Canonfire! - Magic of the Amedio 1: The Bone Slivers of Ixabna

In recent years, especially those leading up to the Greyhawk Wars, the Amedio Jungle has yielded a vast assortment of strange magical items to explorers from the Flanaess. Come to the workshop of arcanologist Shandra Malth and learn about one of these items, which grants wondrous battle prowess to those who can stomach the pain of activating it.

Author: chatdemon

Magic of the Amedio 1: The Bone Slivers of Ixabna
By chatdemon (chatdemon@hotmail.com)
(Used with permission. Do not repost or redistribute without the express permission of the author.)

Bone Sliver of Ixabna
Description: Tatooing and Body piercing are common forms of decoration among the people of the jungles, whose homeland's climate prevents the wearing of the fancy clothing seen elsewhere in the Flanaess. It is said that this habit came from the god Ixabna himself, who often decorates himself with bits of bone, claws and teeth taken from creatures he has slain. In this tradition, young warriors are often rewarded for their first kill by the tribe's shaman, who enchants a sliver of bone from his kill to act as a channel for the power of the spirit of his foe, who repays this gesture of honor by aiding the warrior in his battles.
The Slivers are 1 or 2 inch needles of bone that are pierced through the wearer's body, usually an ear, lip, nose or brow (but sometimes other, more painful places). The ritual of activation is excessively painful, although the Olman people are skilled in the use of herbal anesthetics, the nature of this item forbids the use of such medicines, or any magic to deaden pain, in the ritual. To 'wear' the item and enjoy it's powers, the character must make a DC 15 fortitude save. Failure means the ritual failed, and must be attempted again. Players may not take 10 or take 20 on this check.

Shandra's Analysis: As you've surmised, this item is crafted of bone, human bone if I'm not mistaken. It is the tradition of the hunters and warriors of the Olman tribes to collect a bone from the corpse of their first kill. This trophy would then be fashioned into a piece of body jewelry such as you have here. It is said that the god Ixabna blesses those who honor their enemies or prey in such ways, and granted them mystic skill in battle.
The trinket has a strong aura of divination magic, leading me to believe that it grants its wearer augmented skill in battle. The 'mud' you claimed has stained it actually appears to be blood. Whether it be the blood of the person it was cut from, or that of one of its owners is your guess as well as mine. The tiny etchings along the sliver are a bit worn, but seem to be words from the ancient runic script of the Olman people, a prayer of sorts beckoning Ixabna to accept the warrior this bone was cut from into the empire of the afterlife, and sealing a bond between the spirit of the dead with that of his killer, forging two warrior spirits into one, which I would assume is believed to create a stronger warrior spirit within the living half of that bond, making him a better combatant.
If you wish to part with the sliver, the guild is prepared to offer you 50 lions for it...

Powers:
3E: The wearer recieves an insight bonus of +2 to all attacks using his primary weapon (which must be chosen at the time the Sliver is gained). Once per day the wearer may negate any miss chance effect caused by a concealed target.
1E/2E: The wearer gains a bonus of +2 to his THAC0 while using one weapon he is proficient in (which is specified upon gaining the Sliver and may not be changed). Once per day, he may reroll any 1 failed attack roll.
Caster Level: 4
Prerequisite: Craft Wondrous Item, True Strike
Weight: 1/10 pound
XP Value/Cost: 250
GP Value/Market Price: 1500

Author's notes:
The god Ixabna is detailed in my Amedio Lore 3: The 'other' Amedio Gods article. If you choose not to use the pantheon described in that article, you could easily replace Ixabna with Hextor or Huitzilopochtli in this item's description.
The NPC Shandra Malth is described in my NPC Profile: Shandra Malth, Sage of Amedio Magic article. In the comments attached to that article, you'll find my notes on how to use her, and her analysis of the items in this series, in your game.