Full Item Description

The Lover's Rock is a polished chunk of granite with liquid platinum veins. It is the size and shape of a cantaloupe and has the appearance of an oversized paperweight.

History

Chunks of granite with platinum veins were very popular with the royals. Eventually, King Dromid and Queen Rosamund requested to have this granite polished and laid down as the primary flooring for Helen's Grace, their summer palace in the country. They enjoyed all their summer months there and their young daughter, Princess Regent Caleeste, had a special affinity for it. Because the mining of the granite takes so long, each room gets new flooring approximately 6 months to a year.

At some point one of the miners noticed a chunk of granite that was a little different than the others. Instead of a stagnant line of platinum, this piece of granite had what appeared to be liquid platinum that literally flowed through the granite like blood veins. The head miner, knowing that the king and queen loved this particular type of granite, decided to have the mineral polished and shaped as a gift to the king and queen instead of having it added to the flooring. The king and queen were extremely pleased and delighted by this gift. The king kept the granite at his desk in the study in Helen's Grace.

One winter evening, the palace steward was dusting the king's study and found himself entranced by the granite before he eventually passed out. After a period of time, he awoke in his own bed next to his wife. He rolled over in confusion and saw that his wife's head had been bashed in. Blood and brain matter was smeared all over the pillow and bed. The steward, in shock, screamed for help. Upon seeing the blood all over the stewards body and hands, the guards immediately arrested him. The palace doctor had noted that a heavy, blunt object had been used to kill the victim. However, there was no obvious weapon nearby. Further investigations revealed another side to the steward's wife, and that she had a secret lover another servant in the household. Although the lover did not come under suspicion, the authorities had found their motive and the steward was eventually tried and put to death. To his death, the steward denied killing his wife or having any knowledge of his wife's secret life.

Newsflash!

Murder in Helen's Grace

Berlynn and Erthun, a happily married couple said others, both worked in the king and queen's summer home. However, a shocking revelation revealed that things were not so great in the servants' quarters. Erthun, palace steward, had killed his wife in the middle of the night with a blunt object. Erthun had discovered that his wife of twelve years had been seeing another man. Taking swift justice, the royal guards tried and executed Erthun.

Some ten years later, another similar and horrifying incident occurred. Princess Regent Caleeste had reached a courtship age. There were a number of nobles out to gain the hand of Caleeste, but there were two in particular. Duke Ulowyn of Oran had grand estates that will add to her future reign. He was a much older than she was but he was, but he was charming and worldly. Her other choice was Knight Champion Agur the Fair. Though he was born of lower nobility, he made a name for himself when he rescued Queen Rosamund from a kidnapping scheme.

Knowing her position in life, Caleeste tried to give more attention to Ulowyn and she eventually fell in love with him. The wedding was to take place in Helen's Grace. Two weeks before the wedding Ulowyn, his immediate family, and a handful of servants temporarily moved into the summer palace to start preparing for the wedding festivities. Caleeste spent most nights staring at the beautiful granite, contemplating her life as a wife. The platinum liquid would turn and churn like lava entrancing her mind.

The fantasy wedding was shattered by confusion and horror. Caleeste awoke the next morning to find she was sleeping in the nude. She also realized that her bedclothes, now bloody, were lying on the ground. Confused, she avoided her morning maid and hid the gown.

By now, the news of Duke Ulowyn's murder was rampant in the palace. He had been found by one of his servants, a woman. Suspicion was immediately drawn to the servant who, after screaming bloody murder, was found half-naked by the others. Ulowyn's head had been smashed in. Some of the older servants in the palace remembered the incident ten years prior but they kept their mouths shut as the palace guards attempted to discover what had happened. It was soon discovered that the servant woman was having regular relations with Ulowyn's during his visit. The princess, completely unaware of this fact, was horrified and threw herself into seclusion for the next two years. King Dromid, unable to produce the murderer through real proof, needed a scapegoat in order to keep relations with the province of Oran. The maid was tried and executed for the murder.

Newsflash!

Final Farewell to Duke Ulowyn - National Hero

It was a sad day for Princess Regent Caleeste when it was revealed to her that her intended, Duke Ulowyn of Oran, had been brutally murdered in his sleep by a serving girl. Grand Duchess Tirann, Ulowyn's mother, had pleaded to King Dromid to take immediate action and retribution for her son. After weeks of evidence gathering, the royal guard found proof that the young serving girl was sent as an assassin to get close to the royal family but was infiltrated by the heroic duke first. Duke Ulowyn of Oran was given a hero's funeral by his family.

Princess Regent Caleeste kept in regular contact with Knight Champion Agur in hopes that she might find love again. After two years, that happened again. Caleeste and Agur were married in a private ceremony at Agur's home, Eagle Ride Castle. The couple spent a few nights at Agur's castle before moving on to Helen's Grace for a more formal honeymoon. King Dromid traveled back to his palace in the city while Queen Rosamund stayed with the couple for a week before making arrangements to go back to the city.

Again, tragedy struck. This time, Queen Rosamund was found with her barely recognizable head shattered. However, this time the killer was seen. Agur, Rosamund's lover, had woken up during the killing to see his wife, Caleeste, committing the evil deed. Using all his might, Agur wrestled Caleeste to the ground and noticed she was in a trancelike state. As quietly as he could, Agur cleaned Caleeste up as well as the large chunk of granite in her hands that he recognized. Agur covered up the event by throwing Rosamund's body out the tower window. When Caleeste came out of her trance, she was completely unaware of what had occurred. Agur, without his wife's permission, immediately had the chunk of granite removed from the palace.

Newsflash!

Accident at Helen's Grace

The nation mourns the loss of Queen Rosamund who had accidentally fallen to her death in her summer home. She was celebrating the marriage of her daughter Princess Regent Caleeste to Knight Champion Agur. Although there were no witnesses, it was apparent that the queen had somehow lost her balance while looking out a tower window when she fell. King Dromid, crushed by this news, has already begun discussions to step down as king in order to coronate Princess Regent Caleeste.

Magic/Cursed Properties

The liquid platinum inside the granite is the source of its power. Somewhat sentient, the liquid platinum will capture the senses of anyone who stares at it for a length of time. The platinum will look for signs of adultery or treachery associated with the mesmerized person. More specifically, it can only know this information if all parties are within a quarter-mile radius of the granite chunk.

The mesmerized person will then be compelled to kill with the chunk of granite. The granite will gain more power through the bloodshed, sucking in any speck of blood or flesh hanging to it. The mesmerized person will also place the granite back where it was found before heading back to their bed to sleep off their trance.

Side Note

If a DM needs a reason for players to discover some truth of adultery or treachery, this device could be used. Today this destructive item can be found in a museum, noble's home, or if you're daring the black market.

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