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Gorrin's most useful
possession is his runic staff and this functions as both a walking stick
and a source of great magical power. All gnomes, when they reach 21 years
of age, are presented with a gnomic staff. The construction of a gnomic
staff does vary somewhat, depending on which part of the country, or even
the world, the gnome originates. Particular families of gnomes all tend to
have very similar looking runic staffs but there the similarity ends. In
Gorrin's case the staff is made of twisted or plaited blackthorn.
Blackthorn is an ancient wood that is also known as the Sloe. It is also
from these very bitter black berries that Sloe Gin is made. This is a
special liqueur that is normally only drunk on special occasions - it is
also Gorrin's favourite special drink.
The staff has a large
pommel or head at the top of the twisted stem. Into this pommel are carved
various runes of power and these glow various colours, depending on the
type of charm being invoked. The effects that the runic staff can project
vary considerably, from very subtle such as blending and camouflage, to
cutting and severing. In the case of cutting the staff emits a beam of
bright green light and the runes on the staff glow a bright green. For
more detail, see the list below:-
Cutting, Slicing and
Severing Objects Charm
Gorrin sings a
song that is soft at first but raises in volume as it is sung. The staff
glows an emerald green and an emerald beam if green light is emitted from
the end of the staff. Gorrin first uses this charm in Chapter
One.
Torch Charm
Gorrin taps the
staff three times upon the ground and utters a phrase in the ancient
gnomish tongue, rather than singing it. The effect is that the pommel of
the staff glows with a blue-white bright light. In this mode, the runic
staff is used as a very powerful torch and source of illumination. The
runes on the pommel also glow blue-white.
Camouflage/Blending of Surroundings
Charm
Gorrin sings a tuneful song in gnomish and points
the staff at objects. The result is that the objects blend into their
surroundings and disappear from view. Gorrin uses this to hide his home
from the rest of the world, but Horrin was able to break through the magic
into Gorrin's home to leave the cursed talisman. It was this act that led
to Gorrin ultimately spending 300 years in a form of suspended
animation.
Fire Lighting Charm
Gorrin sings a song in gnomish and points the stick at the
target. A red light is emitted from the end of the staff to ignite
combustible objects (eg. kindling). During this process the runes on the
top of the cane glow red.
Large Scale Movement of Objects
Charm
Gorrin sings a song in gnomish and the runes glow
purple. As Gorrin points the end of the runic staff towards an target, all
loose objects within the vicinity begin to move towards the focus point.
This is used in Chapter five of 'The Adventures of Gorrin the
Gnome', to repair the canal breach.
Manipulation Charm
Gorrin sings a song in gnomish and a pale yellow light is
emitted from the end of the runic staff towards the object. This charm
creates a force that can be used to subtly manipulate objects. Gorrin uses
this to operate the lock gates in Chapter Five and close the sluice gates
on the locks as well.
Sleeping Charm
Gorrin sings a song in gnomish and a pink light is emitted from
the end of the staff toward ay persons or animals that you wish to place
in a deep sleep. Gorrin usefully employs this technique to place the two
burglars in the boat yard (in Chapter Seven) into a deep sleep to await
the arrival of the police. Gorrin also uses the same charm in Chapter
Seventeen to disable members of the motorcycle gang.
Protection Charm
Gorrin sings a song and the staff generates a protection shield
around the user and anyone the user is touching. This shield will ward off
any objects or magic directed towards the user. During this process the
runes glow with a slight white glow.
Detection Charm
Gorrin sings a short chant. This is a much shorter song than
the others as it is necessary to employ quickly. During this process the
staff will hum and vibrate if there is anyone magically concealed in the
vicinity of the user. The runes on the staff glow with a slight blue-white
glow when the staff is pointed towards the direction of the person
magically hiding.
Drying Charm
Gorrin uses this charm in book two ("The
Further Adventures of Gorrin the Gnome", Chapter Three), to dry clothing.
This is a difficult charm to use and the 'Book of Magic' has to be
consulted to ensure that the gnomish song is correctly sung. The short
verse causes the runes to glow orange for a brief time and an energy pulse
radiates from the staff in all directions. Anything in a radius of 5
metres is quickly dried. If the song is not precisely sung, the
energy pulse will burn or char clothing slightly around the edges.
Eyebrows and hair are also singed or scorched.
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