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The Umbra Staff is a magical weapon owned by Taako.
Description[]
The Umbra Staff has the unique ability to absorb the power of wands belonging to defeated wizards. However, this power may reset with each adventurer who masters it, as any abilities the crimson-robed skeleton might have collected did not transfer to Taako. The Umbra Staff can also absorb liches, as they are beings made of magic.
In addition, the staff occasionally acts of its own accord; it scooted back over to Taako when he was incapacitated in Lucas' lab, and it jumped out of Magnus' hand when Taako lent it to him in the Felicity Wilds. However, it could've also been Lup coming to help her brother. Sometimes it lends additional power to the spells of its wielder, while other times it moves and fires off spells without being made to do so.
History[]
Origins[]
While originally thought to be crafted by an ancient order called the Umbra Wizards, this umbrella-shaped wand that contains the power of all schools of magic was actually created by Taako's twin sister, Lup, during her and the other Red Robes time at the Hanging Arcaneum.
While hiding the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet in the vault at the Wave Echo Cave, Lup was killed by Cyrus Rockseeker who had fallen under the gauntlet's thrall. She revived in her lich form but was sucked into and trapped in the staff for 12 years, before being discovered in Here There be Gerblins.
Later Events[]
The Umbra Staff and Lup's skeleton were found by the boys in Wave Echo Cave prior to their confrontation with Magic Brian. When Merle touched the handle of the staff, it engaged him in a battle of intellect. Merle lost and the staff rejected him, throwing him across the room. Undeterred by Merle's failure, Taako took the staff. When he pulled it from the skeleton's grasp, the skeleton looked up at him and then disintegrated into ash. Taako wields the staff for the remainder of the campaign (with the exception of the last few episodes).
On two notable occasions, the staff has actively resisted Taako's will and acted on its own, first burning the letters "L U P" into the wall during Taako's magic lesson with Angus, later revealed to be Lup trying to communicate with Taako, and then attempting to launch a fireball at Kravitz shortly after Taako and Kravitz's date mainly because she thought he was going to take her back to the Astral Plane due to being a lich.
Angus briefly wields the staff in Story and Song to cast a spell way more powerful than what he should've been able to as a relatively inexperienced wizard. Taako, having regained his memories of his twin sister, puts two and two together and breaks the staff in half over his knee to free Lup who was trapped inside.
During the events of The Adventure Zone: Live in Dallas!, Taako mentions that he's had time to remake the Umbra Staff between the events of the finale and the current events. He also references having it during The Adventure Zone: Candlenights in Tacoma!
Absorbed Items[]
People and items vored absorbed by the Umbra Staff: