Altruist's Recompense

Description

These useful wands allow a magician on the battlefield to restore her allies while at the same time using a little of the magical energies expended to heal herself. While the residues of magic harnessed in this fashion are hardly on a par with the full power of true magical healing, they allow a magician to stay ahead of the damage caused by casual blows while reserving the majority of her energy for aiding her allies - or smiting her foes.

These wands are particularly popular with Cambion healers who find it irritating to offer others something as vital as healing without a guarantee that they will receive something in return. Although the recompense isn't much, it does make the transaction more palatable to the most highly lineage Cambion. Indeed it was a Cambion Hakima who devised the wand, sensing a demand for such an item among her relatives and colleagues. Some wands are made to reassemble an uncurled horn to draw upon the association with the children of Autumn.

Although born of selfishness, these wands are also forced upon the most dedicated healers by concerned friends. Some medical magicians have been known to neglect themselves by refusing to spare mana to heal themselves while others lie bleeding. Numerous healers have been given these wands under the pretense that they are Woundbinder wands to force the recipient to heal themselves. Some such healers claim that the rush of health is accompanied by a sense of well-meaning reproach, as if the wand itself is reprimanding them for not taking better care of themselves.

Rules

• Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand. You must be wielding this implement to use its magical properties.
• Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.
• Effect: Whenever you cast, or swift cast, the heal spell you regain one hit.
• Materials: Crafting an altruist's recompense requires five ingots of weltsilver and four measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Marte was old and many-scarred. She'd seen many a fight, and had carried more than one of her sword-brothers to sleep in Kallavesa. Now her Thane had asked her to lead the grimnir-line. He'd said it was because he needed her raven's-mind to keep the grimnir whole, and that was a kindness, but she suspected the real reason. She was old now, and she couldn't hold a slaughter-wall as she had in her youth, couldn't keep the barbarians back by strength of arm alone.

She'd gathered her charges, made a speech about the glory of duty, and now she was passing through the camp, as her thane would be too, though in lines of warriors, not healers.

She came to a small fire, where a youngster she didn't recognise was checking small jars of oils and pastes, dried pink roots, dull green leaves and wraps of pounded irremaisahne.

"Ready? Your first battle? Worried?"

"Oh, I'll be fine." said the young Grimnir with a smile, "If there's no time to use the herbs, I've got my magics, and my husband's a runesmith, gave me this." He pulled a wand, lined with silvery metal and coloured like a kingfisher's wings from a leather belt-sheath, and smiled down at it.

"Bravash and Lann?" She marked the runes. Love and bargains.

"Oh, yes. We've only just started together, see, and he wants me to remember to take care. No skein-choices in this battle, he said. That's the promise."

"He knows you're not going to be near the front rank?" She asked gently. She sometimes felt she had to remind the younger grimnir of this; they knew the calling, but it was hard for them.

"Well, he knows that's the tradition." His eyes hardened. "But he knows me better that that. Not one of our people is going to die while I can still cast a spell."

She felt old, then, in the face of his youth and his certainty. She steeled herself and spoke with a voice of command.

"No hollow-headed jackdaws in my lines, we're ravens here. You'll do what you're told while you're with me, young man."

He looked down, chastened, his fingers absently caressing his wand. It was a sound gift, one that might help to keep him alive and counter some of the mistakes he was sure to make. He was vulnerable, but he reminded her suddenly of so many others. She was still tired, but she could get some sleep later. She smiled then; she thought she might have misjudged her Thane.

"But you know? I have but a few battles in me before I face a walk into Sydanjaa. Maybe between us we can make me an end worthy of a song... Stay with me, and we'll find your young man some recompense for that gift of yours..."