Staffs

Staffs (dinelpem stäfgäl in Elpish) are long sticks, usually wooden, that grant the bearer special powers and advantages, both offensive, defensive, and scientific. Staffs are sentient, though the sentience is simulated and the staffs do not possess spirits/souls.

Appearance
Most staffs are about a meter and a half tall and made of wood, though there are some exceptions. Typically staffs have crystals at the head or other defining characteristics.

Genuine/Counterfeit
All genuine staffs are created by elps and are made perfectly. However, lower cave peoples also craft staffs. Counterfeit staffs are non-sentient, break easily, and often misbehave in the hands of adventurers. Most of the "better" counterfeit staffs are made with black magic by the pagan cave peoples, and carry a heavy curse. Fire staffs explode suddenly, invisibility staffs thrust the bearer into the mental space indefinitely, and transporter staffs often send adventurers into the heart of a volcano, deep underwater, or into a dragon's cave.

Counterfeit staffs level up quickly. Less experienced adventurers gain false confidence from this, which is great until they burst into flames.

Elps can easily tell a counterfeit from a genuine, though the difference is more subtler to commoners. Mental staffs come in handy for sniffing out fakes. Since there are many crafty species in the caves, counterfeit staffs are common and make up the majority of the market. It is important for possible staffs to be scanned by a mental staff before an adventurer takes it up. Mental staffs seem to have a snobby, superior attitude to counterfeit staffs—and rightly so. Counterfeits have been the death of many adventurers, and will continue to be.

Sentience
Nearly all staffs contain in their composition some amount of drogue and stelrag. Because of this, the staff and its bearer often form a close bond. When separated from its bearer, oftentimes a staff will start to complain to mental staffs. After an extended separation, the staff will begin acting up. (For instance, fire staffs separated from their bearers often flare up without notice.) If a new bearer takes the staff, the staff will react badly, inflicting damage on its owner. If its original bearer sells it to another, oftentimes it will carry a grudge and offer a bounty on its prior owner's head.

Staffs have no gender, though male explorers often refer to them as "she/her," and female explorers refer to their staffs as "he/him." Since they have no way of reproducing, the concept of male/female doesn't seem to exist in the minds of staffs. Hence, staffs often refer to bearers as simply "they/them."

Human scientists do not consider staffs officially sentient. Contrarily, many elp kings have staffs in their advising panels. The opinion on whether or not staffs are sentient is debated throughout the Speck universe.

Numeric Language
The staffs communicate among themselves using a numeric language which has yet to be fully translated. With a leveled-up mental staff, a bearer can understand the language of the staffs for the greater part.

History
When the staffs were created, the elps designed them to be activated using numeric commands. (For example, saying the digits "5291730" activates a fire staff to send a blast of flame in a southern direction.) When they were originally created, the elps did not intend for them to use language among themselves, but shortly after a number of staffs were created, the elps soon realized that the staffs seemed to be communicating with one another. So they created the mental staffs to provide a link between the minds of the staffs and the mind of an elp. Once the mental staffs were activated, it was discovered that the staffs were indeed talking to each other, but in a complex language made completely of numbers.

Mental Staffs
Mental staffs can be used to translate the numeric language. At +0, the staffs merely tell the bearer the digits being used. The higher level a staff is, the greater the percentage of numbers are translated into comprehensible words. At level +7, the mental staff will translate all words except for a set of secret phrases which staffs refuse to translate.

Commands
Staffs are activated by the bearer speaking a string of numbers. The numbers usually consist of the following: More complex commands require a greater amount of digits.
 * One digit which is the kind of staff being used
 * Three digits which are staff's "name"
 * The function being used; offense, defense, science, etc.
 * The direction in which to cast the effect; 1-4 indicate North through West, and 1, 2, 5, or 7 indicating the direction's tendency (32 = SSW, 35 = SW, 37 = SWW)

Secret Phrases
Staffs are discreet and have a strong sense of confidentiality. When staffs are conversing, there are certain phrases and words which mental staffs refuse to translate for their bearers, even if they have a strong stelrag/drogue connection.
 * 331 is said by death staffs whenever the subject of the secret laboratory is mentioned by an adventurer.
 * 210 is said by all staffs when they level up. It is also said when staffs are reunited with bearers who were absent for a while, and when staffs rescue their bearers. It has been speculated that 210 is the staffs' "I love you" phrase. It is unknown why mental staffs refuse to translate this.
 * The square root of a number divisible by 4 is considered a call for help for staffs being abused. According to mythology, the number on the door of the Secret Laboratory in the Elp Fortress was "16," which is considered the ultimate cry for help from any staff. When a staff says "16," it means that it is in certain peril and will probably be dead within seconds if no help is sent. It is unclear why mental staffs won't translate this. Cries for help include the numbers: 4, 16, 36, 64, 100, 144, etc.
 * All staffs have numeric pet names for their bearers which mental staffs won't translate.

Society
Staff society is mysterious and highly complex. When adventurers form bands, their staffs form a union. Though in theory all staffs are equal, they will often elect a "leader" among themselves in these unions. The leader is usually the highest-level staff. Even when their adventurer bearers fall out and separate ways, the staffs stay in touch, and often refuse to do battle against the other.

Staffs who are being abused often cry for help. If other lower-level staffs are in the area, they will autonomously attack the abuser, seeking to free their sibling. (Staffs never say "brother" or "sister," as they lack the concept of gender.)

Kinds of Staffs
Fire (Ikänernr das stäfg)

Transport (Nadämnakernr das stäfg)

Vision (Wudekernr das stäfg)

Invisibility (Baudäskernr das stä)