The Eleven Staffs of Ximax are, if not the most powerful magical artifacts on Caelereth, at least one of the most notorious. The Eleven are all direct links to the magical stores of the Towers of Ximax, the town of mages, and have histories of equal magnitude. These staffs are the badges of office of the Archmagi, and it is through these that they wield the awe-inspiring energies that are the hallmark of the Lords of Ximax. The Staffs can be described as follows (sorted alphabetically):

• Staff of Darkness
  The most infamous Staff of the Eleven, its most famous wielder was the Dark Elven Archmage Móh'núl, who masterminded the theft of Staff of Ximax in the year 733 b.S. With the help of dark elven clerics, the Archmage bound the staff and his fellow Archmagi in shadows from the Dark Tower. By the time the Archmagi could free themselves from the webs of shadow covering the city, Móh'núl, his minions, and the Staff of Ximax were gone. The dark elves then launched a massive attack on the Institute. Despite the best efforts of the Ximaxians, a spell or two pierced the Inner Circle. In the resulting conflagration, only a few high-level magi and the Towers of the Inner Circle remained. The remaining ten Archmagi eventually hunted Móh'núl down, destroyed him, and reclaimed the staffs, but the Black Staff has been forever tainted by the enchantments of the dark clerics. It seemed to advocate Archmagi who were more and more corrupted, and this is seen as one of the main reasons for the Second Fall of Ximax. It is formed of onyx, shadow, and bone, and seems to leave a dark chill wherever it rests. The Staff works best with the Brown and Red staffs.

• Staff of Earth
  The masterwork of the dwarven Archmage Ungur Firehands, the Staff of Earth was forged in the fires in the heart of Baroll'Rot'Rum. It was made from pure Mithril, shaped into a scintillating rod of power. Then Ungur, in all his power, turned the lava that had heated the staff's core into a multicolored weave of stone cloth, and placed it over the Staff's heart. Thus, the Staff fits its wielders perfectly. Rough and course on the outside, shining with amazing power within. The Staff controls the very earth around it, and also can twist physical strength to its owner's whims. It is considered one of the lesser staffs, but you would find few in the history of Ximax willing to challenge the Archmagi who have controlled the Brown Staff.

• Staff of Flame
  The staff of the Archmage of the Crimson Tower, the Red Staff is a rather terrifying sight to behold. It has the appearence of eternally dripping lava, constantly running in an inverse teardrop shape. Only the Red Archmage can dare to touch it, and the Staff has been known to share its displeasure with its wielder's course of action by temporarily allowing itself to burn his hands. This staff works best with the Violet and Black Staffs.

• Staff of Life
  Although it is the sigil of the Archmagus of the Tower of Life, this title, sadly, belongs but to a figurehead. Too much lifemagic lore has been lost since the fall of Birn. Rraopila of Birn gave this staff to the Chosen Saban, imbuing it deeply with her own magic, and that of her enemies, killing them in the process. It is rumored that this staff was taken from the heart of the Tree of Life by the first generation of Brownies. The staff is a shaft of eternally green wood, vibrant and still alive, with twin vines twining around it forming the sigil of the Lifemagic. The Green Staff enables the user to cast lifemagic spells at almost unlimited range, and close to unlimited intensity, but only at whatever lifemagic spell level the user already can handel. A team of redbark Brownies has been researching ways to change this limitation since the Tower of Life was founded. This Staff works best in concert with the Blue and Brown Staffs.

• Staff of Light
  Formed of ivory, silver, and shimmering halos of energy, the White Staff is the counter to the threat posed by the Shadow Staff to the forces of Ximax. The Staff is reputedly a pale shadow of that great artifact, the Staff of Avá, held by the Light Elves. It affects the mind of its owner after some time, as is evidenced by the fact that all of the Light Archmagi since the Fall of 733 have been steadily more rationalizing, cold, and brutally swift to put down any attempt by the Black Tower to manipulate the balance of force. It works best with the Yellow and Rainbow Staffs.

• Staff of Magic
  Once the greatest and least of the Eleven, the Staff of the Metamagi is the most powerful magic-warping force short of the Shadow Himself on Caelereth. As its tower, the Rainbow Staff is made of crystal, with bands of color swirling through it with the passing of magical fields. The Staff is the most powerful tool against other magic known to the Wizard's School, but against the simplest soldier it is worth no more than a common club. Such is the price of specialization.

• Staff of Mind
  The device of the Master of the Violet Tower, the Staff of Mind is an elongated replica of the Tower itself, down to the Minor Eye on the apex. It is one of the more bizzare functions of the staff that its bearer always appears to be the same Archmagus who wielded it first, the demi-legend Venora Farsight. Among its other powers are its casual bending of others to its will, and the illusions the staff itself can wield. The Staff has a mind of its own, and it is an even deadlier foe than its user if separated. This staff works well with the Yellow Staff and the Rainbow Staff.

• Staff of the Sea
  A twining ribbon of ice with water filling in a conical shape, the Blue Staff bears not only the powers of the sea, but it can also be used to work healing magics and even in some cases see Beyond. Some would think that this would lead to a rift between the Blue, Violet, and Green, but the school of Life is the closest bound to the Water Magi, and the psychics see the Rainwielders as no threat. No school besides the Red truly sees the Archmagi of Water as enemies (possibly one of the Staff's powers), and so the Water Magi quietly flourish in the sea of intrigue that is Ximax.

• Staff of the Sky
  This miniature whirlwind of yellow quartz and diamond is the third greatest of the Staffs; only the Rainbow Staff rivals it in power. The sorcerous powers held within the Staff include speed, deflection, and the deadly discipline of Weather magic. The Archmagi of this Staff are usually elven, and as such it is believed that any human wielder of the Staff will gradually be gotten rid of by his very badge of office.

• Staff of Summoning
  The mark of the Gateway Tower, the Staff that is its heart is roughly of the same design as the Tower. A rod of obsidian and marble reaches up, and in four hands grasps an orb of solid Voidras, more precious than a city of Mithril, more powerful than even the Tower of its birth. For from within this Staff one can issue forth the legions of the Tower, from imps to mephguórs, from the lowliest bloodworm to the greatest netherbeast... All lie dormant within the orb, waiting for the Master of the Tower's call. This staff works well with all of its brethren.

• Staff of Ximax
  The staff of the Archmagus of the Guard Tower, both the title and staff are the marks of the highest of mages, reigning over their fellows. The Staff is shaped of raw magic, (secretly - this staff is the work of the Weavers as it is told) with all the most powerful enchantments the Archmagi of the ages have been able to lay upon it. The staff controls and links its brethren, and it is the greatest reason why the Magic City has never fallen to an enemy while the Staff is held in the hands of the High Archmage.