Dark Whisper

It is a lot of power, but I really can't deal with it anymore. So yes, I am selling it. There is no trick. You heard the whispers. So are you buying it or not?

— a mage with nightmares after using the talisman

  This small talisman does not look like much. It is a rough, carved piece of dragon bone. Its form is a disk, and made from a piece of bone that was probably not big enough for a full disk, as one side is a bit flatter than it should be. The carvings themselves are a few circles and something that looks like some runes or similar form. Unless one is aware of its significance or can sense the vast amount of mystical power within it, it could very well be mistaken for a poorly made keepsake.
  Despite its shabby impression this talisman has a long and very dark history. Many mages, necromancers, wizards and other mystics have used it to create powerful and destructive spells. And just as many were cut down by others who coveted this piece. The cycle of violence only ended once the APU Dragon Bone Division recovered the piece from an old necromancer who had managed to hide it away for almost a century. Since then it rests hidden away in the Manhattan Dragon Bone Reliquary.

History

The origin of this charm is unknown, but it most definitely predates recorded history. Several papers have been written by scholars of the Society of Dragonic Paleontology on this piece alone, but each one just found more mystery and no real answers. The first recorded mention of it is in the notes of an European missionary in southern Senegal. He had found the talisman in a village and determined it to be demonic due to its whispers. The next time it was noted was twenty years later, as it had found its way to France and was in the possession of a powerful wizards, who's records were meticulous. He had bought it from a treasure hunter and put it to good use. His spell craft became significantly more potent and he defeated a number of supernatural monsters and created several powerful enchanted items that were used in the medical field. However, he is mostly known today for his rampage through the Paris School of High Magic, killing a significant portion of the students and teachers, almost wiping out the institution.
  After that the talisman came into the possession of a number of magic practitioners of middling power who managed to avoid being caught by the Society of Dragonic Paleontology or other Dragon Loyalists. The records who these people were is pretty spotty, but few of them parted with it while they were still alive. This continued on until the end of the 19th century, when the necromancer Kasto Isa acquired it by killing its previous owner. Kasto was aware of the talismans tragic history and avoided using it for more than a century. They had stored it away for some study, but mostly as an insurance or to power a last stand. This last stand came in 2008, when a group of hunters from the Hunter's Guild tracked them down and ultimately killed them. The talisman was used during the battle and over a dozen elite hunters lost their lives to a spell cast with the talisman. After that it was recovered by the hunters and first studied for a few years, but in 2010 it was handed over to the APU Dragon Bone Division for save keeping. Since then it is stored in the Manhattan Dragon Bone Reliquary and can only be accessed by scholars for careful study.

Dark Whispers

The talisman has its name from the whispers that anyone hears when having the talisman on their person. It does not require skin contact for the whispers to begin. At first they are very feint, but the longer the talisman is close to someone the more persuasive they become. These whispers also stop as soon as the some distance is put between the person and the talisman, but they may linger for a few minutes. The whispers can only be heard by the person wearing the talisman, even if some else touches it. The scholars have determined through experiments and the records of those who used the talisman that the whispers are of the screams and curses of all those who were killed using the talisman.
  These whispers no longer stop once a practitioner actually uses the power within the talisman to power a spell or ritual. Even if they give it away or put a great deal of distance between themselves and the talisman the whispers will follow them through the rest of their lives both while awake and in their dreams. The effect becomes stronger over time, and eventually everyone is driven mad by these whispers, most choosing to commit suicide, while other lash out until they are taken out.