Censer of the Aerial Emissary

Wondrous item, rare

Some priesthoods and empires have made long-lasting alliances with air elemental clans, and this gilded incense burner is used to call upon their aid to carry messages or tokens. Once per day if the user burns 10 sticks of incense, taking 1 minute, she can summon a mephit: a dust mephit if the user casts a handful of earth into the censer, a smoke mephit if ashes are added, or a steam mephit if water is sprinkled into it as it burns. The incense also can simply be allowed to burn without adding anything, in which case it summons an air mephit with statistics identical to a steam mephit, but its breath and Death Burst deal lightning damage instead of fire damage.

The mephit does not fight on the user’s behalf but can be commanded to carry an item or message to a specific location or individual that requires up to 24 hours to reach, similar to an animal messenger spell. This mephit is more intelligent than an animal and can be given more complex instructions on the recipient of its message, provided the user can communicate in its language. While carrying this message, the mephit may fight back if attacked, but it prefers to flee if possible.