Stones of Falsetelling

This set of three dozen stone discs is used in a form of foretelling. Each disc has a different symbol which hold great meaning for fortune tellers. Most such sets are little more than pebbles with symbols crudely carved into them, but this set was more carefully made. Each stone is a perfectly round disc of what seems to be white marble. The stones are all identical in size and weight, and rather than having the symbols carved into them, the symbols appear part of the smooth surface of the disc.

History

This first record of this set is in the fourth Empire of Trem when it was used by Pelith of the Clouded Sight. Pelith was once a well respected seer, consulted by the great and powerful. Teremon wrote that Pelith often used these stones in his work, and that the set was much admired. Pelith would never say where he acquired the stones and interest in them waned after the fall of the Belerins, which Teremon tells us was directly caused by one of Pelith's foretellings.
The stones were next mentioned in a description of Balri and their use by Vincel Domar, a seer popular with the noble houses at tha time. Vincel's predictions were invariably accurate and several copies of the stones were made so that the nobles could pretend to make predictiosn for themselves. One noble, Liron of Berrymead, wasn't content with a mere copy and had Vincel murdered for the stones. Despite years of studying the art of divination Liron badly misread the stones and his lands fell into ruin.
By the time the stones fell into the hands of Clover Wetherfield there was a suspicion that they might not be all that reliable. Clover therefore spent months testing the stones against other methods and found them to be accurate in all cases. She continued to declare this certainty even as she was led to her execution for falsely accusing the sister of King Reisind of Filishar of treason.

Significance

The stones were created by the Sylvan Trickster as one of their many pranks. The stones hold the power of divination within them and allow the user to make accurate predictions. However, they also exert an influence on the one using them, gradually convincing that persion that the stones are infallible and that any major decisions can only be made through use of the stones. When a major decision does come up the stones will then provide an answer that is likely to bring ruin to the user.

Using the stones

All 36 stones in a pouch and the person who wants a foretelling takes 6 without looking and places them in another pouch or box. The 6 stones are shaken and then scattered by upending the container. The stones selected, and their positions and orientations allow a skilled fortuneteller to interpret the future.

Item type

Magical

Creator

Sylvan Trickster