Bow of Sinew Costs 12k.

[Goalt]

Any theories as to why it holds so much appeal for vendors? I mean, it's literally just a bow made from dead Xoriat creatures, and there are some legendary lvl 30 items that sell for less.

Hmmm. I wonder...

[Goalt]

Ok, no replies. So this my theory:

The bow string is obviously what makes it valuable, because the bow itself is just made of plain wood. I think that the string is from a Tharaak hound's innards (guts), which are tough and stringy enough to make for a bow string (the hound's inner acidic environment causes its organs to be tougher than usual). Also, Tharaak hounds are basically Xoriat guard dogs, so that's why the bow has the Overfocus penalty - because the hound gut bow string still retains some of its original owner's characteristics. The Seeker is due to the bow string being more elastic, which brings it more power and accuracy.

BUT... how did you manage to get such a good price for such a repulsive bow? The last time I checked, nobody in Stormreach wanted extraplanar dog gut bows. My theory is that the bow is granting some subtle powers to the user that lets him get away with these scams. See, the bow is able to do this because Tharaak hounds are innately capable liars - they use the Phantasmal Killer spell, an Illusion School spell mind you, to kill adventurers. How does this tie to my original theory? Well, I believe that the bow is giving the adventurer who picks this up the ability to make it an illusion to vendors, masking its true origins until the unfortunate vendor finally realizes he's been duped. The adventurer probably makes it seem as if the bow were made of solid gold or some other equally valuable material, but lo and behold, it's nothing more than a trick! That should probably give you something to think about the next time you go farm the chain and pick up this bow.