Today's magic lesson is from the sorceress and Dzurlord Tazendra on recognizing what a dull black rod signifies and protecting yourself and a friend from it using (Orb before the Interregnum) sorcery. "a dull black rod, about a meter in length, of the type often used by sorcerers to concentrate, or even contain, particularly potent spells." ... "Locked up in the rod in Laral's hand was the embodiment of that spell called The Quick Road by those in the Jhereg who practiced assassination through sorcery--the spell was so named because it was reputed to be one of the quickest known paths to the afterlife: It acted by instantly freezing all of the liquids within the fairly small radius of the spell's effect, wherefore it was only necessary to direct it at the victim's heart for death to follow almost before the victim could be aware." Five Hundred Years After, Chapter the Twenty-third, pages 345, 346 "she knew very well what the rod signified, and quickly cast a rune of protection over her and her friend, and such was her skill in the magical sciences that, although she felt a momentary chill, there was no other effect of the enchantment. Five Hundred Years After, Chapter the Twenty-third, page 351