Sceptre of Aetharis

The Sceptre - a beauty of crystal, and a gateway to our lost world and all its knowledge. And yet she is happy for me to wield her in battle!

— Talindë Ae'tharis

When the elven race escaped their corrupted planet with the apparent sacrifice of Verti Xi'corie, it had not been their first time abandoning their world for the next, though very few were aware of this. The few bloodlines still remaining numbered nine, and these became the Noble Houses of Galasthin. Each would protect an artefact from a previous world, something that would resonate with their bloodline and bear untold power into the next, and these would be used to survive against all odds.
Whilst all are extraordinarily powerful, the most unpredictable and thus, potentially, the most dangerous would be the Sceptre of Aetharis. In its base form, the Sceptre is largely crafted out of an unknown metal that seems to pulsate with energy. Beneath the metal's surface and visible through gaps in the design lies a strange white crystal, and at the sceptre's tip, five jutting metal spikes cling to a larger purple gemstone - it is thought that this is where the Sceptre's power is concentrated. When in the hands of its current 'master', the sceptre will glow a soft purple, with the purple orb instead emitting shades of white, silver, and black seemingly at random.
Currently, the Sceptre is in the possession of Talindë Ae'tharis, the elven warpriest Champion of Seren, after having been removed from the care of House Ae'tharis. Whilst he claimed the Sceptre to restore the fallen god Seren to life (and thus to also destroy her corrupting opposite, Marvaeth), he was stopped by the Lost Ones due to the potential disaster this could unleash upon Istralar. Its effects are now muted by a set of stolen suppressors to prevent further warping of time, and it is instead being used to aid the party in their search for Shards of the Void.

Significance

As one of very few original elven artefacts, the Sceptre is prized within the Kingdom and across all elven settlements as a valuable reminder of their history. It was safeguarded by House Ae'tharis, and kept under heavy magical suppression, until Talindë Ae'tharis stole it from his House and fled in 5623 to use it for its other properties - the heavy command of intensely powerful magic that the Sceptre possesses.
Whilst the Sceptre existed far prior to the rise of arcane magic, it has always been extremely powerful and able to defy the limits placed by divine magic. It seems to be able to bend the fabric of reality itself, warping both space and time as it so wishes, but must always defer to the final judgement of the one it accepts as its master. To protect itself and its master from harm, the Sceptre has been known to bend time and call beings from other planes to defend it, placing them under heavy mind control if necessary.

It also seems to contain a demiplane of its own, that - paradoxically - it can actually be stored inside of. This is one of few ways it has previously been lost, as one of its former masters was slain after storing it within itself, thus losing the secret of the Sceptre's ownership.
After a century, it re-appeared in the hands of an apprentice of House Ae'tharis, allegedly complaining about the long wait for a worthy successor. It can be assumed that whilst the Sceptre seems to like having a master, it can access much of its power using its own vast intellect.

Revelations

Recently, the time the Sceptre has spent in Talindë's care has revealed some few particular facts about this strange 'demiplane' within.
It seems that the 'demiplane' is in fact a reflection of Aetharis, original homeworld of the elves, and the intelligence it possesses is in fact the Avatar of this realm.
Naturally, this is highly secret information.

Wielders of the Sceptre are rare, and under constant supervision to ensure that they do not misuse its power. They are required to store the Sceptre within its suppressors when not in use, and must be cautious as to what they use it for - and how long they carry it. It has been known to bend time almost unintentionally around its wielder, making what feels like a minute to them be a year in truth (or vice versa, as its current wielder and the Lost Ones discovered).

Item type

Magical

Owning Organization

Galasthin

Rarity

Unique

Weight

Fluctuates; usually matches its current form

Base Price

Artifact-level