Staff of Lightning

Leader of army raises their staff, pointing it toward the enemy troops. A loud buzz, as if thousands of hornets were suddenly disturbed, is heard across the field. Suddenly, thousands of bolts of lightning burst from the end of the staff towards the opposing forces, followed by a loud crack of thunder. The enemy soldiers fall by the hundreds, their bodies charred.

Summary

Used hundreds of years ago to defeat monsterous enemies, the staff of lightning has been lost since. It is believed capable of laying waste to hundreds or thousands of enemies in one action.

Historical Basis

A staff was found in the desert hundreds of years ago by Kaushan nomads. It was able to emit bolts of lightning that could incapacitate a dozen or more beings, more if they wore any amount of metal armor. But it only worked for two or three blasts before its internal power source was drained. It could be charged, at least partially, via a lightning strike.
The Kaushan tribe that found it used it to conquer enemies, with their kaulīy defeating many other kaulīsh, subjugating their tribes.
After the Battle of ... it was lost, though no one knows how.

Show spoiler

The staff is a relic of the Second Age. It is a compact and highly powerful device based on a technology similar to Tesla coils. It contains an internal super capacitor that is able to recharge (over a long period of time) from ambient electrical differentials. It can also be charged via the application high current/high voltage electricity.
There were a small number of these devices manufactured, and a single charging station. It is possible that the station and some of the other staves survived the end of the Second Age. This specific device was buried in the sands of the desert for thousands of years.

Spread

After the victory at the Battle of ... and the subsequent loss of the lightning staff, rumors of its power spread. With each telling, it became more powerful, until it is now believed to be capable of laying waste to vast armies, leaving smoking remains. It is well known among the Kaushan and there are those within the Eastern Principalities that still seek it.

Related Ethnicities

• Kaushan