Magical Skulls - Helm of the Pale King

The skeletal horse beneath him was bony.  This came as no surprise to anyone, not even Josh, but it was still an annoyance.  The zombie horse had been worse, first with the smell, and then with the leaking fluids that got on everything.  You have no idea how hard it is to get horse guts out of an expensive cloak.


"Form up!  Spears at the ready!"


It was nice how they all listened to him now though, and that made it worth putting up with the little annoyances. 


"We march!"  As one, the force moved forward. 

The village elders would be surprised when Josh marched in with his new troop.  Bandits had been plaguing the area, but with a force of 30 skeletons and a few odd zombies, he could defend the village from anything!  They would have no choice but to offer him Elana's hand in marriage, especially since he was the only one his new troop would listen to.  

"Josh's Bones!  No... Maybe The Dread Defenders?  No... Josh's Dread Defenders!"  His musings were suddenly cut off as a pair of logs rolled down the hill toward his troops flank.  He barely had time to yell "SCATTER!" before it started smashing into his troops, shattering them.  From behind a tree ahead the village priest stepped forward brandishing his holy symbol, and with him was a tall young man in blue and yellow robes holding a wand at him.  

"Begone foul creature of death!" Belairgron the priest called out "Trouble our village no more!"

Josh raised his hand to order them to stop their attack when he felt a sharp pain in his back.  Reaching behind him, he felt the arrow piercing his back.  "You shouldn't have stopped me" Josh whispered.  "I'd have helped..."  A second arrow, and then a third pierced him before he fell.  As his body dropped to the ground his host fell unmoving too.

The Helm of the Pale King is a skeletal mask attached to black fabric that is pulled over the owners head.  When so donned the wearer will appear to transform into a skeleton headed undead creature.  The wearer will also have the ability to raise and control up to 40 hit dice worth of lesser undead (under 3 hit dice).  The magic of this mask will protect the head of the wearer as a full plate helm.