Crystal ball

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Crystal ball.jpg

Crystal ball

First use: {{{First use}}}

Where used

{{{Where used}}}

Where discussed

{{{Where discussed}}}
Notes:

Standard fantasy magic-user paraphernalia, presumably used for scrying (seeing at a distance). According to Bani's flashback, crystal balls are status symbols among the girls at the Sashi Mu Academy of Thaumaturgy and Conjuration. Size matters: the smaller the crystal ball, the higher the status of the owner. (Bani, of course, resents this, as she resents just about everything else about most of her classmates.)

Some, although not necessarily all, crystal balls seem to function as communication devices as well -- think of them as magical cell phones.

Where Used

  • Neither Meji, Bani nor Sarine have ever been seen to use, or necessarily to own, a crystal ball. Sarine, at least, seems to have an uncanny ability to find interesting things (notably Jon Amraphel) at a distance, so perhaps she doesn't need one.
  • According to Meji, the modern library uses a crystal ball-looking thingy as a directory to keep track of their holdings. The Heretic Knowledge Vault, not being particularly modern, settles for an old-fashioned card catalog instead, to Meji's contempt.
  • A magical gadget ("Tsuiraku crystal doohickey") resembling a crystal ball is picked up by Ian in Tsuiraku to serve a compass-like function as he bashes through the wilderness. It also serves the equally vital function of distracting Tony and the other bandits when he's waylaid by them, so that he can get off some violent magic. A compass probably wouldn't have been distracting enough to save his hide, so the doohickey really did help him, even though he thought a compass would have been just as good for route finding.
  • Meji's mom uses one here to get the news from Meji's grandfather that Rarune is coming to town, a fact that pleases her (thinking of a certain one-night stand about 18 years ago) more than it pleases her house guests.

See Also

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