ARCHIVE OF THE DARK LIBRARIANS, Artifact Number #115712-C38
The Warlock Stick of Majik was first discovered hanging from the branches of a bone white tree on October 10, 1913 by Ranger Lex Barthule. (Somewhere outside of Monstervania.) It was believed to have been used by Klekk Stangle of Baron Davis’ unit, during World War I, but was believed to be lost in the subsequent trench explosion.
In 2015 Ranger DrunknRaccoon recovered it while flying a kite in the outlands of Arizona. He claims that he saw something odd floating in a cloud, and his kite got tangled up in it. When he pulled it down, he discovered the case and related contents. How the stick got there, no-one is certain. (Ask him about it.)
CUSTODIAN: Chris “DrunknRaccoon” Barthule
ARTIFACT AGE: Unknown
WEIGHT: .73 POUNDS
LENGTH: 9 INCHES
SCENT: An aroma of charcoal and orange twist.
DISCOVERED POWERS: SALAMANDER DRIZZLE, FIRE UMBRELLA, INSTANT CAMPFIRE
SECRET: An illustration of Marrow Thatch hidden beneath the orange backer board, believed to have been drawn by Baron himself.
VALUE: Priceless.
We wish to publicly thank Ranger DrunknRaccoon for his service both recovering, and protecting, this priceless Artifact of our Sect.
LORE
By Ranger DrunknRaccoon
Ranger Lex Barthule was a founding member of the branch of Archaeocryptozoologists, who refer to themselves as the Relic Guardians. They are tasked with researching and preserving artifacts left behind by our monster friends and any other sort of oddlings. The Relic Guardians exist as an unofficial ranger branch that runs between the Skull Rangers, who take care of the Bloodless, and the Dark Librarians, who observe and protect the lore of the rangers, monsters, and Monstru. They are generally out in the field, collecting relics and archiving them to preserve their rich history which, in turn, preserves the culture of monsters and rangers alike.
The year was 2015 when the Stick of Majik came into my possession. This instrument was originally in the care of my ancestor, Lex Barthule, who tapped into its power to assist Baron Davis and others during the Great War. The following is an account of Lex Barthule’s time with the Stick of Majik and records of its use.
Journal entries regarding the Warlock Stick of Magik by Ranger Lex Barthule
10 October 1913 – Stick Relic (Artifact #115712-C38, catalogued)
While exploring a location outside of what Baron refers to as Monstervania, I happened upon a corpse of a tree. The sight of it unnerved me. It looked to be made of bone but, upon further inspection, I found its material to still be that of wood. Its appearance was ghostly, as it stood solitary with no other matching flora to be found. The soil around the wooden specter was a deep black color, which is currently being analyzed. Hanging from the branches of the tree was a stick. This stick seemed out of place, due to the fact that it was strung up by some twine and it’s hue did not match that of the tree that was hosting it. The stick is a curious thing. Someone or something has wrapped the handle in leather and metal studs to use as a grip. The word IGNIS is burned into the body of the stick. I can only surmise that this instrument is a magik wand used by ancient warlocks. Its full purpose is not yet known. More research must be done to inquire upon the true abilities of this device.
3 February 1914 – Warlock Stick of Magik (Artifact #115712-C38, catalogued)
After months of experimenting with the Stick of Magik, the other Relic Guardians and I have finally cracked into some of the magikal properties of the artifact. The word burned on the side of the stick seems to be an incantation. When combined with different Latin phrases, certain spells can be achieved. Since the incantation IGNIS is Latin for fire, we deduced that only certain phrases can achieve a desired effect. Though they are rather peculiar. For example, recitation of the words “ignis salamandra pluvia” results in flaming salamanders raining from the sky. We have crudely referred to this as a “salamander drizzle.” The area of effect for this spell is about an acre in size. While this spell seems to be intended for more nefarious purposes, there are others that have their more practical uses. The phrase “extemplo castra ignis” will produce for the wielder an instant camp fire and the phrase “ignis umbracula” will produce a fire umbrella, which is very handy during downpours, not only keeping the wielder dry but also warm.
The Relic Guardians have been trying to quantify the power of the Warlock Stick of Magik. One way that we have been doing this is collecting the salamanders after the “Salamander Drizzle” incantation. This proved difficult in the first couple of attempts as the salamanders dissolved into cinders approximately one hour after being conjured. After we discovered this, we were quicker to accumulate them. We noticed that after a few “drizzles,” the number of salamanders were reduced. We can only infer that, after continued use, the power diminishes over time. We also analyzed the soil content of the earth surrounding the bone white tree where we found the Stick of Magik and found that it had an extremely high carbon content, among other common minerals and elements.
1 August 1914 – Militarization, Warlock Stick of Magik (Artifact #115712-C38, catalogued)
Efforts for preservation of artifacts have been temporarily halted due to the conflict in Europe. Baron Davis has left to focus his efforts there, as well as a few other rangers. Some of the more powerful artifacts have been relocated to the front in hopes to aid the Conjure Guard in their efforts to drive back the Axis Rotters, who are lost to the carelessness and selfishness of the Monsterologist menace. One of the artifacts was the Warlock Stick of Majik. The Conjure Guard have been cautioned that continued use of the stick would result in the depletion of its majik and, currently, no research has been done on the restoration of the majik. The stick has been entrusted to Klekk Stangle, who will serve very close to Baron Davis. My only hope is that the power the stick wields will not fail them in time of need. For the time being, I will go over my research notes in an attempt to discover a way to keep the stick functioning as well as discover any other useful relics for the cause. My belief is that if there exists one wand of a singular elemental power, there must also exist others. I will be diligent in my efforts to be of some use to my ranger brothers and sisters on the Western Front.
The account of the Warlock Stick of Majik ends there with no other entries regarding the other wands that Ranger Lex Barthule hoped to discover. Klekk Stangle was the last to have possession of the stick and we know both he and Baron Davis were caught in a trench explosion, blowing them back to Monstru. The stick could not be recovered after. However, last year, while flying a kite I noticed something odd floating around in a cloud. I flew my kite closer and it got tangled up inside and came crashing down. It was a case bound shut with a leather strap. I opened up the case and inside was the Warlock Stick of Majik that Lex wrote about all those years ago. It is my belief that the case, which was sealed in 1939, was sent back to our world from Monstru by some unknown means. I’ll have to go through Lex’s research and find out if he ever discovered a means to restore the stick’s power.
