Whistle (item)

Whistles were small wind instruments used to signal danger, give orders, or attract wild animals.

Signal whistles
A signal whistle was a mouth-operated device that made a high pitched noise in order to indicate a signal.

Signal whistles were used in some places throughout Toril, particularly in Faerûn, Kara-Tur, Zakhara, and Maztica.

Animal calls
Some whistles were created with the dedicated purpose of attracting or repelling animals. Such instruments affected one specific family of animals such as bats, cats, horses, or even mountain lions.

Construction
Whistles could be made out of many common materials, for example tin or bone. Other were made of more precious or unusual materials such as ivory or obsidian. They were used by humans and other races, such as hobgoblins.

Notable usages

 * The guards of Jasuga would summon reinforcements via the use of the signal whistles they would keep on them, especially when the city walls were being scaled.
 * The adventurer Balismo Dey Canna always kept a signal whistle on his person.
 * The City Watch of Waterdeep as well as the guards of the Shoon Palace were known to use whistles to call reinforcement in case of trouble.
 * The traffic wardens of Waterdeep used whistles and small colored flags to order drovers around.

Spell components
Whistles were necessary to cast various magical spells.
 * Mordenkainen's faithful hound required the caster to use a silver whistle.

Notable vendors

 * Whistles designed to attract or repel animals could be purchased from Aurora's Emporium for 1 gp.