Aureoled Sceptre

The Aureoled Sceptre is the most distinctive element of the regalia of the Princes of Aparnovos, and depictions there of are common elements in banners and seals associated with the ruling house. It is known to have magical properties, and is likely an artefact brought from across the sea by Aparnovosi monks and explorers, or created from materials of similar provenance.   The majority of the sceptre consists of a distinctive green marble, the length and small diameter of which would render the piece too brittle if formed from conventional materials and craft techniques, with traces of swirling dark grey and white inclusions. Adorning the rod, beneath its clear-polished surface, is inlaid a delicate, twisting pattern of silver filigree which runs the length. A silver cap is fixed on either end, with the pommel taking a reverse-teardrop shape and the capital appearing to depict a miniature drum-shaped, domed, and columnated building crowned with a small, stormy grey pearl. A distinct optical phenomenon perpetually occurs around this latter object, manifesting as a thin, vertical, and faintly glowing halo several inches in diameter. The air between its inner circumference and the pearl is home to semitransparent undulations which continually flow inwards in a radial pattern reminiscent of an aureole effect on water's rippling surface, giving the sceptre its name.