The Department of Industrial Magic Arts is a department of the Kisaro Academy of Sorcery dedicated to the creation of magic staffs and other magic-related tools.
Overview
Students in the Department of Industrial Magic Arts manufacture, test and improve magical tools. The department contains a workshop and a shop where completed staffs made by students are displayed and sold. According to Lilicena, the items offered by the department are considered suitable for retail despite being student creations.[1] Customers may purchase a ready-made staff immediately or request a customized model. A custom staff can take approximately one week to complete.[2] The department produces staffs for many different species, magical abilities and purposes. Known examples include lightweight staffs for avians, implantable staffs for slimes, ritual staffs for goblins, small staffs for fairies and enormous staffs made for giants.[3]
Workshop
The department's workshop contains equipment used for cutting, carving, assembling and testing magical implements. Its students experiment with their designs in an effort to improve existing staffs and create new forms of value.[4]
Many of the department's tools are powered by magic. Their operation therefore requires training as well as a supply of magical force, placing people without magic at a disadvantage.[5]
Staffs are generally divided into three types:
- Long staffs measure more than five and a half feet. They are associated with powerful offensive magic, can be used for physical attacks and may be ridden as transportation.
- Middle staffs measure between three and five and a half feet. They are commonly used for wide-range and support magic.
- Short staffs measure less than three feet. They require less magical force and are often used for communication, commands, offensive magic and support magic.[6]
Important staff components include the magic amplifier, handle and release stone. The purity of the handle's magic receptor affects how efficiently magical force can be transmitted.[7]
Known members
- Lightbell — A third-year student and staff crafter.
Plot
Lilicena brought Amira to the Department of Industrial Magic Arts after learning that Amira had sold many of her former magical tools. Lilicena originally intended for Amira to purchase a staff that would make her appear more convincing as a lecturer.[8]
At the department's shop, Amira met Lightbell and examined the many staffs produced by the academy's students. After observing the department's craftsmen, Amira became more interested in creating a staff herself than purchasing a completed one.[9]
Despite possessing no magical force and having no previous crafting experience, Amira began working in the department's workshop with guidance from Lightbell and support from Lilicena. Her early prototypes repeatedly failed, but she continued working until she successfully completed her first staff after approximately one week.[10][11]
Because Amira could not supply magic to the completed staff, Lilicena tested it on her behalf. The staff successfully concentrated and released Lilicena's magical force, producing a brilliant light across the night sky. The experience inspired Amira to continue studying the art of staffmaking.[12]