- For the book with the same name, see Skulduggery Pleasant (book).
- "The Faceless Ones created the crystal and the crystal sang to the Faceless Ones when an enemy neared. But when The Ancients approached the crystal was silent, and it did not sing to the Faceless Ones, and the Faceless Ones did not know it was taken."
- — Oisin quoting a text about the Sceptre, Skulduggery Pleasant
The Sceptre of the Ancients, the Original God-Killer, was an incredibly powerful tool used by The Ancients to kill the Faceless Ones. It was a golden rod, about the length of a thigh bone and had a Black Crystal embedded into it's hilt. It sang to its owner when someone approached it but stayed quiet when an Ancient (or a person with Ancient blood) approached. The Sceptre was a focusing tool for the black crystal and shoots out black lightning that turned anything it came into contact with to dust. Once the previous owner had died, all one needed to do take ownership was to touch it.
History[]
Pre-Books[]
The Sceptre was made by the Ancients to kill their gods, the Faceless Ones. It was powered by a black crystal embedded in its hilt. The crystal was meant to sing to the Faceless Ones when an enemy was near, but was silent when they were taken by the Ancients to make the Sceptre. Using the Sceptre, the Ancients successfully banished the Faceless Ones. Afterwards, the Ancients began fighting among themselves, and turned the Sceptre against each other, killing all but one of them, a sorcerer called the Last of the Ancients, who hurled the Sceptre deep into the earth.
Ferrente Rhadaman referred to it as the Original and most powerful of the God-Killers, used to drive the Faceless Ones out of this Universe. In 2007 it was discovered during an archaeological dig. It was bought by Gordon Edgley who wanted to study it for a book about the Faceless Ones. After authenticating it he hid it in the Caves of the Void beneath his house, with the key to the Caves being a brooch he has his sister-in-law Beryl set to inherit in his will.
Skulduggery Pleasant[]
Nefarian Serpine stole the Sceptre and used it to kill Eachan Meritorious and Morwenna Crow, and later kills Sagacious Tome despite him being on his side. The Sceptre was used to kill the Elders so he could get the Book of Names, which meant Serpine could rule the world. However, Skulduggery Pleasant tricked Serpine into using the Sceptre to destroy the Book, and not long after Skulduggery takes it from Serpine and uses it to kill him. The Black Crystal is destroyed after Serpine is killed. China Sorrows was then given the Spectre to add to her obsessive collection of magic.
After being given the key to the Caves of the Void by Mr. Bliss, Serpine entered, and soon found the Sceptre in a wooden chest. Skulduggery appeared and fought him, but Serpine managed to heal any wounds he recieved in seconds. Serpine was about the destroy Skulduggery with the Sceptre when Valkyrie jumped from the shadows and rammed into him, causing him to miss. Skulduggery and Valkyrie fleed Serpine, who pursued them with his Hollow Men. Using the Sceptre he destroyed Skulduggery’s Canary Car outside Grimwood House, but another car pulled up, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie, joined by Tanith Low, got in as it drove away.
The Faceless Ones[]
Valkyrie and Skulduggery obtain a new katahedral crystal for the Sceptre when the Faceless Ones escape through the portal between realities. Valkyrie Cain became the new wielder of it and accidentally destroyed two bookcases that China Sorrows owned by mistake. The Sceptre was used to successfully kill a Faceless One, but another manages to destroys the Spectre and the Black Crystal within it and in doing so destroyed itself. The third and final Faceless One was forced back through the portal in its vessel, with considerable effort required. It dragged Skulduggery with it, into the opposite reality.
Kingdom Of The Wicked[]
Another alternate version of the Sceptre was still in perfect condition in the Parallel Dimension but was in the throne room of Mevolent's Palace. It was retrieved by Skulduggery and Valkyrie, with the aid of the Serpine in that reality, and taken by China just before they shunt back. It was later retrieved by Darquesse the next and last time she shunts, but was dropped and stolen by Valkyrie Cain's reflection, unbeknownst to anyone but her.
Last Stand Of Dead Men[]
The Reflection still had the Sceptre when the reflection went rogue, and attempted to kill Valkyrie with it. She failed, and didn't use until the Battle of Roarhaven, when she became an ally of Skulduggery Pleasant. She accidentally allowed Alice Edgley to touch the crystal, but it didn't kill her as she was descended from the Ancients. The reflection didn't check to see if the rule applied to reflections.
Charivari was killed by the reflection using the Sceptre of the Ancients during the the Battle of Roarhaven.
The Dying of the Light[]
Stephanie (Valkyrie Cain's reflection) was still in possession of Sceptre following the events of Last Stand of Dead Men and was using to Hunt down the Renegades (Super-charged Sorcerers) and she also used it in her confrontations with Darquesse and other sorcerers. After Stephanie was murdered by Darquesse, ownership of the Sceptre passed on to Alice, as Stephanie hid it under her mattress, and Alice accidentally took ownership.
In order to fight Darquesse, Valkyrie had to somehow take control of the Sceptre. Consequently, she forces herself to kill Alice, so she could take ownership of it, for which she never forgave herself. By the laws of the Sceptre, it bonded to Valkyrie - only to be thrown straight off the planet by Darquesse.
Seasons of War[]
In Seasons of War, it was recovered and Valkyrie Cain uses the Sceptre to defeat hoards off draugar and necromancers and eventually uses it to destroy Lord Vile. At the end of the book, she uses the Sceptre to kill Mevolent only to find out that was his reflection and the real Mevolent takes the Sceptre from Valkyrie and snaps in half. The best scientists in Roarhaven all say it is beyond repair.
Dead or Alive[]
The Sceptre was reconstructed, the Crystal being fitted onto a new handle.
Appearances[]
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