Shovani Bone Clay

Like most Shova technology, bone clay is biologically based. Made from mixing Lizardfolk's ground claw clippings, teeth and bone with a certain soft clay common to the area around the capital city produces this hard but durable substance. Since it is very difficult to sharpen, bone clay is found most often in armor and other materials that need to be especially durable without requiring a precise shape. Many lizardfolk and dragonborn carry shields made of bone clay into battle that incorporate their own cast off claws as well as those of friends and nestmates. Shovani soldiers therefore possess a certain sentimentality towards their shields that outsiders can find confusing.
Since Bone Clay is almost impossible to "reassemble" once it has hardened and been broken, breaking the shield of a lizardfolk is a grave insult that will often result in vows of revenge. Those seeking to placate the angry soldiers are in trouble, as each of these shields is one of a kind and it can be quite difficult to secure claw clippings from all of the original owners.
Some Shovani buy and sell the clippings of famous or high-ranking lizardfolk in the hopes that bringing part of their body into battle will protect the soldier. Since such clippings are hard to identify, counterfeiting is a serious problem and shadier merchants will often take advantage of naive young hatchlings looking to make their first shield by insisting they have some rare clippings for purchase.   Giving one's ground or clipped claws, or baby teeth, is therefore a sign of respect among warriors in shovani culture. To refuse is considered very impolite, and the rare outsider who earns such a gift will likely be confused as to what precisely they're supposed to do with such a gift.