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

https://youtu.be/XnvcjpM9Rks

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,