Bargle's Continual Darkness Grenades
by Chris FurneauxThese are very easy to make devices created by Bargle originally to aid in the operations of the iron ring. He however has not passed on his method of making them for fear that one day they could be used against him.
They consist of a sealed spherical glass container about 3 inches across and usually in a small leather bag to protect it. Inside the container is a flammable gel and a small circular stone about 1 inch across in the center. The exterior shell has a continual light spell cast on it while the interior stone has continual darkness cast on it.
Bargle has engineered this device and slightly modified the spells so that while the two objects are in the presence of one another they negate each others effects. When the outer shell is smashed however, the continuous light spell is broken, creating a sphere of darkness 60' across.
This can only be removed by a continual light spell or a dispel magic spell. These devices are relatively fragile and are likely to be broken (unleashing the darkness spell) if not handled with care. Additionally a normal continual light spell will remove the darkness component and activate the continual light component (and vice versa) and a dispel magic will make them lose their magic entirely (cast by any level mage).
Bargle has created two variants of these "Grenades" the first uses a flammable gel that needs to be lit either before or after throwing (usually has a wick), and the second type (usually painted red and often carried in a sealed spherical metal container) contains a gel that combusts on contact with air.
The purpose of this is to stop people picking up the rock and removing it from the area requiring magic to dispose of it (at least for a while). The first type is the more common while the second is usually only used on offensive missions, often as a fire starting tool.