquette tests with that target. The active fetish has a faint astral signature.
Anticipate Need: Once per run, the user may touch the fetish to receive a brief, symbolic mental image representing a minor, immediate desire of their target (e.g., an image of a specific brand of soykaf, a bottle of aspirin, a data file). At the GM’s discretion, fulfilling this need in a timely manner may grant the player 1 point of Edge.

Starfinder

The Steward’s Pebble Level 3; Price 1,400 credits Slot none; Bulk —

This smooth, dark stone always feels faintly warm. It is a common, if secret, tool among the political aides, corporate assistants, and senior staff aboard the starships of powerful captains throughout the Pact Worlds. It is said to help one navigate the treacherous currents of a superior’s moods.

Game Mechanics:

Passive Insight: While holding this stone, you gain a +2 insight bonus on all Sense Motive checks made to discern the mood of creatures with a CR higher than your character level.
Active Agreement: Once per day, as a reaction when a creature you can see and hear makes a demand or states an opinion, you can activate the pebble. Your immediate agreement seems exceptionally enthusiastic and loyal. For the next hour, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks made to improve that specific creature’s attitude towards you.
Anticipate Desire: Once per day as a standard action, you can focus on one creature you can see. You instantly learn of one minor, mundane thing that would please them at that moment (for instance, a specific type of beverage, a change in the room’s lighting, or a moment of quiet).

Traveller

Solomani Subservience Stone

An artifact from the early, politically turbulent days of the Solomani Confederation. These psionically-imprinted stones were allegedly used by junior party members to survive the whims of powerful, paranoid superiors. To an outside observer, it is just a river rock, but psionic analysis reveals it subtly reads and manipulates the brainwaves associated with authority and approval. It is considered a TL 13 psionic device.

Game Mechanics:

Passive Mood Assessment: The holder of the stone has a constant, general sense (Good, Neutral, or Bad) of the mood of the individual with the highest Social Standing within 10 meters. This grants DM+1 on any social skill check made to interact with that person.
Active Flattery: The user can spend a round discreetly polishing the stone while focusing on a target. For the next 10 minutes, any attempt to use the Persuade skill on that target by offering flattery or deferring to their judgment gains DM+2.
Favorable Foresight: Once per session, the user can attempt a Difficult (10+) Psionics check to receive a brief, clear vision of a minor action they can take within the next minute to gain significant favor with a specific target. A character without psionic training may attempt this as a Very Difficult (12+) check.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

The Polished Lie

A smooth, black stone that is always cool to the touch, except when in the presence of a person of great power or authority, when it becomes uncomfortably warm. It is a tool for courtiers in the treacherous palaces of Altdorf and Nuln. Pious priests of Sigmar condemn them, claiming they corrupt the soul by rewarding vanity, a sin beloved by the Dark Prince Slaanesh.

Game Mechanics:

Encumbrance: 0
Qualities: Magical, Tainted (Minor)

Passive: You have an uncanny sense of the current disposition (friendly, neutral, hostile) of the character with the highest Status Tier within speaking distance. This grants you a +10 bonus to all Intuition Tests made to specifically assess that powerful individual’s mood.

Active: Once per day, you may spend at least one minute polishing an object belonging to your target (their seal, their sword’s pommel, their silver goblet) while speaking quiet words of praise. For the remainder of the day, any Charm or Gossip Test you make that is intended to please that specific target or praise them to others automatically gains one (+1) additional Success Level, which is added after all other calculations.

Corruption: This item offers a dangerous shortcut to power. Every time a character uses the active ability of The Polished Lie, they must make a Challenging (+0) Cool Test. If they fail, they gain 1 Corruption Point as they sacrifice a piece of their integrity for personal gain.