Staff of Ruling

The serpent-headed Staff of Ruling is the symbol of the line of kings which ended with the tyrannical Pharaoh Amun-Re. First crafted by a long-ago wizard artificer for Athis, the first Pharaoh of the desert that he turned into a fertile valley, it is able to cast magic to both defend the pharaoh wielding it and prove his royalty to any doubters. The staff served as symbol of royalty for over three thousand years before the line of pharaohs was struck down a millennium ago. Each pharaoh received a Staff crafted specifically for them upon their accession to the throne and bore it until their death, when it was interred with them.
As a magic staff, its wielder must be attuned to it. Once that process is complete, the wielder may control the magic contained within it.
When the tip of the staff is struck on the ground thrice, the staff itself will shimmer and change into a giant poisonous snake, acting under the command of its wielder. If the wielder grasps the snake firmly by the tail, it will shimmer once more and change back into a staff. While it is in snake form, its venom is exceptionally poisonous, causing those bitten by it to feel as if they have been dipped into liquid flame. Magic is required to end the effects of the venom before the sufferer dies from it.
Striking the ground twice then spinning the tip in the air will produce a lightning bolt striking down even from a clear sky, at any target the wielder may choose within range. This will happen even if the wielder and target are indoors. Alternately, the wielder of the staff may choose to hurl the lightning bolt from the tip of the staff, where it emerges from the jaws of the serpent to crackle across the ground.
If the tip is slammed into the ground a single time before it is pointed skyward, a clap of thunder will sound, causing fear in all those who hear it and can see the wielder.
Each use of the staff's abilities draws upon the magic contained within it. Although this magic regenerates at dawn as the holy light of the sun spills across the land, if it is drawn down to absolutely nothing, there is a chance it will be exhausted permanently, whereupon the staff will dissolve into sand and blow away in a gust of the desert wind.
When Amun-Re was slain by the people revolting against his cruel rule, his loyal priests secretly bore away his body and his Staff of Ruling. It was interred within his pyramid next to him, and helped to preserve the death-curse he laid upon the land as he fell - and which the gods, angered by his temerity, wrought upon him in turn. His shade was barred from ascending to enter Heaven Westward so long as his Staff of Ruling and the Star of Mo-Pelar rested in his theft-proof tomb with him.

Item type

Unique Artifact