Swanfeather Schema

Description

The materials used to craft a Swanfeather Schema must be carefully purified, and are usually handled with gloves when not actively being shaped. Many artisans wear a facemask when working with caustic substances such as beggar's lye, but in the case of a Swanfeather Schema they take extra pains not to breathe on the material, and a drop of blood or sweat spill on to the wand as it is being formed can ruin the procedure entirely. At the end, the schema appears little different to any other wand, but magic channeled and woven with it can be used to purge venom and alleviate weakness.

Over time, a Swanfeather Schema absorbs a little of the corruption that it purifies, slowly becoming more obviously twisted, blackened or ill-favoured. When the magic of a Swanfeather Schema runs out, it is usually buried or burnt rather than being re-enchanted. Some magicians believe that there is a risk - minor but very real - that a wand of this type that absorbs too much corruption may become dangerous, either resentful of the wielder or prone to leaking poison or sickness. These items are rarely made into artefacts as a consequence; one of the few known examples is the wand of the stargazer Escritor of Sunspire, in Urizen, who purified his metal Swanfeather Schema with fire and fresh mountain water each evening. Of course historians note that Escritor died in mysterious circumstances, ranting and delirious and claiming his blood was full of tiny spiders. Most historical accounts suggest he was poisoned or cursed. A few note that his Swanfeather Schema has not been seen at all since his demise...

Rules

• Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand. You must be wielding this implement to use its magical properties.
• Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.
• Effect: You may cast, or swift cast, the purify spell as if you know it.
• Materials: Crafting a Swanfeather Schema requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

"Two wands. Both indisputably tools of the magister's art. Can anyone identify them? Yes, Abraham, on the left, the Swanfeather Schema. And on the right? Anyone...? No? Very well. On the right, the same. The difference? The wand on my right, blackened, twisted and redolent with corruption, has long been an item of my personal arsenal. The wand on my left is its replacement, ready to enter service tomorrow when its predecessor is disposed of in the correct manner. And how has this transformation been achieved? Through long years of use in the purification of foulness. The wand absorbs the corruption, sealing it away where it can do no harm, other than to its container. That which was once pure now is corrupt.

"But of course, we need not use a wand to purify, many of us are quite capable of casting such an incantation. And when you incant the Litany of Purification and draw the corruption from your patient, where does it go? Perhaps you would care to reflect on that, class."