Magical Skulls - Spell Thief

Rathgar bashed his shield into the face of the gnoll that charged him from the side.  Nimble ducked under Rathgar's blade and around his flank to stick the dazed gnoll with his dagger, just as Rathgar's blade finally made it's way around to cut into it's shoulder, dropping him to the ground.  Feris, pulling an evil looking arrow from his thigh summoned a protective barrier around himself.  The dead gnoll's fellows drew back from the adventurers, forming a tight line between them and their pack leader, all the while, cackling that hidious laugh of theirs.   

The jackle faced wokan, protected by her hunting party, reached into a sack and removed a tentacled skull.  She slipped her fingers into the four puncture holes in the back of the skull and held it in front of her. 


Feris could feel the pressure inside of his head.  It was looking for something.  "She's in my head... GET HER OUT!" he yelled.  Rathgar drew a throwing ax, and lobbed it at the wokan.  One of her pack got in the way, causing a mere glancing blow.  Nimble whipped a dagger at her, managing only to nick her ear.  


She smiled as blood began to flow down the side of her face, making her fur even more disgusting.  The tentacles of the skull stretched forward as if reaching out to something, and the wokan pulled the skull backward.


Feris heaved forward and dropped to one knee.  The wokan swung the skull back toward the adventurers and suddenly Feris started talking.  "In the First Dynasty, under the rule of Empress Sato, there was considerable misery for those not of human blood.  And woe to those who shared blood with non-humans.  It was a dark time, let me tell you!"  Feris' face scrunched up and he looked at Rathgar and Nimble for help, yet continued talking.  "Yet at the same time it was an era of unity for those people under her fist..."


Rathgar grabbed the babbling wizard "Lets go!" Nimble was right behind him as the gnolls began to advance. 

Spell Thief is an enchanted illithid skull.  Skull has 4 puncture holes in the back and 4 rubbery tentacles remain attached to the beak.  When used it allows an arcane caster to scan the memorized spells of a rival arcane caster, 1 spell per round, starting with the lowest level spells.  If the user of Spell Thief finds a useful spell they may steal it from the victim, and the next round cast it at the level of the victim.  Once Spell Thief has stolen a spell it will not function with either of it's abilities until the next midnight.  

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Can you believe that there isn't a picture of an illithid skull out there?  At least not one I could find.  So, I made my own!  That makes this the first post ever of my own art!