Sleep Wands

As universal magic grew ever more common within The Empire of Albion, a new class of enterprising manufacturers rose to supply the wonders it made possible. Their wares spanned every imaginable use, yet none proved so beloved or so enduring as the sleep wand. In the past eighty years, these devices have become fixtures in any household that can afford one, and in more than a few that cannot. Stronger models have also entered official service, forming part of the standard equipment of the Lundeinjon Metropolitan Police Force, whose versions resemble stout truncheons rather than the slender civilian wands.

Their operation is straightforward. Each wand is bound to a spoken keyword that awakens it. Morpheus is the most common, though manufacturers offer a host of alternatives. In household models, the chosen word is engraved upon the haft, while police issue usually omits this inscription and relies on more obscure terms. The wielder speaks the word at any volume they please, and then presses a measure of spiritual force into the device. The knack of feeding power into a wand or any other talisman must be learned, though it is easily acquired and most achieve it in childhood. Once word and energy are joined, the wand stands primed.

To employ it, the wielder need only touch the intended subject and direct their will toward the release of the charm. It will not discharge without that conscious impulse, and it cannot take effect without contact. A few specialized designs can cast the enchantment across a distance, but they command a higher price and fall well outside the needs of ordinary buyers.

Their chief employment is among parents and nannies, who use the wands to coax infants and young children into slumber. With a gentle tap, even the most stubborn little one sinks into sleep, quite unable to fight the charm. In ordinary models, an adult must yield to the spell for it to take hold, for grown minds can throw it off with a firm effort of will. Children gain that strength only as they mature. The sleep truncheons carried by constables, however, are far more difficult to withstand, and if their enchantment should fail, the officers may resort to more forceful measures to render a suspect unconscious.