What is the in-character explanation for sleeks?

Is the sleek system one of those things you just have to accept and shrug off or is there some formal explanation of how they work?

My character wants these three spells really bad, and he uses his newfound detection spell to find them on three seemingly random mobs. Another mage has the same experience, finding his on three totally different mobs. Is there some IC logic the two of us can use to explain why we're finding the same wands in different places based on who kills what, etc?

Is it supposed to 'make sense' IC, or should I stfu and just ignore it like how characters never go poop or tells 'just are'?

An extract from an Elemek's role from a couple years back.

Tears of Twist
An interesting chat with Chrichuk had Elemek explaining what the tears of Twist are. Elemek explained that many years ago when Elemek studied in the tower of magic he came upon an old wooden desk with scribblings markings and drawings on it. He dismissed them at first and got on with his work on ancient runes when he noticed a pattern that was not all madness but an actual message. Upon reading it aloud the desk opened into a larger plinth and on it were ancient runic script. It took him weeks to decipher the runes but it was about a great tower of magic where the occupants were called Masters of Magic. The great Lord Twist who had gifted magic to mortal beings was believed to have been a student there but when the tower was broken by dark politicians and savage barbarians who shun the gift of Magic and throw it back at the Lord Twist. It was said that Twist wept and his tears, infused with who still sought to use and embrace his gift could find protection from the barbarians and savages who will never understand what he had offered them. Elemek then explained how they are found now in places of magical concentration and from other seekers of them and exists in three types....Sienna for the blood spilled by the Masters who tried to protect the tower....Amber for his love of those who embrace Magic with their heart....and Black for his anger and wrath to be used to protect the user so they may inflict pain upon those who rip down the scholars. Chrichuk appeared quite interested but outlander savages disrupted their conversation.

Basically they are ancient artefacts that are imbued with magic of an ancient kind. Some have been found and kept 'safe' away from prying eyes. Other have been kept on the body of the one who found them. All those who seek magical might seek the ancient gem artefacts of protection. Search for those who may have found them or search where you think they may have been hidden.

That was/is my take on them from an IC PoV

-----Abernyte

An extract from an Elemek's role from a couple years back.

Tears of Twist
An interesting chat with Chrichuk had Elemek explaining what the tears of Twist are. Elemek explained that many years ago when Elemek studied in the tower of magic he came upon an old wooden desk with scribblings markings and drawings on it. He dismissed them at first and got on with his work on ancient runes when he noticed a pattern that was not all madness but an actual message. Upon reading it aloud the desk opened into a larger plinth and on it were ancient runic script. It took him weeks to decipher the runes but it was about a great tower of magic where the occupants were called Masters of Magic. The great Lord Twist who had gifted magic to mortal beings was believed to have been a student there but when the tower was broken by dark politicians and savage barbarians who shun the gift of Magic and throw it back at the Lord Twist. It was said that Twist wept and his tears, infused with raw mana, fell to the ground and crystalised into gems so that those who still sought to use and embrace his gift could find protection from the barbarians and savages who will never understand what he had offered them. Elemek then explained how they are found now in places of magical concentration and from other seekers of them and exists in three types....Sienna for the blood spilled by the Masters who tried to protect the tower....Amber for his love of those who embrace Magic with their heart....and Black for his anger and wrath to be used to protect the user so they may inflict pain upon those who rip down the scholars. Chrichuk appeared quite interested but outlander savages disrupted their conversation.

Basically they are ancient artefacts that are imbued with magic of an ancient kind. Some have been found and kept 'safe' away from prying eyes. Other have been kept on the body of the one who found them. All those who seek magical might seek the ancient gem artefacts of protection. Search for those who may have found them or search where you think they may have been hidden.

That was/is my take on them from an IC PoV

-----Abernyte

n/t

That's a pretty jazzy explanation of what sleeks are, but I guess the issue I was more interested in is how you explain (IC) the whole deal of two mages always finding "their" sleeks in the same spot while their mage friend can't see them there, but can see them elsewhere were they them self can't.

Little things like that just irk me, and I know I should probably just chalk it up to game balance/mechanics/etc.

Everyone can make up their own rationale behind it and that's fine, I like that, I was just wondering if the Imms (being the designers of the system) had anything in mind that explains the rather confusing behavior and observations sleeks must cause from an IC standpoint.

With these two phrases you can explain pretty everything

Is that lots of mages covet sleek wands (as in, mages that are mobs), but it takes a mage who is attuned to them to make them appear.

It doesn't hold up perfectly because otherwise a thief should be able to see them on a mage mob that is still alive. But other than that, it kind of works.