I'm getting the itch to actually contribute something here, so figured I'd run my currently best-formed idea through here. Hoping to get some feedback on if I'm heading in the right direction for my first attempt - and to make sure I didn't miss anything too similar already on the site.
I'm envisioning it as a stone statue, 2-3 feet tall, reminiscent of Buddha (but with some unexpected differences), exhibiting the anomalous effect of completely nullifying peoples' comprehension of language in some manner (currently thinking some range of effect). Not just preventing them from speaking, writing, or being able to read or comprehend audio, but extending to the point of being unable to think in any form of language. Potentially quite useful for meditation purposes, which I'd tie into the items' history and appearance.
Exploring the complexity of trying to deal with this object when it's effectively preventing people from employing one of our key advances as a species that puts us above other animals seems intriguing. How But I'm not sure if it would be interesting enough. And trying to figure out what counts as a language for this purpose could be troublesome - and likely necessary. (hieroglyphics? emoji? pointing? math?)
