The Staff of Technology

Magically empowering the technological

A wooden staff with shimmering green linework resembling wires on a circuitboard leaning against a tree in the park.

A horozontal photo of the staff, dark brown bark, peeled grip, and a green feather hanging from an accessory branch, with a canvas backdrop. Shimmering green circuitboard like linework is carved along the length of it.

The first staff made with English wood. I found this branch while just walking around close to home, laying on the ground already dry, clearly having broken off a tree at some point or another. But, it was almost perfectly straight, and nearly the exact same thickness as the staff I was using at the time! It was a gift, and it was destined to come home with me. Not long after, construction began.

I'd pondered it, not having a theme for it of any sort yet, and put some designs on it in my head. The one that stuck was a circle (with the center filled in), and a straight vertical line coming off of it, and a curve at the top of that in some manner, but the circle and straight line... like a circuit board. Thus, the Staff of Technology was envisioned.

Magically, this staff is made to improve the technology you're using or that you have with you, make it more reliable as it can, improve its functionality, and enhance it as best possible. On that note, of course a safety is already imbued into it on inception, a copy of me inside of it, as with all of my staves and most other magical things. I call myself Kabutroid the Uncorruptable for a reason, this staff will not function for any reason other than good. It will enhance your tech, provided you're doing good on the side of good.

So yes, magical safeties cleared up, on with the carving! We indeed started with that circle, during which time I discovered that due to its dryness, the bark fairly easily peels from the staff in small places. To counter that, we glued the centers of the circles in, and at the end of each carving session, are gluing the edges of the bark down all throughout.

It took a bit of time, with needing to glue inside of each strip that I carved out of the bark, but soon we finished carving the bottom of the staff. I'd debated whether to go all the way to the base, but it felt more right to stop the carving about 4 inches from the bottom of the staff, ending it with one of the dot filled circles. Also, my signature was added already, the K.T. taking the place of one of those dots. The top was carved more or less in the same style, with one organic curved line through it, and the rest the circuitboard like linework.

We painted all of the lines in with metallic silver enamel paint, to further that circuitboard-like vibe, and then proceeded to give it a few coats of green tinted varnish. Just on the lines though, contrary to circuitboards, I don't want the entirety of this to be green, just the silver lines, again, mixing organic with technological. Not for any magical reason, just... y'know, it's a staff made from a tree branch. It is however taking several coats of varnish though, which is probably good because I a) generally always apply more than one coat of varnish, and b) don't want it opaque green, so a few coats of green tint until I get the colour that I want.

And oh my goodness did that shimmer come out amazing. Better than I could have ever hoped for. I wish photos could do it justice, but those lines almost seem to glow. Could be the magick imbued into here helping it along, but WOW, does it have a... pearlescent shimmer to it. This is the first thing that I can definitively say looks pearlescent. Just... did NOT see that coming! SO happy :D :D :D

But we're not done yet! With the colours complete, we need a rubber foot on the bottom! In thinking about it, would I want it to *look* like it's connected with the ground (brown leather foot), or that it's insulated unto itself (rubber foot). Nope, feels good to have it insulated, doesn't feel right to leave it non-insulated. So that decided (after attaching the rubber foot as it were, but it would be ludicrously easy to peel it off and glue another one on at this point, no matter all good), the shoe glue continued to dry, adhering the rubber foot to the bottom of the staff. And once that dries, we need only trim it to shape!

And with that dried, we shaved the foot down to size, and... WOW, I have GOT to say, that shimmery, pearlescent appearance is just incredible. I cannot get over how that looks, it's almost as though the silver is glowing through the green, the way the edges of the linework are greener, quickly tapering down to the thinner layer through the rest of the line, it's just... phenomenal. Just cannot get over that, it's almost magical to look at, never mind the magick inside. Just truly, silver metallic with tinted varnish overtop, I will not be forgetting this method. Just wow, SO glad with how this turned out!

Enthusiastically finished November 12, 2025

Kabutroid holding a raw staff in the sunlight, uncarved and with branch stubs here and there.

The beginning of carving, a photo of Kabutroid beginning to carve a horozontal line coming from the first vertical line and circle.

A photo of the circle line, with two horozontal lines coming off at different points from the right and left, and a curve right at the top, and another curvy line beneath in general. The word video is above the carving, which shows the staff being rotated around, where it now has two vertical circle lines, and the lower curve leading to a straight vertical line connecting to a large branch stump.

A closeup of the carved lines, with glue spread against the edges of the bark.

Kabutroid holding up the staff near the corner of the room next to some other staves, to show the entire bottom of the staff from the grip down is carved with a mixture of straight lines, circles, and a rare few organic curves.

The top of the staff above the grip, with primarily straight lines and tight corners, with small circles and large circles with the center filled in, and with one organic curvy line.

The lines of the staff partially painted silver, overtop of Kabutroid's work table. Toothpicks and the can of varnish can be seen in the background.

A portion of the top of the staff, after having two coats of green tint varnish applied, giving it a greenish hue, but not to the level that would be seen on a circuitboard yet.

A closeup of the linework after all varnishing is applied and dried. The green shimmers with a pearlescent finish, the metallic silver almost glowing through the green varnish, thicker along the edges and thinning towards the center of the line.

The staff upside down and propped upright, the foot kept several inches from the wall, where a black rubber foot is glued and drying to the base of the staff.

Leaning against a tree in the park, the full view of the staff, green circuitboard like linework running down the length, shimmering green in the light. Grass and the dry autumn leaves are in the background.