The Chaos Feather

Damage: 1d4+1
Critical Range: 19-20
Range Increment: Melee
Weight: 1 pounds
Effect:

Uncontrollable Panic - When this feather is used to attack someone, if it manages to break the skin, the sorcery within causes the target to make a Fear check, DC 18. If they make the save, they are shaken. If they fail, they become panicked. A panicked creature must drop anything it holds and flee at top speed from the source of its fear, as well as any other dangers it encounters, along a random path. It can’t take any other actions. In addition, the creature takes a -2 penalty on all saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. If cornered, a panicked creature cowers. A panicked creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.

Lore:

This feather is ash-gray, fading to black around the edges. It is much larger than a bird feather, and it creates an unpleasant tingling sensation when held for more than a minute.

Examination of the feather reveals that it is the feather from a Vrock, one of the many races of the tanar’ri that fill the Abyss. The Vrock resemble huge vultures, and they are often used as scouts for the tanar’ri forces in the Blood War.

This particular feather is believed to have been taken from a Vrock shaman, who is reported to have died by simply disbelieving himself. Possessed of a certain mental imbalance and with an odious habit of devouring his followers to gain strength, this barmy Vrock was rumored to be capable of causing others of his flock to behave erratically — much more so than for a normal tanar’ri. He convinced many of his flock to tear off their wings and take up burrowing in the ground. Other times, he preached the virtues of honesty as being more evil and destructive than any lie. When he disintegrated, only the feather was left behind as a testament to his fevered existence. Some of the shaman’s residue is believed to reside in this “Chaos Feather.”

The Chaos Feather, when used in combat as a dagger, inflicts a minor amount of damage, but is capable of driving it’s foes mad.

Most tannar’ri consider the feather to be a sacred object. Vrocks will kill anyone possessing it in order to retrieve it.