Scepters of the Stormborn, also known as the Twins, are scepters of elven origin and are connected to the enigmatic Stormborn cult of the First Age. The scepters are named Moralltach and Beagalltach which mean Great Fury and Little Fury, respectively. Interestingly the names use the Sinlarine tongue instead of the ancient elven tongue of Old Thracian.
History[]
First Age[]
The origin of the Scepters of the Stormborn remain shrouded in mystery. What is known is that they are connected to the enigmatic cult of the Stormborn who built several temples dedicated to the elements throughout the Land of the Living in the First Age before the cult suddenly vanished from the face of the earth. The knowledge of the disappeared Stormborn survived in the tales of dragons, in a few obscure tomes like the Totentanz and the Lebenslied as well as in their old places of power like various temple ruins, dormant artifacts like the Eyes of the Storm, and lyrics of nearly forgotten songs like the Lament of the Stormborn.
Third Age[]
The twin scepters ended in the possession of the elven necromancer Thanatos Barca, one of the few remaining descendants of the Stormborn, in the elven city of Illunii in Libaterra in the Third Age. Thanatos spent considerable time trying to figure out how to unlock the scepters' dormant power but failed to do so when he got distracted by the disappearance of his daughter Persephone Barca who he sent the Dresdens after in the summer of 1017 AE.
Beagalltach, the Little Fury, was destroyed by Deidra Finian during her battle against the Dresdens in the hideout of the Union Workers in Etheril. The shattering of the lesser scepter released two powerful wraiths trapped within it although ultimately the wraiths were banished and Deidra's attempt to flee was foiled by the Dresdens. The shattering of Beagalltach also ended up transferring its power to its sister scepter, Moralltach, whose power could finally be unlocked via this act of sacrificing one scepter for the other.
Moralltach, the Great Fury, was stolen from Thanatos's laboratory in Illunii by the demon Kadru Vishahara with help from the half-demon Jezebeth, who was posing as an elven servant in the Barca household, during the Dresdens' adventures in Etheril. Kadru fled from the elven city in secret and successfully delivered the greater scepter to her superior, Duchess Nina Heeate L'andariel of the Southern Horde, in Hyama by the time the Dresdens returned to Illunii to confront Thanatos, Deidra, Philos and the trio of Jezebeth, Persephone and Naga in the Barca household.
Nina delivered Moralltach to Duke Pazuzu of the Western Horde in Oreinashi as a gesture of goodwill, an act which helped set the foundations of a shaky truce and an alliance between their two hordes. By early winter of 1017 AE, the Western Horde delivered the remaining Scepter of the Stormborn, which they had been feeding magic into, to Hyama where it was then taken to Nagashima Fortress where the finishing touches would be made to it before its magic would finally be unleashed on the hordes' enemies at the Temple of Hephaestus.
Powers and Abilities[]
The Scepters of the Stormborn appear to leech magic in a similar manner to the Eyes of the Storm. In the case of the lesser scepter Beagalltach, it housed two powerful wraiths within who were freed when the scepter was shattered. The lesser scepter's shattering led to its power being transferred to its greater sister scepter, which helped unlock the remaining scepter's power.
Little else is known of what the Scepters of the Stormborn are truly capable of at present, but the demons appear to trust that the magic which the remaining scepter, Moralltach, will unleash will be a sight to behold and help in their plans of conquest.