The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage: Wandmaker Vol.2

WM [63] Daughter of the Sage

Tanisha left Sigrun's tent, her mind reeling from the interaction with the First Princess. She was officially a princess of the Kingdom of Yuhia although she would not be able to utilize the title until her return in twenty-five years. Her existence was a secret that would only be known by the most trusted members of Sigrun's inner circle. Of course there were going to be a heavy dose of rumors and red herrings spread as well.

Signe was her guide back to her tent as she needed to go over the functionality of the communication disk. She seemed to be a little more on edge around Tanisha now that she knew that she was a greater wendigo. The fact that she was also a princess, well the Fourteenth Princess, might have also been part of it as well.

Once inside Tanisha's tent, Signe wasted no time. With swift precision, she began enchanting the space, ensuring no eavesdropper, magical or otherwise, could overhear them. Tanisha watched in quiet fascination as glowing blue flames danced at Signe's fingertips, tracing intricate patterns in the air. The fluidity of her movements was mesmerizing, like an artist painting with fire. Tanisha knew little of the Spellcraft Discipline aside from what her friend Mat had taught her in passing at the academy. She didn't know that someone with enchanting specialization could enchant air.

Tanisha looked at Bjorn, who was equally intrigued, as a thought struck her—something important that Signe, of all people, might be able to help with. Now that she was both a princess and an ally to Sigrun, surely Signe would lend a hand. Signe had just finished her enchantments, and, like Thorfinn before her, removed the veil from her face. She looked older than Tanisha had expected, perhaps in her early two hundreds, yet her features held a regal grace.

Tanisha motioned for them to sit at the table within the tent. "Hand Signe, do you know any wandmakers in the human kingdoms? I remember you mentioned working with dwarves."

Signe took her seat, considering Tanisha's request. "Please, while we're alone, feel free to call me simply Signe. Once your ascension to royalty is formally recognized, you may even do so in public. As for wandmakers, yes, I do have some contacts, both in Mesha and the Force Isles. If it's urgent, I could arrange for one to be brought here before you leave."

"That's a generous offer," Tanisha replied, "but I don't want to delay my departure. Are there any wandmakers with your force, perhaps someone Sigrun brought along?"

Signe shook her head. "We do have specialists here, but they're field repairers, not wandmakers. Their skills are in maintenance—fixing broken tools and stabilizing enchantments when possible."

Tanisha's bemused expression drew a smile from Signe, who decided to explain further. "Repairing a magical implement, especially one as complex as a wand or staff, requires knowledge of its physical structure and some understanding of the flow of magic within it. But that's entirely different from creating one from scratch. A repairman can fix a cracked wand shaft, rebind runes, or stabilize fractures in its core components. But they don't do the actual 'molding' of magic within the tool. That's something only a trained wandmaker can do."

"So it's like knowing how to fix a knife handle without needing to know how to forge the blade," Tanisha said thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Signe nodded. "Creating a wand or staff requires years of training and a deep understanding of how magical energies flow and connect. Wandmakers mold the very essence of the object so it can channel magic properly—a bit like shaping the soul of the wand. It's intricate and personal, which is why so few have the skill to do it. Field repairers, on the other hand, focus on patching up physical damage to keep the tool functional. But if something is broken beyond a certain threshold, even they have to take it to a wandmaker. Only they know how to repair the magical core."