Papal Staff of Eden

The Papal Staff was a piece of ancient and technologically advanced equipment that was capable of mind control and creating illusions. When paired with an Apple of Eden, its powers were enhanced, and together they could be used to open the entrance to the Vatican Vault.

One of the many Staves of Eden created by the Isu, several Popes used the scepter over the centuries to exert their will over the Christian church until the artifact was lost to history in 1499.

Owners

• Isu (until 75,000 BCE)
• John the Baptist (c. 29 – 30 CE)
• Saint Peter (30 – 67 CE)
• Rodrigo Borgia (1492 – 1499)
• Ezio Auditore da Firenze (1499)

Powers

Designed to control men's minds and bodies, the Papal Staff held a cradle in its headpiece where an Apple of Eden could be placed, in order to enhance its mind control effects. This combination of two Pieces of Eden could also be used to open the door to the Vatican Vault, a small Isu temple located underneath Rome.

The Staff's bottom end was sharpened, and could be wielded as a spear in combat. The artifact also granted the possessor the ability to conceal their presence entirely, and the ability of levitation; though whether these were physical effects or simply manipulations of the viewers' perceptions remains unknown.

History

John the Baptist used this Staff to establish his ministry; after his death, the artifact passed into the hands of the first disciple of Jesus, Peter, who helped to establish Christianity and became the first Pope. It is assumed that over the next fourteen centuries the Staff circulated through the hands of the Roman Popes, until it was seized by Rodrigo Borgia, who had became Pope Alexander VI in 1492, so that he could use the Staff to gain access to the Vatican Vault.

On 28 December 1499, the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore infiltrated the Sistine Chapel to confront Rodrigo, and a fight ensued, during which Rodrigo wielded the Staff as a spear against Ezio. Eventually, Ezio defeated Rodrigo and used his Apple of Eden in conjunction with the Staff to enter the Vault.

When leaving the Vault, Ezio tried to remove the Staff from the center of the room where it was secured within the Vault's antechamber floor. Upon doing so, Ezio activated machinery that made the Staff descend underground, despite Ezio's efforts to retrieve it.

Gallery

• 
  Peter with the Staff
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  The Staff without the Apple affixed at the top
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  The Apple's integration atop the Staff
• 
  Rodrigo Borgia using the Staff
• 
  Ezio Auditore using the Staff to open the Vatican Vault
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  The Staff among other Pieces of Eden

Behind the scenes

The Papal Staff of Eden has text written on its shaft, but it is not what would later become conjecturally known in the series as "Isu script". Instead, it is written in Dethek, a runic script from Forgotten Realms, a campaign setting for the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. When translated, it reads "Eden artefact! 8 gas Crap about God Sily [sic] Templar misc shit ash Assassin stuff weird".

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed II (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple (cameo)