The skull totems were the root cause of the dragon purge. They are also the fundamental base of power for a Dragon Overlord. Let’s learn more about these arcane centers of power. Buy Wings of Fury: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/216832/Wings-Of-Fury-SAGA?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
Discovered by Malystryx, the Totems of Skulls would unlock incredible power for the Overlords.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about Skull Totems. I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate link. I am referencing Wings of Fury, and the Age of Mortals sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below.
Discussion
The power that could be manifested from the Skull Totems if properly constructed was incredible. So much so that Takhisis herself longed for Malystryx’s in order to manifest herself on Krynn. This makes them at least as potent as a Portal to the Abyss, but we see they are so much more than even that. The discovery of suc h immense power would take the efforts of a truly alien dragon on Krynn. Malystryx would learn that by harnessing the power within the Skull Totem she could shape a realm to suit her desires. Something no dragon or god had done to any degree since the Cataclysm itself. That is not however the totality of the power the Skull Totem may grant. They are also able to grant arcane energy to defile life itself by merging two distinct entities into a Spawn that bears some traits of its creator. Let’s take a closer look at the creation of Skull Totems, and their vile powers of corruption.
The alien dragons that arrived on Krynn were able to use Draconic Vampirism to absorb the departing soul of the dragons they murdered. This granted the strength and vitality of the fallen to the victor. This is initially how the alien dragons gained in strength so quickly over their native cousins. Malystryx however, learned another way to harness the dormant arcane power within the native Krynnish dragons, that is by utilizing their power after death. This grizzly rite she discovered was quickly repeated by other Dragon Overlords. In order to craft an effective and powerful totem, you must follow a few prerequisites in its construction. First, the dragon’s skulls must be from adult dragons. Younger dragons simply do not possess the raw power necessary. There must also be a balance, this creates a harmony with the clans of dragon skulls present and exponentially increases the raw potential of the totem. This harmony is crafted by having at least one skull from each of the ten native Krynnish dragon clans. The more skulls of each clan you have represented in balance, the better. The dragons of Krynn were created by the gods before mortals, and thus contain elements of its magic that is also found in Krynn itself.
Skull Totems can only be found at the very heart of a Dragon Overlord’s lair. They are the true source of the dragon’s power and are created through years of killing other dragons. There must be at least three or four dozen skulls numbered. Malys’ was known to contain over a hundred lesser dragon skulls! Once the Draconic Vampirism of capturing the dragon’s soul is complete, the dead dragon’s corpse withers into a husk, leaving the brain intact. This is essential, as is discovered that without the brain, the dormant arcane magic is lost. Once the body has withered completely, the wyrm’s skull may then be removed by peeling its leathery scales back from the bone. The arrangement of the caern of skulls is equally important, as the Totem must be taller than it is wide, stretching into the sky. This process of killing the dragon, waiting for the husk to wither, removal of the skull and arrangement on the Totem takes years! You know it is complete for when you complete the rite of activation, the Totem springs to life. The white bone of the skulls add texture to this tower with nostrils flaring and energy manifesting in the eye sockets of the dead dragons. The light is reflective of the clan of the dragon it belonged to. The light flickers and wavers when not in use, but when the Dragon Overlord calls upon the Totem’s power, the light flares and the Skull Totem projects multi-colored hues in all directions.
The effects a Skull Totem allows the Dragon Overlord to manifest are equal to the amount of skulls and the harmony of the clans represented. Shaping a realm is possibly the first power discovered from the Skull Totems. A Dragon Overlord may call upon the arcane power to completely terraform an environment to its preferred manifestation. We see the different types of Dragon Overlords based on their inherent clan, extending their influence to alter the natural topography and climate of the land. This is not permanent, and only lasts as long as the Overlord is within the realm. If a Dragon Overlord is absent for a number of weeks, their influence slowly begins to subside and the natural planetary climate and topography begins to return. This process of changing an environment is unfortunately not equal to its returning in the Overlords absence. The process may take years to return to its natural state, while only months for the most dramatic changes to have been manifested. The area changed is in proportion to the power of the Totem and Overlord, and is not in a perfectly spherical shape, but rather a potential area. The effort is truly incredible, and after the Dragon Overlord is finished, they are forced to fall into a deep dormancy, more profound than any hibernation. They can be woken from this state by receiving physical pain or overhearing loud noise. They remain in this dormancy twice as long as it took them to manifest the ealm shaping.
The second power the skull totems are capable of manifesting was discovered initially by Khellendros, The Storm Over Krynn. He was searching for a way to house his past Dragon Highlord Rider Kitiara Uth Matar’s soul, once Takhisis gifted it to him as promised. He wanted to improve on her mortal human form so that she could join him in ruling over Krynn and decided to experiment with merging a Draconian with a human. This combines the physical forms and consciousnesses of both into a more draconic and feral aspect. As Khellendros explored this technique, other Dragon Overlords learned of it and created their own Spawn. The Dragon Overlords creating the Spawn are required to sacrifice a part of themselves to their creation in the form of tears, blood, fire, etc. This imbues the Spawn with the power reminiscent of their Overlord creator. Other mortal forms have been attempted, but only humans seem to be capable of surviving the ritual. The humans are nearly always used against their will, though some Overlords are able to convince Draconians to join on their own accord.
There are other ambient powers the Skull Totems provide their Dragon Overlord creators as well. All are based on the attraction of others as followers. Other dragons of the same clan are attracted to their Overlord equal to the size of the Totem. They also attract followers of other mortal races to serve them and their realms. The Skull Totems also allow the Overlord to scry on their realm, providing them with the ability to witness everything taking place around them if desired. This Realm Sense is invaluable for the often paranoid Overlords. As they had to be forces of death and duplicity to gain their power, they feared their usurpation by rivals and upstarts.
In all, the Skull Totems were near godlike in the power they granted their creators, but all this power was originally bestowed to the dragons on creation by the gods, so it makes sense that the arcane magic would be exploited in the gods absence.
Outro
But that is all the time I have to talk about Skull Totems. I hope you enjoyed the information. What do you think about the Skull Totems’ powers ? Was it too much for the already powerful Dragon Overlords? Would they have been able to cement their authority over the mortals of Krynn without them? Leave a comment below.
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