#Lore24 – Entry #80 – Fantasy Month #20 – Staff of Many Bindings
From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos:
“Yes, that one,” Felaria said after she saw the look I gave her in response to the topic this morning. She seemed quite amused, too, giving me that sly, smug grin she sometimes wears. Sometimes I feel she’s got quite a sadistic streak within her, because it seems to me that she takes great pleasure in my humiliation, however infrequently it seems to happen. Perhaps it’s simply a form of affection in dark elven society? I’ll have to research that later; women in their societies do tend toward the submissive, and worship of Yurisaya is quite common, after all. As for myself? I’m not nearly as enthusiastic to bring up these memories, but if I must, then so be it.
As the name suggests, the Staff of Many Bindings is an arcanist’s staff which is used for binding the target in various ways, simply or more intricately depending on the will of the caster employing the staff, usually not only restraining the target but also silencing them via some form of gag, perhaps even blindfolding them; these are quite effective against arcanists, priests, and druidic types as one would imagine. The staves are not especially rare, at least within the Empire, as it is seen as more beneficial to capture targets for interrogation or enslavement than simply destroying them, though I’m sure such arcane creations exist elsewhere within the world. I would be quite surprised were I to learn that major temples of Yurisaya wouldn’t have at least one, the same with Erisaya’s holy sites. As I understand it, arcanely gifted bounty hunters also routinely employ these staves to capture their prey, if they are successful enough in their trade to afford one, of course. Not infallible by any stretch of the imagination, one possessed of quick enough reflexes can avoid the conjuration of the bindings produced by the staves, and those who are particularly dexterous can still work themselves free given enough time to do so, though against your average person, these will prove quite effective in immobilizing them until properly secured. The bindings themselves are magical conjurations, and while just as sturdy as their mundane counterparts, are just as vulnerable to the same methods of destruction (ropes and straps can be cut, gags can be tugged free, chains can be broken, given proper leverage, etc).
The particular staff Felaria referred to this morning belongs to one Regina Houslin, a noble-born arcanist of no small talent (even if said talents are greatly misfocused in my opinion) who visits the Great Library from time to time. Mother seems to get along quite well with Lady Houslin, and both seemed to very much enjoy educating me on the nature of these staves. Quite rigorously and repeatedly. For an entire week I was used as a test subject for Lady houslin’s staff in the Library’s arcanum workshop as she fine-tuned the staff’s matrix and enhanced its functions beyond the standard version of the staff. Mother said it was because of my reflexes and agility, but I feel that’s probably not the whole of the matter. Houslin’s enhanced version of the staff featured an additional effect that she believes will quickly become commonplace, specifically that it instantaneously disrobes the target when the bindings are successfully applied; I’m honestly baffled that this hasn’t been an established feature of the staves since their inception.
And yes, her experiments were quite successful; I spent much of that week quite naked and writhing on the floor or hopping around the workshop in various states of restraint. I was also tasked with dressing up in various outfits of steadily increasing complexity and coverage during the tests; wearing layers of insulated, fur-lined winter clothing in the summer here is quite unpleasant. Thank you very much, Mother; I’m sure the other arcanists visiting that week were quite thankful too.
That’s not all that Lady Houslin added to her personal staff, however. She was quite specific that I should try the staff on her, and while initially excited for this chance at revenge, I was quickly humiliated once again. She has placed a very secure enchantment upon the staff that has essentially turned it into a cursed item in anyone’s hands but her own. Try as I might to bypass this feature, I was unsuccessful, and was subjected multiple times to having myself restrained in random ways by the staff. Were I not certain the staff is not sentient, I would swear that it took pleasure in my suffering, for it quite often made itself part of my restraint when this feature was triggered. “For ease of future transport,” as Lady Houslin said.
Mother, if you’re reading this, I’m not delving further into the details; you saw quite enough during Lady Houslin’s visit, and if you require more, perhaps I can recommend some tawdry reading for you instead?