Its story
A palm-sized slab of dark slate rests cool and heavy in the hand, its pale vein running through the stone like a thread of moonlight beneath water. When held against bare skin, it hums with a note too low to hear, felt instead as a faint pressure in the palm and teeth.
Lore
The Hush-Rock Keepers say the Stone may be a chip from the rock the First Listener found, or a faithful copy carved by the Grave-Carvers. They do not agree on its origin, but agree it must be kept safe. Its listening offers no answer about what a seal holds.
History
The Stone’s maker and earliest bearer are unknown. The Hush-Rock Keepers have guarded it through generations, preserving both accounts of its origin without choosing between them. They lend it only to those whose Standing with them is at least +2, and expect it returned at the end of the book. Losing it reduces Standing with the Keepers by 2; returning it earns their gratitude and increases Standing by 1. A party that keeps it receives only their silence. Its Awakened and Ascendant stages are reserved for Book 3.