Lamia's Whisper

Description

A Lamia's Whisper is usually a slim, smooth staff of black wood, elegant and refined and often decorated with gold, jade or ivory. In more rural environments, this implement is often called an Adder's Tongue and unsurprisingly tends to be decorated with images of serpents or occasionally wyrms.

These implements are popular with magicians who belong to the Reckoner guilds of the League. In pre-Imperial times, the naga families of Sarvos were known to carry poisonous staffs and this is likely the source of their popular name. In particular, because even non-magician members of the families carried staves it made it hard for their enemies to deduce which naga were magicians - and it dissuaded casual harassment of the naga because ruffians could never be sure if the naga they were abusing could respond with a deadly, venomous sting. While the fashion is not widespread, it is still maintained by some of the modern Guilds of Reckoners.

The legality of the Lamia's Whisper has been contested occasionally, citing the historical legal status of the Scorpion's Sting. The problem lies in the fact that the Empire does not consider knowledge of the venom spell itself to be a criminal offence, so it makes little sense that an implement that merely provides that knowledge should be proscribed.

The best examples of these implements are said to be those made by naga artisans, although this rumour is most commonly spread by naga artisans and so is a little suspect.

CARITA (raising her staff): We don't need to equip everyone with one of these little beauties. We just need to make sure there's enough of them to make you wonder whether your luck's run out today.
The Fallen Herald, Act 2, Scene 2'

Rules

• Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff. You must be wielding this implement to use its magical properties.
• Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.
• Effect: You may cast the venom spell as if you know it.
• Materials: Crafting a Lamia's Whisper requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

He comes to you with silken scales
And silken tales of sorrows told
But oh, behold
Beware the sorrows held
There's venom there, it's told
These tales and scales of black and gold
Extract from The Lamia's Whisper, by Ambriel Chermes