Greatbow (Exotic Weapon – 2d6 damage, x3 crit, 110 ft. range increment, piercing)
Magic Weapon +1
Market Price: 12,800 gp
Caster Level: 7th
Aura: Moderate Illusion and Transmutation
Description:
Whisperfang is a weapon forged by and for the Tal-Shie, the long-limbed enemy race known for their unnatural elegance, eerie silence, and brutal efficiency in ambush. The bow itself is too large and too stiff for normal humanoids—even strong humans find it unusable without extreme training or magical assistance. Rhyll, however, is one of the few who can wield it naturally, thanks to her physiology and training.
Made of folded dusk-iron and reinforced with ashbone grown from the bones of shadow-walkers, the bow’s arms flex tight arcs. The string is a single length of tendon, said to have been harvested from a creature that exists between worlds, and vibrates at a frequency inaudible to mortals.
Special Abilities:
1. Whispering String (Constant – Minor Illusion):
Whisperfang fires in absolute silence. Even at full draw, it makes no sound. Attacks with Whisperfang do not break Hide or Move Silently, and opponents trying to locate the wielder by sound suffer a –5 penalty on Listen checks. Missed arrows leave no audible trace unless they strike metal or stone.
2. Ghostflight (3/day – Swift Action):
As a swift action, the wielder can invoke one of the Tal-Shie command sigils carved into the limb of the bow. The next arrow fired becomes invisible in flight and partially incorporeal. It ignores up to +4 of cover bonuses, imposes a –2 AC penalty to the target, and denies Dexterity to AC unless the target has Uncanny Dodge or a special sense (like blindsense or tremorsense).
3. Scout’s Mark (Passive):
Targets struck by Whisperfang are momentarily tagged with a faint ghostlight shimmer visible only to the wielder. For 1 minute, Rhyll gains a +5 bonus on Survival checks to track the target, and a +2 bonus on Spot checks to locate them in concealment, dim light, or underbrush. This shimmer cannot be seen or perceived by the target or others.
Ammunition:
Whisperfang is not compatible with standard arrows. It requires specially sized, long-shafted arrows—nearly 1.5 times the length and thickness of a typical human arrow. Rhyll crafts her own, carefully balancing the draw weight and magical tension of the bow. Her handmade arrows function perfectly, but those of true Tal-Shie origin unlock deeper power within the weapon.
Tal-Shie Arrows
Arrows recovered from slain Tal-Shie scouts, if intact, resonate more deeply with the bow’s original enchantments.
When fired from Whisperfang, Tal-Shie arrows:
- Increase base damage by +1 (2d6+1)
- Extend the Ghostflight effect by an additional 10 ft. of range increment (120 ft. for that shot)
- Cause targets struck during a surprise round to suffer a –2 penalty to Will saves for 1 round (as the ancient dread imbued in the shaft gnaws at their mind)
Tal-Shie arrows are rare and fragile. Each has a 25% chance to break on impact (standard rule unless using magical quivers or preservation techniques).
Lore:
Whisperfang was claimed in the frantic, blood-drenched dusk of the war’s final days—not gifted, not found, but taken. Rhyll earned it in a silent, three-day duel among the ash-crowned trees of the Shaleweald. Her opponent was a Tal-Shie shade-sniper, one of their elite: faceless, tireless, nearly myth. The Tal-Shie had already killed six scouts, all from over a hundred paces, all without sound or trace. But Rhyll found her.
The battle left no witnesses. No words. Only one emerged from the trees.
The bow was still warm when Rhyll pried it from the dead woman’s fingers—longer than any human weapon, cruelly curved, and made for fingers not quite like hers. It resisted her touch at first. But then the string whispered, and the limbs flexed. The bow knew her now.
Since that day, Whisperfang has been hers. Though it still hums with Tal-Shie power and the memory of a silent enemy, it now serves a new hunter—one who stalks their remnants with the same deadly patience.
Shermans fantasy world 