The Mimir (mih-MEAR)

From A Players Primer to the Outlands (2e)
The mimir (it is also called the Well of Knowledge or the Speaking Skull) is a minor magical item available for sale in Sigil.
Mimirs only work on the Outer Planes. If brought to the Inner, Astral, Ethereal, or Prime Material Planes, they'll just babble a load of gibberish. Take it back to the Outer Planes, though, and it'll work again.
Certain spells can block a mimir, too. A dispel magic will temporarily stop it from working, and spells such as feeblemind will make it babble. It won't work in a silence 15' radius or a dead magic zone, but it recovers instantly if taken out of the spell's reach.
These devices don't often get lost. They float naturally, and follow their owners just like ioun stones. 'Course, that means it's easy to mark a new prime - he's the one with the skull bouncing along behind him. For this reason, most folks keep their mimir in boxes, backpacks, or sacks. But they've got to take it out to use it. A mimir won't work unless it's floating freely, whether in air or in water.
A mimir should be treated as a metal object when figuring a saving throw against damage.
A WORD OF WARNING:
The chant in this booklet is treated as coming from sources in the Outlands. Some of it might be misguided, misinformed, or just plain wrong. What's more, the DM can modify or ignore material to suit his own PLANESCAPE campaign. Players who slavishly follow the information in the booklet or CD shouldn't flap their bone-boxes if their characters get stuck in a bind. Pointing to a reference in this product doesn't overrule a DM's decision, berk.
As far as the planes are concerned, let the Clueless beware, and pity the poor sod who treats the chant as the absolute truth.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Mimirs come in many forms- disks, cubes, leaves, stars, sunflowers (popular with druids), human and animal skulls, and plenty of other shapes. They're all made of an unknown silvery metal, which might be what makes 'em work. The metal shines and reflects light with a rainbow hue. If a body looks close, he'll see fine lines drawn in tight patterns over its surface.
To hear what a mimir's got to say, its owner just points at it and asks a question. It'll click for a few seconds, searching for any chant it has on the subject. If it finds any, it'll speak up, giving the answer in an instructive, conversational tone.
A mimir can also tell a body where he stands in the Outlands, but only in a general way. It can't give exact distances or location, but it'll say which ring outward from the spire he's standing in. That's an important thing to know, berk, because the closer a body gets to the spire, the more magic drops away.

History

No one knows the dark of where mimirs come from, but they're commonly for sale in Sigil and the gate-towns, usually from peddlers or berks in taverns. Some say they come from the chaotic good planes, but many a sod who's found their chant barmy or out of date has sworn they were spawned in the pits of Baator. Most mimirs sell for about 2,000 gold pieces, but a sharp cutter has a better chance of getting one by trading for another magical item. One mysterious peddler in Sigil who sells mimirs often takes other magical items in trade, including cursed ones.

Significance

Basically, it's a device that gives answers to spoken questions, as long as those answers have been recorded by the mimir's creator. Mimirs can shed light on any number of subjects that are dark, but the most common type gives a brief tour of the Outlands and its gate-towns.

Item type

Magical

Rarity

Common

Base Price

2,000g