Illthorn

Illthorn
Use	Shields, Staves
Bonus	+25
ST/DU	20/40
Rarity	Extremely Rare
Weight Modifier	Unknown
Primary Color	Unknown

From a rare tree found in Gyldemar Forest, the wood of the illthorn is preferred for items that aid in warding magic, though it does not inherently provide such a benefit. The illthorn is a large, aromatic tree with straight trunk and conical crown that becomes round and spreading. Its leaves are star-shaped with 5, and sometimes 7, long-pointed finely sawtoothed lobes. The bark of the illthorn is grey and deeply furrowed into narrow scaly ridges. These ridges conceal the tree's long thorns, which can quickly burrow deeply into hands or body, and then come easily off the bole to remain imbedded beneath the skin. While the thorns do carry a weak poison, they have never been known to be deadly to anything larger than small rodents and birds. The poison can, however, impart a flu-like illness that lasts from a few hours to a couple days. The illthorn is not well suited for bows due to its lack of elasticity, however, with its innate magical talent, it yields excellent staves and shields.