The Staff of Harvest
"The staff drinks you as surely as the soil drinks the rain. Those who wield it grow crops for thousands, while withering themselves."
Towering, golden, and crowned in blood-red gems carved into the likeness of a red-bearded iris, the Staff of Harvest is one of the greatest feats of magickal craftsmanship to survive from the early Civil Age. Forged by Hotan Kreele, a legendary druid of the Tuskites and founding leader of the order of The Nature’s Chosen, this monumental staff stands taller than a man and has shaped the very heart of Middleglade’s agricultural dominance for centuries. But this blessing is no gift without cost. Firstly, the staff must be attuned to by it's wielder over a great period, with direct intent to use it's power to provide for others rather than yourself, until you are spent, Hotan's assurance all who wielded his master craft after his death would not use it in ways he disapproved. And secondly, but not in severity, is the staff's function; An engine of plenty, that taxes the body and soul of its wielder, turning months of planting and waiting into days of riotous bloom, at the cost of strength, sleep, and years of life. It is a tool of prosperity that along with the renown Green-Thumb River which circles the ancient city, has made Middleglade the breadbasket of western Everwealth, but each field it saves takes its toll from the arms that hold it; And soon, as the farmers who tend to the fields it nurtures, it will harvest its master.Mechanics & Inner Workings
The Staff draws directly from the Arcane flows of life-force and plant-growth in the soil.
- Amplification: Spells channeled through the Staff magnify tenfold, accelerating germination and growth.
- Reciprocal Cost: Every surge of life pulled into the crops exacts a toll: vitality, muscle, and longevity drain from the wielder proportionally.
- Exhaustion Threshold: Improper use can cause fainting, rapid aging, or even death.
- One hour of channeling through the Staff can coax an acre of barren soil into producing a fully mature harvest of grains, fruit, and vegetables.
- In ten minutes, an orchard can be made to bear fruit that would normally take months.
- A single, focused strike of the staff upon the earth can cause seeds to sprout and flower almost instantly, but at great personal cost.
Manufacturing process
The gold shaft was hammered under a ceremonial Tuskite forge for three days and nights. The vine-like silver channels were grown, not carved, using druidic magick to twist molten metal like a living plant. The rubies were harvested from the caverns beneath the Iris Plateau, then shaped and fused by magick until they bloomed. The final enchantment was sealed during the Alignment of the Green Moon, binding the wielder’s bloodline to the Motherbark.
History
In the late 20s CA, Hotan Kreele undertook a ritual unlike any attempted before or since:
- Blood drawn from a dodo bird, a creature now extinct.
- A green moon in perfect alignment with the three brightest stars in the southern sky.
- Enchantments sung aloud beneath the branches of the Motherbark Tree in Middleglade.
Significance
The Staff of Harvest is not a mere tool; it is a symbol of covenant. Its wielder is responsible for:
- The nourishment of Middleglade and the surrounding countryside.
- The balance between nature and civilization around the Motherbark Tree.
- Guarding an artifact capable of reshaping the very landscape.
Creation Date
09 CA.
Rarity
Unique - there is only one.
Weight
25 lbs (11 kg) - crafted for a Tuskite’s towering frame, it is monstrously heavy for other races.
Dimensions
Length: 8 ft 2 in (2.5 m) Diameter at base: 2.5 in.
Base Price
Unmeasurable - a relic; priceless.
Raw materials & Components
- Gold and green-silver alloys: hand-forged for flexibility and durability.
- Ruby Cluster: Each ruby is carved into the petal of a Red Bearded Iris, magickally fused into a single bloom.
- Organic Binding: Enchantments woven from plant-fibers and Kreele’s own blood form the invisible matrix that powers its effects.
Tools
The Staff cannot be reproduced. Its creation required:
- The now-extinct blood of the dodo.
- Ritual sites at the roots of the Motherbark Tree.
- Arcane timing under a unique astronomical configuration unlikely to repeat in any known calendar cycle.
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