Wands and Staffs.

[somethingwild]

FORM: Crystal.
SENDER: Newt Scamander.
RECIPIENT: Everyone with a crystal, though the message itself is directed toward fellow magic users/mages in particular.
WHAT: Wizards and mages and their proper tools.
WHEN: Early Justinan/June, after the Grand Tourney.
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: Unintentional (and otherwise) sexual innuendo, magic talk, Newt making an unintentional fool of himself (but what else is new?), etc. Will add more warnings if they become necessary. There is probably a good chance this post will not be safe for work.

[Trying desperately not to think about the recent news about the phylacteries, Newt mostly focuses on his own work in the Research division. But during his down time, his mind yet lingers on the uncomfortable possibilities of said recent news, and so he tries to distract himself by sating his own curiosity about something he's happened to notice about the native mages in Thedas.]

Hello all! Pardon me if I'm not using this crystal device correctly; it's, oddly enough, more advanced than some of the Muggle technology from my own home.

If we haven't yet met, my name is Newt Scamander, and I'm a rifter. [A brief pause as he considers what he wants to say next. Perhaps it isn't wise to announce himself as a rifter with magic so openly, but, frankly, he would like to reach out and connect with others with magic, to get himself familiar with the magic of this world if he can help it. It's much preferable to dwelling on the phylacteries, after all.]

A wizard rifter, to be precise, and so this message is mostly geared towards mages and others with magic themselves, particularly those native to Thedas.

And because it must be said, no, this message is not about phylacteries of any kind.

I can't help but notice that you lot use staffs to conduct your magic instead of wands. I just wanted to know: what is it like using such large tools to do so? Do not get me wrong, the staff work I have seen so far has been very impressive. And they are very neat-looking, and seem to make for good weapons, especially for hitting things. But they also seem so unwieldy? And a pain to carry around everywhere. Do you charm them to make them lighter?

I myself use a wand, which is much smaller and of a different kind of build. Perhaps, if you would be willing, we might compare our instruments some time?

[Newt says all of this with a completely straight face, entirely unaware of how he sounds. He is genuinely curious, and he's engaged with some very interesting conversations through these sending crystals before. He looks forward to the responses, though he can't yet know how they might turn out.]

Honestly, the magic of this world is fascinating, and I look forward to learning more about it.

Comments

[sorcerised]

[ Mmmm, not sure if intentional innuendo or genuine innocence...

Well, one way to find out. ]

Are you really asking them to compare sizes?

I mean, I'd join in, but as it happens I use neither staff nor wand, anyway. I do use something called an arcane focus, but that's somewhat less... [ Phallic in nature? ] ...measurable. But I would hazard a guess it does the same job.

[dashing]

They are not discreet, that is certain. There have been tales of those carrying tools being mistaken for mages and attacked, during the war between the mages and Templars. I am not familiar with staves being charmed for lightness, though I imagine it is possible if entrusted to someone of sufficient talent with enchantments. They can be enhanced in various ways.

( She is... too serious to lean into the innuendo, at least so far. )

[pocketchange]

[ Tomek is the precise opposite of someone with magic, being a dwarf, but the innuendo calls, and he must answer. ]

Usually charming them makes them heavier.

[coiledscales]

I generally don't use either a wand or a staff; I prefer gestures and words. Much more efficient and it can be a nasty surprise for people who aren't expecting it.

[ He's also a dragon when he's not here, so wands and staves are a bit tiny. ]

Then again, I'm a rifter as well...

[circleprodigy]

A mage can use magic without a staff -many budding mages discover their nature without one- but having that particular implement at hand can be vital. Spells cost mana, and a mage's supply isn't infinite. Without a staff, they would be in trouble during a prolonged fight.

I have been using a staff for so long that the bulk has become negligible to me, but the notion of wands being adapted for our use is intriguing. Perhaps the Formari would be receptive to your ideas.

[aforethought]

How's a wand gonna put up a tent?

[ what ]

[overharrowed]

I won't say no mage has ever resorted to physically hitting someone with a staff, but it's fair to say that if it's come to that, the fight has gone incredibly poorly for the mage.

[Julius, heroically, avoids the low-hanging innuendo fruit.]

When I used to teach apprentices about the basics of staff use, I usually began with the idea of using it as an extension of your own will. That sounds sufficiently mystical, and then I would point out that you could say the same thing about a master swordsman's blade. As for a staff's weight, most of us are accustomed, though it's also worth pointing out that under the Circle system, many mages seldom traveled far enough for it to matter except in unusual circumstances.

[justice_is_blond]

My staff has a blade at the end, so it does double duty. And I'm used to wielding a larger length, so I don't notice the weight.

[There's a grin in his voice. Low hanging fruit is the best fruit.]

Though my days of comparing instruments wily-nily are past, I'd not mind comparing my staff to your wand.

[ipseite]

They seem equally inconvenient for my part; I have never used anything but my hands.

( petrana is absolutely not making any kind of innuendo. )

[castintoflames]

A Wizard? (They are few and far between on his world. Maedhros can't help looking curious.) As far as I know, staffs serve several purposes. When one is on a hike, for example, it can be used to enhance stability - as well as cast spells.

(He now has some ideas about improving staffs. Thank you, Newt.)

The Wizards of Arda are usually...wizened. Or, rather, that is the form they choose? I do not know for certain. They are mysterious and they only involve themselves in the matters of Elves and Men when necessary. (When the Wizards deem necessary.)

[whiskeyandbrimstone]

Hey Newt! We should talk more magic theory, I know that I've never seen people using wands or staffs where I'm from, and they don't even strike bargains to get their power, they just...Ask, which seems like it would backfire...