Staff of Taavea Tai

The Staff of Taavea Tai

It’s delightful to blast some poor sod from the distance and see the shock and terror in the eyes of his compatriots. I would even need to bother with a sword and shield were it not for the fact that the staff also likes to threaten to burst open my own eardrums whenever I use it.

— Âldiwel the Red

The Staff of Taavea Tai is a unique weapon currently in the hands of Sohhia Pentiwichen, the Empress of Pallernen. Nearly all of the scholars who have attempted to investigate the strange item over the years have come to the conclusion that the staff is imbued with a form of magic that is both completely unknown and incomprehensible. The House of Pentiwichen, and the staff's previous owners, have used the weapon to blast their foes with thunderous lightning bolts that can kill with ease, striking dread into the hearts of all who oppose the wielder.

Characteristics

The staff is a nearly two meters long and created from materials of an unclear origin. Most of the shaft is covered by a dark grey material that provides excellent grip retention. At the bottom of the staff and near the top are metal rings. The metal resembles steel but it's completely immune to corrosion.
Around the middle of the shaft is an orange handle that can slide upward and down. Sliding it against the upper ring causes the staff to shoot out a bolt of lightning. The lightning comes out of a large blue crystal. The crystal's temperature ranges from warm to burning hot, depending on how much sunlight the object has absorbed.

History

First mentioned in records that date back to the Ascension of Hillen, the Staff of Taavea Tai had supposedly belonged to a man or woman named Taavea Tai who accompanied Gilei Hillen during the War of the First March. Some tales say that they had found the item from the bottom of lake Clēqhuap, a sacred location for the followers of Aprēaq Hūril, while others have stated that it was discovered hidden in the depths of an ancient bunker.

Escape from Athe

When Hillen sacrificed himself to save mankind from aberati occupation, only a few of his companions had managed to survive and escape the great explosion. Taavea Tai was one of those who narrowly avoided utter incineration, but his or her injuries were too great to bear. After a couple of days of hopelessly travesing the desolate landscape, Taavea collapsed to the ground and succumbed to their injuries.
Weeks later, travellers stumbled across the body, and they buried Taavea on the spot, taking the curious staff for their own. Over the long decades and centuries, the staff moved across the continent, going from merchant to merchant, family to family. No one had figured out the exact purpose of the off staff, using it simply as a curious walking staff and weapon to beat drunks and brigands over the head with.

Pentiwichen's Prize

During the bloody and devastating Interregnum of Pallernen that had shattered the once powerful empire, Âldiwel the Red, a direct descendant of the last emperor and rightful heir to his empty throne, found the artefact in the house of an enemy he had just slain. Fascinated by the strange item, he spent day and night investigating its purpose, correctly assessing that the staff was from a time before the Explosion at Athe.
Following extensive experimentation, the young mercenary captain and rightful heir to the throne learned how the weapon harnessed the power of the sun and possessed the capacity to launch bolts of lightning that were as deadly as they were deafening. From that day on the Staff of Taavea Tai has been a prized heirloom of the House of Pentiwichen, wielded by the heads of the venerable dynasty.

Staff of Taavea Tai by Mihkel Rand

Item type

Weapon, Other

Current Location

Aûrkustel

Current Holder

Sohhia Pentiwichen

Rarity

Unique