Caress of Arhallogen

Description

This wooden staff is often marked with the shape of spiders, scorpions and other poisonous bugs. It sometimes seems sticky to the touch, and several owners have commented that the staff sometimes seems to be watching them. It is named for the eternal Arhallogen, who has dominion over many forms of insect and arachnid. Some scholars believe that the knowledge of how to make these magical implements was first derived from that eternal, and that each one that is made is somehow connected to the King of Spiders. It has been noted by some Urizen stargazers and Dawnish enchanters in particular that the eternal and its heralds seem better disposed towards magician-diplomats who are bonded to one of these items.

The Synod used their influence to ban the creation of this item during the reign of Empress Teleri, but the Empress Varkula had that decision reversed, claiming with characteristic practicality that she largely did not care where a magician got their power from as long as they used it in the service of the Empire. Still, creation or possession of one of these staffs may cause concern in the Synod, and result in an individual being called before one of the assemblies (especially the assembly of Vigilance.)

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: Three times per day you may cast the venom or paralysis spell as if you knew it without spending any mana.
• Materials: Crafting a Caress of Arhallogen requires nine measures of beggar's lye, nine measures of ambergelt and ten measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"You want to beat orcs then you've got to understand how they think. They aren't afraid of dying on the end of a sword or a spear. Torture don't scare them - they'll just spit in your eye and fight you with every breath. But the idea of just being helpless, pissing yourself with anger as the enemy chain you up and drag you away to be a slave for the rest of your life, now that's something that gets them where it hurts. Let 'em know that if they come near us then their precious families and tribes will be labouring as our slaves until the end of time. That's where these come in, because the real power they've got isn't magic, it's fear."