The Blue Scepter

After the victorious Elven armies led by High King Orandin Traquiel returned home at the end of the Great Strife, a feast was held to thank the gods for giving them the strength, courage, and will to defeat the armies of the The Gods of Coercion, and to remember the sacrifices of all those Elves who gave their lives in the two hundred years of conflict. During that feast, one of the Alevar - none other than Berdea himself - appeared before the gathered revelers to present a gift. This gift - a glowing scepter made of perfect pale blue crystal - should be kept forever as a token of the important role the Elves played in the victory, and as a reminder of the struggles lest a similar threat should begin to appear again in the future. What Berdea did not reveal, though, was the secret - and true significance - of the Blue Scepter.

History

After the defeated Gods of Coercion were judged by the Astralar and sentenced to perpetual imprisonment, Forgemaster Goranin of the Duagnar set about crafting their impenetrable place of incarceration. When he finished, he fashioned three keys that would be used to secure the place.

The Adamantite Key was crafted to be the only item capable of opening the locks, guards, and wards placed on the door to the prison. Once the inmates were sealed into their cells, this key was placed into a specially prepared box that was itself locked with two other keys: the Key of Fire and the Key of Air. Goranin kept the box; the Key of Fire was given to the Humanar Prominion, and the Alevar Berdea took the Key of Air.

The three gods had decided these items should be separated and hidden among the Folk on Cartyrion. Transmorphed into items worthy of care and protection, they would be given to the mortals to revere as godly gifts that required jealous protection, but they would not be told the true nature of the items.

Common Names

The Blue Scepter
Berdea's Gift
The Elvenhome Scepter

True Name

The Key of Air

Crafted By

Goranin of the Duagnar

Crafting Date

1CR (Exact date unknown)

Presentation Date

15 Time of Enfindiel's Diadem], 2CR

Current Possessor

High Queen Elanna Traquiel III

Location

Vault of the Alevar in Elvenhome

Description

The Blue Scepter is a rod approximately 18in (45cm) in length, with a pure gold finial on one end, and a white glowing lightstone affixed to the other end with a collar of pure gold. The shaft of the scepter is octagonal in cross-section and appears to consist of a single pure crystal of pale transparent blue color. The glow of the lightstone shining down through the collar is dispersed by the crystal, making it seem as if the entire scepter is surrounded by an aura of faint blue light. The crystal is surprisingly strong - unbreakable by mortal standards.

Storage

The Scepter is kept in the heavily guarded Vault of the Alevar, part of the palace complex at the center of Elvenhome. This room houses other relics and gifts believed to have been bestowed by the gods to the Elves over the years, but the velvet-lined polished mahogany case in which the Scepter rests has the central place of honor in the vault.

The vault is not open to public viewing, but on the rare occasions that the High King of the Elves receives important visitors and wishes to impress them, private viewings are held. During these, guards around the Vault are significantly increased.

Ceremonial Use

The Scepter is only taken out of the Vault for two reasons. Each year, during the Remembrance Day Feast held to commemorate Elves that have passed away - and the anniversary of that first post-war feast when the Scepter was presented to High King Orandin Traquiel - the current High King "presents" the scepter to the Elven people once again on behalf of the Alevar.

The only other time the Scepter is removed from the Vault is for use in the coronation ceremony of a new High King - an event that has only happened six times since Berdea gave the Scepter to the Elves. There, it is given into the High King's safekeepiing by Berdea's High Priest, who uses the same words that Berdea did when the gifts was first given:

"Take this token,
a remembrance of devoted service to your creators
and to the continued beauty and order of your world.
Guard it well,
lest that beauty and order be lost forever."

The Scepter, though rarely seen by most Elves - is taken by that people to be a symbol of their importance in the world of Cartyrion. They believe their purpose for being put upon the world was to not simply appreciate the beauty around them, but to preserve it to the greatest extent possible as well. They Elves take the Words of Presentation quite seriously, and understand the Scepter and to be a metaphor for the beauty of the whole world.