[HoneyBadger]

Daggers actually make a lot of sense for mages. They're versatile, compact, and easy to use, if harder to use very effectively. In addition to performing rituals and sacrifices, they'd also be perfect for dispatching wounded soldiers on the battlefield--a task that certain cultures might be expected to leave to (atleast the supervision of) their mages. After all, you don't want the enemy coming back after death--which is a distinct possibility, in the world of Dominions.

For that matter, spells--even non Blood spells--might very well require some of the mage's blood, in exchange for power. Harder to do that with a staff. Not impossible, but certainly painful to watch your venerable high archimage repeatedly bashing himself in the nose with a cord of firewood, every time you need it to rain.