Ancient Alder Staff

The Ancient Alder Staff is a powerful staff blessed the power of the Alder Oak, wielded by the leading Kell deity, Aine. It was a key item in the creation of the Callow Gods, having been pulled from the Alder Oak by Aine himself. It has only ever touched the hand of one other being; the god, Lugus, who used in to break the barrier between Nethiir and the Mortal Realm during a period of time known as the Rednight.

Appearance
The Ancient Alder Staff appears as a long wooden branch with hard, pale bark. Splitting off into many different sticks and twigs at the upper end, it could easily be mistaken for a regular branch if not for the intricate carvings alongside the shaft.

History
After Dumara, the Earth Mother of the Kells, had completely sacrificed herself to create the universe around 0 ADA, Aine plucked a branch from the Alder Oak in order to create a race of lesser deities to assist the Alder Gods. From that point on, he (as the most powerful of the Alder Gods) made sure that no other being would ever touch the staff, or risk changing the fabric of the universe.

In 158 AM, Lugus (the evil god of demons, torture, and rage) had gained a significant following of cultists who called themselves the Crimson Order. Planning a way to overthrow Aine, he had his cultists assassinate the the Alder God's high priests in order to weaken his powers. Once this was done, Lugus himself invaded the Aelar Valley and confronted Aine in his own territory, piercing him with his artifact, the Godblood Dagger. Crippled, Aine was helpless as Lugus left the realm with the staff. With it, he opened a portals connecting the Mortal Realm to the his hellish plane of Nethiir, allowing demons to spill out and spread death and destruction across Lothor. Known as the Rednight, this invasion lasted an entire year, ending in 159 AM when the hero, Lornan Derrion fought the evil god in his own realm. Striking the demon lord down, he took the Ancient Alder Staff back to Aine, returning his powers.

Powers
When wielded by a being with intense magical abilities, such as a god or powerful magician, the Ancient Alder Staff can be used to project the user's will upon the universe itself. For example, during the Rednight, Lugus used the staff to tear open portals between Nethiir and the Mortal Realm; something that would otherwise be impossible to do without the help of such a powerful artifact.

When wielded by a regular mortal, it is believed that the staff would grant the user the sight of the gods. After he retrieved the staff fro Lugus, Lornan Derrion stated that he could see the flow of time and magic between the rifts in the universe as if they were right in front of him. It is often believed that a lesser creature would be blinded by this power, but no one is quite sure whether this is true.

Trivia

 * The Ancient Alder Staff is often included in artistic representations of Aine, even though he does not regularly use it.