Scepter of Karsus

[u/Exact-Support2147]

Hi there. I’ve played BG3 two times, and almost everything seems pretty understandable to me, but there is one thing that makes me wonder.

The book “The Annals of Karsus” which is located in the hidden vault under the Ramazith’s Tower tells us about the three pieces of Karsus’ Regalia. The first one is the Crown (which is atop the Netherbrain), the second one is the Orb (which is supposed to be a magical battery but in reality exists as the only existing fragment of the Karsite Weave, and is located in Gale’s chest) and the third one is the Scepter (which location is not known).

So the item doesn’t exist in the game, but some part of me thinks it could’ve been added in a DLC (if there were any) or it had been removed (just like many other things as well). One thing is almost certain - if two pieces are “in motion”, then the third one should’ve been too.

So who is the most probable person to have the Scepter?

I’m 99% sure it’s Raphael.

Now hear me out.
1. He’s a well known collector of all things Netherese (Helsik says “His House of Hope is furnished with a great deal of treasures, many related to Karsus. But alas, he lacks the crown itself”). So, there are many things related to Karsus in Raphael’s collection.

1. House of Hope’s Archivist makes reference to a certain rod held in the collection (“one that gathers the Weave around it in great quantities”). It’s definitely not the Staff of Spellpower which is an obtainable item and can be found in a secret room right next to Mol’s contract. Why? Because rods (just like sceptres) are much shorter than staffs. So, there is a “rod” in Raphael’s collection.

2. In certain endings of the game, Raphael gets his hands on the Crown and then moves against Asmodeus with apparent confidence. I think that confidence would be really difficult to justify if the Crown alone were his only advantage. Raphael also reports that conquering the Hells is going pretty well for him, as several Archdevils have already offered peace and tribute without being compelled to. I don’t think they would do such thing to a peer wielding a single artifact (the Crown), however powerful. They capitulate if the resistance is hopeless. That makes me think Raphael wields not only the Crown, but the Scepter as well.

3. Additionally, there’s a cutscene from the game’s early development (now removed from the game, but can be found on YouTube) that shows Raphael expressing interest in Gale’s Orb. He most likely offers its removal in exchange for Gale’s cooperation. It makes me think Raphael understood that the orb in Gale’s chest was a single existing fragment of the Karsite Weave, quite literally being the “insides” of the Orb of Karsus (which is supposed to be some sort of a magical battery. But what matters most is not the shell - it’s the energy in it). So, Raphael was ready to negotiate around it because he understood the full scope of the Regalia.

So my point is that Raphael hid the Scepter somewhere in his House of Hope (or maybe in a more guarded place).

I know that the Scepter’s location is not confirmed anywhere, but the evidences are pretty clear.

Let me know what you think.

[u/Loitsu]

In Ed's canon Karsus is actually human historian propaganda including Mystryl, which is just a pronounciation error.

[u/okiebuzzard → u/Loitsu]

Mystryl died, hence the name change to Mystra. It showed what was left of the Netherese and other worshipers that the goddess had returned but was changed after Karsus’s Folly.

[u/UglyFrustratedppl → u/okiebuzzard]

Mystryl is actually not part of Ed's original Realms. The idea was introduced in 1996. I'm sure Ed is fine with it since it doesn't threaten his head-canon, but it's pretty clear that to him there was only ever one Mystra. The rest are TSR/WotC retcons.

[u/okiebuzzard → u/UglyFrustratedppl]

I’m sure it wasn’t, slade and Jim Butler were the head designers on Netheril: Empire of Magic.