40: The Wings of Arienia
This item appears to be a magnificent and meticulously crafted pair of costume angel wings. They are black and attached to a brass harness that goes over the shoulders and around the chest. They can only be donned by a creature with a humanoid anatomy.
When properly attached to the wearer the harness disappears and the wings become attached permanently to the flesh, even if it was not touching the flesh. The base of each wing is mounted with ornate brass fixtures which are grafted to the wearer's flesh and the wings become a living part of the wearer's body. Damage done to the wings as well as spells directed at them affect the host instead.
The wings will detach along with the harness if the host dies but any attempts to remove the wings without hurting the host are fruitless. A strong enough volunteer can rip the wings from the wearer's body (STR check, DC 35) inflicting 3d10 damage to the wearer per wing removed. A Limited Wish spell can remove the wings from the victim without doing harm. Nothing short of a Wish spell will destroy the wings and even then, only if they are not currently attached to a host.
If the wings are separated from each other for at least five hours one will disappear briefly only to reappear attached to its mate. If one wing was still attached to the 'host' then the removed wing will reappear with its mate attached to the host once again. If both wings were removed from the host body then they will reappear on the brass shoulder harness as they did before being donned by the wearer.
The wings allow the wearer to fly (Host's normal speed, average maneuverability) for a number of rounds equal to 10 +double their Con bonus. When not attached to a host the wings will detect as neither good nor evil but do radiate a feeling of intense sorrow. Any host wearing the wings detects as evil regardless of their true alignment. The wings cause the host to attract the attention of any evil outsiders passing within 100 feet of them.
Bardic Knowledge check DC 20 reveals that the wings were once worn by a notoriously wicked and powerful noble woman named Isabelle who met her end over a hundred years ago at the hands of the evil forces she conspired with.
DC 30 - The noble woman aided some evil men in the capture of the angel Arienia. Arienia's wings were torn from her body as Isabelle looked on and were awarded to the vile woman for her assistance. Her rival nobles were slaughtered for her as well. Isabelle, who had coveted the wings' beauty, had them magically attached to her in an abomination of sorcery and machinery. Her power continued to grow for a year, and during this time the snow white wings turned ashen gray, and finally raven black. A little more than a year after the wings were ripped from Arienia’s back Isabelle was on a ride through her vast lands when she disappeared. Legend has it that she was set upon by an errant group of demons and torn limb from limb.
In either case, what became of the wings is a mystery.