Artifacts

This really isn't my thing.  I usually stumble across these things when I'm researching, and if they're at all relevant, I add them into the campaign.  But I'll add a few things here as I stumble across them.

Theotokos of Kazan

A Holy Icon possessed by the Russian Orthodox Church, located in the city of Kazan in the Grand Duchy of Moskovy. It has no Earthly origin or manufacture, and was in fact found on July 8, 1579, in the underground of the city by a young girl, who learned of its location as told by the Virgin Mary in a vision. It is said that the Icon was revealed in order to preserve Mother Russia against all enemies, so that it should never be conquered again as it was by the Tatars.

The Icon enables the invocation of the Virgin Mary, so that the Icon may be used to heal (as the clerical spell), up to 100 persons per day. Mere possession of the Icon provides +2 to hit, damage and morale checks to all within one mile of the artifact. It has been said by some that upon the invocation of the Icon that the Virgin Mary is visible to the purest of heart and the most innocent, particularly children, and that she can be spoken to and will answer with perfect augury. The Icon will cure blindness, deafness, disease and those born lame or suffering from a bodily disorder that has been possessed since birth.

The Ardebil Carpet

Completed during the rule of the Safavid Shah Tahmasp I in the mid-16th century, measuring 38’ long by 18’ wide. The inscription upon the carpet, “I have no refuge in the world other than thy threshold; there is no protection for my head other than this door,” reveals it’s use. Created as a means to converse with the prophet Mohammed or to present oneself in the presence of Allah, the carpet will allow transport to any plane of existence or to any place in the Prime Material Plane, for as many as the carpet will allow, merely by kneeling, facing the direction of Mecca and speaking the invocation.  A second invocation will return the user back to the carpet.

The Taurlobolic Altar of Lugdenum (lost)

Built in the French city of Lyon, the Taurobolic Altar was used by the Romans for the practice of sacrificing bulls in order to restore health, remove or place curses, or in some cases grant wishes. When a full-grown bull was sacrificed upon the sacred altar in the name of Cybele, the High Priestess designated the “Great Mother,” who would stand beneath the Altar and be drenched in the ‘blood pit’ ... and thereafter would be granted the powers of Cybele for a period of time that would allow the Mother to declare her singular will.

The altar has been lost, and yet it is certainly located within the boundaries of the city of Lyon, though many have tried to find it to no avail.