Staff Magic

The little that is known of Staff Magic has been kept fiercely guarded among all magic users. Yet despite this highly secretive action, a little knowledge has slipped out on occasion. According to Zsalya Arcano, the foremost authority on magic.

The processes of Staff Magic directly creates and imbues a Staff Of Power with the ability to absorb, destroy, store, and recast magical energies, from any magical source whether inanimate or alive. This also irreversibly destroys that source.

— Zsalya Arcano from the Compendium Of Staves

Discovery

The exact discovery of this magic system is not known and is generally thought to have been a collaborative group effort among the highest ranking wizards of the time. Who they were and what the time was, has never been discovered. In fact it has been whispered that there may have been several independent group discoveries or rediscoveries throughout the ages. Very few old magical texts and spell books have survived from the ancient days. Either from ancient wars, subjugation, extraplanar entities, deities, demons, the destruction wrought by the dragons, and turmoil created by The Sundering, any surviving magical documents are highly sought after and quickly acquired by any and all means necessary.
However, more modern accounts are a bit easier to come by and suggest that a much more recent rediscovery of Staff Magic has occurred. If these stories are to be believed, then shortly after the Sundering magic quickly waned and even disappeared from the realms for many, many years. It was during this time that wizards became desperate and in their desperation attempted to reconstruct the old magic systems and older magical practices. Nearly all attempts failed, but eventually this Staff Magic system was rediscovered not too long ago. General estimates put this between 500 and 700 years ago.

Utility

Staff Magic and the Staves Of Power are directly related and go hand in hand, as the former is used to create the later. There seems to be two confirmed instances of the creation of these special staves. The first occurring thousands of years ago as part of the natural progression and evolution of spellcraft and wizardry, and the second coming just after the Sundering. In the second case, the staves were created as a way for wizards to regain their spell casting abilities after their loss during that terrible time.
What the staff does is to absorb magic, and consequently destroy a magical item, and store that magic inside of the staff for later release as a spell determined by the wizard holding the staff. This total absorption and destruction is an integral part of the Staff Magic system. Not just magical items can be used to fuel the staff, but magical creatures themselves, and even spell casters have been recorded as being absorbed and destroyed by the staves. During the desperate times of no magic, many have turned to these destructive devices.

Manufacturing & Structure

There are no known records of this manufacturing process or even any notes on the theories behind this magical system. Yet despite the system of creating Staff Magic being largely unknown, a few pieces of information have been found from studying some of the surviving Staves Of Power. There seems to be a few commonalities found in each staff. It appears that all of the staves are made from a base core of Arcane Silver and other rare metals and even woods are also used throughout the staff. The headpiece is also topped with a large and extremely rare gemstone. While the exact gemstones that are used vary with each staff, each is of exquisite quality and unusual size.

Children Technologies

• Hand Magic

Inventor(s)

No one knows who or what group or groups invented this magic system. According to a ledger found in the now defunct wizard society known as The Red Masks, a rogue wizard claimed to have reinvented the Staff Magic system in 508 A.S. Although his name was deliberately left out of the notes, it did say that he was the leader of a group of bandit mages called The Grey Winds. The ledge goes on to say that not less than eight confirmed, and perhaps several unconfirmed, magical organizations hunted The Grey Winds down and destroyed them and all of their holdings. The ledger concludes that no evidence was ever found supporting the leaders claims of having rediscovered the lost magic system. No one since this time has been foolish enough to attempt or even claim to have rediscovered this process.

Access & Availability

Staff Magic is an incredibly guarded secret that wizards desperately keep hidden. Many fear that in the wrong hands, this system could be used to destroy them and even other magical creatures. Although the Staves Of Power created from this system may turn up from time to time, no wizard ever discusses their creation processes, even hypothetically. 
Incidentally there are two Staves Of Power on display in the Sonian museum in Memoria.