Cat's Paw Artifact?

[DeepShadow of FoS]

This artifact's description in LotB states that it is part of a larger artifact that was broken in pieces and scattered. Are any of these other pieces to be found in other books?

I think one good candidate would be the Singing Bone in Valachan, in the inn that bears its name. It's a giant panther claw that has been carved into a flute, possibly picked up by the proprieter Olaf Halffen during his former days as an adventurer.

[Steve Miller]

This artifact's description in LotB states that it is part of a larger artifact that was broken in pieces and scattered. Are any of these other pieces to be found in other books?

There's nothing official about the other pieces of the larger artifact the Cat's Paw is a fragment of. While I was toying with the notion of putting one into the hypothetical "Seas" GAZ (tying Hiregaard's granddaughter to a sea voyage was part of that set-up), nothing ever came of it.

Like so many other elements I tossed into the RL setting, the Big Picture is something that is there for your to fill in.

[Grigg_Deadbreaker]

At one time I had several items based upon tha "Cat Lord" that the Paka held sacred. The artifacts had been scattered, and anyone that came into possession of one would find themselves the target of repeated attacks from the cat people.

The only item I remember was the Cat Lord's Claw. A longsword Nine Lives Stealer. The major power of the blade was to ressurrect it's wielder should he fall in battle while holding the blade. Of course, in order for the ressurrection to occur the holder would have to have stolen the souls of nine people. In addition, each time the wielder was ressurrected, he would automatically fail a powers check, becoming more catlike as he kept cheating death.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

I like the concept of the sword--consider it stolen for my games!

Still, I'm not sure if I like the idea of the Cat's Paw being part of a collection, like a feline version of the Regalia of Arak. OTOH, I'm not sure how to combine a mummified paw with other objects, a la the Rod of Seven Parts.

Maybe the Paw was a talisman that was supposed to adorn something else?

[The Giamarga]

Or maybe all items are part of certain cat/paka similar to Vecna's hand and eye and other body parts? Maybe the paka is still alive, missing a paw, or it is a mummy now. Or all the other parts are magic items now too. You would have to make up the story of said paka then. Is it the Cat Lord himself perhaps?

I like the concept of the sword myself too. Did you consider that it could simply grant the feats Cat's Eyes (from the Valachan Gaz) and Nine Lives (from... VRA?). Slap on minor intelligence and a few spell-likes and you're done. Or maybe it could make the wearer into a werepanther (Valachan Gaz) How is the sword and indeed how are paka seen in the Valachani Religion ?

[The Giamarga]

This artifact's description in LotB states that it is part of a larger artifact that was broken in pieces and scattered. Are any of these other pieces to be found in other books?

I think one good candidate would be the Singing Bone in Valachan, in the inn that bears its name. It's a giant panther claw that has been carved into a flute, possibly picked up by the proprieter Olaf Halffen during his former days as an adventurer.

What properties does the Singing Bone have? Also making a flute from a claw seems a bit strange to me. Why not make it the forearm-bone.

[Grigg_Deadbreaker]

I like the concept of the sword myself too. Did you consider that it could simply grant the feats Cat's Eyes (from the Valachan Gaz) and Nine Lives (from... VRA?). Slap on minor intelligence and a few spell-likes and you're done. Or maybe it could make the wearer into a werepanther (Valachan Gaz) How is the sword and indeed how are paka seen in the Valachani Religion ?

Actually I came up with the sword long before the gazzeteers or the VRA came out.

I went through some of my old notes last night, but I couldn't find anything on the sword. I do believe that I had intelligence and ego, but unless I find the notes I don't know for sure.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

What properties does the Singing Bone have? Also making a flute from a claw seems a bit strange to me. Why not make it the forearm-bone.

Funny, I was under the impression that it was the forearm bone, but perhaps not. I'll check the text again to see if my OP assumed something unstated, but one option would be to make the flute a shalm--a split flute, with each digit being a separate flute body.

[The Giamarga]

Maybe my english is lacking? I thought a claw to be, well, like the hand or even the sharp nails if you want of a cat's.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Unless it's a dire tiger's claw, I doubt you could carve a whole flute from a claw (= nail) alone. Plus, the name probably wouldn't be "Singing Bone" if there's no bone tissue in the item. Perhaps the ulna is the flute, and the mummified paw (with claws) has been left attached to its distal end?

FWIW, I hadn't gotten the impression that the claw/flute in question was a magic item. It's the inn that bears the "Singing Bone" title, not the object itself; the flute sounds more like a mundane curio or trophy. (If it were magic, wouldn't Von Kharkov's minions have concocted some excuse to confiscate it? He's paranoid, and it's on public display.)

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Unless it's a dire tiger's claw, I doubt you could carve a whole flute from a claw (= nail) alone.

I agree. My version will be a whole forearm.

FWIW, I hadn't gotten the impression that the claw/flute in question was a magic item. It's the inn that bears the "Singing Bone" title, not the object itself; the flute sounds more like a mundane curio or trophy. (If it were magic, wouldn't Von Kharkov's minions have concocted some excuse to confiscate it? He's paranoid, and it's on public display.)

Of course, but if it is magical, no one may have figured that out yet. From the sound of it, they don't ever play it, and many artifacts appear ordinary until the right circumstances unlock the powers. It may not even detect as magical.

[Isabella]

Unless it's a dire tiger's claw, I doubt you could carve a whole flute from a claw (= nail) alone.

That seemed to be what S was suggesting, as she said the size of the claw meant it had to come from a beast almost 35 feet long.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Good point! It'll be from a single claw IMC, and definitely one of the artifacts.

My next thought: how were these supposed to be combined together? The description of the Cat's Paw doesn't suggest it might physically be part of something bigger. I don't like the idea of another Regalia of Arak scenario. What if they were all independent, but could be used in succession to cause some effect none of them could do themselves? Maybe they are all keys to awaken a major mummy, or whatnot?