Lore24 Jan 22: Treasures of the Crypts pt. 3

The Scepter of Sorcery is an almost a meter long bronze artifact, the top of which is shaped like a clawed hand holding a fist-sized obsidian sphere. The shaft is decorated by a long text is small letters snaking along the item. Looking into the obsidian sphere one can see the night sky, even if it’s currently the middle of the day, or if the Scepter is underground. The sky in the sphere is accurate to what one would see based on the date and location of the Scepter.

The main use of this artifact is to empower sorcery. It is said that by channeling a spell through the scepter its efficacy can be boosted by about a third. This, however is only scratching the surface. By decrypting the writing on the handle one can learn several ways of increasing the potency of their spellcasting. These all relate to the positions of the stars and how by invoking the name of the right celestial objects at the right time, one can cast even the most powerful spells with very little effort. The main function of the obsidian sphere at the top is to allow the user to double-check the position of the stars and choose the spells which are the most affected by the current constellations.

The Scepter is currently housed in the easternmost building of the crypt-complex on the fifth level below ground. It is sealed in a vault by Nabzuk the Mummified, one of the few Sorcerer-Kings, who were also divine champions in life. Nabzuk’s sorcery is the magic of thunder and lightning, but she also retains the blessings of Zage-Ur, the Mad Conqueror, giving her the ability to drive people and animals into a bloodthirsty rage by calling aloud their divine name (which she can see written above their hearts in glowing runes). She has sworn eternal vengeance against Asnet-Arak, and tries to humiliate him at every turn, with mixed success.

Image from Elden Ring

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