Child's Coin
This ancient silver coin bears a child's head on one side and a figure with a bow on the other with the inscription in an equally-ancient language that translates to two proper names. It has seen many hands, but it remains in excellent shape for its age. It radiates enchantment magic.
The Child's Coin enters a life at random, usually found in a stream or casually tossed in a street performer's hat. It age catches the eye, and people usually regard it as a token of good luck. It embodies impatient wanderlust, and it wants to be activated. To this end, odd turns of phrase tend to come into the mind of whoever carries it.
When flipped by a sentient being (the flipper) while saying the phrase "Out of the mouths of babes" (one of the turns of phrase it projects into its holder's mind), the magic in the coin activates, altering the user somehow before disappearing and teleporting across the world, wandering on to its next host.
If it lands on heads, the flipper gains an insight into a simple truth that has been hidden in plain sight or accepts something long rejected by the flipper as something that can't possibly be true. Sometimes this provides some sort of minor benefit or new use of a skill. For example, realizing humans are creatures of habit and allowing the flipper to use a Nature roll to predict where a guard will next pass by without studying the guard's habits beforehand. It might also manifest in the character's narrative, possibly a way to remove a phobia or the acceptance of a previously-forbidden love.
If it lands on tails, the flipper loses all fears and inhibitions for the next hour. This could lead to situations like wanting to take on a far-too-powerful dragon because the fight sounds fun, taking the lord's scepter because it looks really cool, or something as simple as deciding their armor is too hot and going bottomless down the high street in town. Toddler logic dominates their thoughts for an hour, however that manifests for that particular character. Usually a long period of shame and embarrassment follow the hour of lowered inhibitions, but again this will vary wildly by character.
Prompt: Child, #3 in the 31-part Dicember 2021 challenge, as created by Brian Bird and promoted by Dyson Logos. Wombat's Dicember 2021 List of Posts.
#Dicember2021
Image credit: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc., CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
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