Garth Ranzz

UP: Sonoma

    The remains of Harris’ fabled Staff of the Elements were moved from the Lycaeum, to the museum of the township of Caendryl last evening.

    Harris, a resident of Magincia, was famed throughout the land as a finder of lost and stolen objects. Perhaps best known as the possessor of the four Staves of the Elements, Harris was well-loved by those he befriended.

    Each of the staves had the unique ability to summon and control the elemental force for which it was named. For instance, the Staff of the Sky granted Harris complete mastery over the elemental forces of air, while the Staff of the Sun afforded control over fire.

    The Staves were once owned by the lich, Detrivix, and Harris recovered them during his youthful travels. While Harris possessed them for several years, events conspired to remove three of them from his possession, triggering many adventures to return them to his hands - - including a battle with the villainous Captain Wyrmheart, a notorious pirate.

    Wyrmheart held the Staff of the Sea for many years, and scholar’s believe his possession corrupted the elemental forces contained within.

Once all four staves were recovered, Harris’ embarked on an effort to Unify them into one greater Staff of the Elements. Choosing the maze tower (known locally as the lair of the Dread Mage Balart) as the site for the Unification, the ceremony was performed. Perhaps it was the lingering evil of the Tower (an exorcism was performed prior, to minor results), or perhaps it was the years of corruption Captain Wyrmheart pervaded upon the Staff of the Sea; but the newly Unified Staff was unstable, and shattered, unleashing an Ethereal Vortex upon the land.

    Working quickly, the Seers dispatched parties to retrieve pure sources of the elemental forces, and the vortex was dispelled. But at great cost, for Harris was missing (and presumed dead), and the Unified Staff was shattered and warped, with no trace of the power it once held remaining.

    Until recently, the remains of the Staff of the Elements, as well as the pure elemental sources, were on display at the Lycaeum, awaiting a more permanent home being secured.

    The township of Caendryl (built around the Shrine of Spirituality) offered their aid to the scholars of the Lycaeum, and once suitable wards and protections were built, were given permission by the Council of Scholars to house the relic.

    The lady Birmingham, proprietress of the Caendryl museum, had this to say, “We’re quite honored indeed tae be blessed wit’ this addition ter our museum. Harris was quite loved by us, an’ we’re estatic th’ remnants of th’ Staff can be given a proper home in our town. Now it has custodians who will nae only care fer it well, bu’ will be able ter tell visitors th’ stories an’ legends tha’ surround it—somethin’ th’ scholars at th’ Lycaeum ne’er had th’ staffin’ tae do.”

    Late last eve, a large escort party was formed to transport the broken Staff to its new home. Starting at the Lycaeum, Seer Hearadh addressed the assembled crowd, and personally bore the Staff. Protected by a puissant assemblage of mages and warriors, the escort went smoothly until they reached the bridge between Britain and Trinsic. There a large group of pirates laid in ambush—presumably directed there by the remains of Wyrmheart’s band. However, only minor causalities were reported, as the escort party smashed through the ambush, scattering or killing most of the pirates.

    Once in Caendryl, Seer Hearadh completed the rites to secure the Staff. Following this achievement, he bade farewell to the crowd, and stepped towards the Shrine of Spirituality, looking weaker with each step. Explaining that his time was now through, having spent decades in the service of the land, he turned to face the Shrine. As on-lookers watched, the Seer began to change color, like a leaf in the passing seasons, and a pillar of fire reached down from the sky, and surrounded him, transfiguring him. It did not appear that the Seer was in any pain or discomfort during this procedure—in fact he looked quite content. Soon all that remained were the robes themselves, and they too passed in a cloud of fire. A charred spot in the grass marks the passing of this learned being to the ultimate knowledge that lies outside our realm.

    It is believed (though surely scholars shall debate this for years, being the first recorded time that a Seer’s transformation had been witnessed) that the Staff’s unique nature was unrelated to this remarkable occurrence, and that it was a natural function of a Seer’s singular makeup.

    The Staff of the Elements is available for public viewing in the Caendryl Museum. The Museum is located directly north of the Shrine of Spirituality.

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Saturday, February 13th 1999