Staves of Eden

"Better in the hands of the Earth, than in the hands of Man."

- Mario Auditore regarding the Staff after being lost during the Renaissance.

The Staff was a Piece of Eden, shaped like a staff. Known throughout history by names such as the Papal Staff or the Russian Imperial Sceptre, the the Staff of Eden was used by various Pharaohs, Popes and Russian Tsars.

Powers
Designed to control men's minds and bodies, it has a cradle in the headpiece where an Apple of Eden can be placed, in order to enhance its mind control effects. This conjunction of two Pieces of Eden can also be used to open the door to the Vatican Vault. Its bottom end is sharpened, and can be wielded as a spear in combat. It also grants the possessor the ability to conceal his presence entirely, and the ability of levitation; though whether these are physical effects, or simply manipulations of the viewers' perceptions, remains unknown. It also had, somehow, the ability to change its shape, as its appearance had changed to various different forms over the course of time.

When Nikolai Orelov approached the Staff in 1908, he heard several voices emanating from it, speaking things such as "Always the fighter", “Adam, I have it”, “Just like your father”, and “Eve.”

Status
After leaving the Vault, Ezio Auditore tried to remove the Staff from the center of the Vault, which was secured in the Vault floor. Upon doing so, Ezio activated something forcing the Staff to descended underground, despite Ezio's efforts to retrieve it.

It was somehow recovered at some point in the future, confirmed by the fact it had come into the possession of the Russian Tsars during the 1800s. It was late destroyed during the Tunguska explosion.

However a shard of the staff can into the possession of Grigori Rasputin. However, after his assassination Nikolai Orelov concluded that even a shard of the staff would be a threat. Thus he dug up Rasputin's body and retrieved the shard and later destroyed it. With this the threat of the Staff of Eden ended.

Owners

 * Those Who Came Before (? - ?)
 * Moses (? - ?)
 * Shabataka (? - ?)
 * Alexander the Great (? - ?)
 * John the Baptist (? - ?)
 * Saint Peter (? - ?)
 * Pope Alexander VI (1492 - 1499)
 * Tsar Alexander III (? - 1894)
 * Tsar Nicholas II (1894 - 1908)
 * Grigori Rasputin (1908)

Forms
Over the course of time, the Staff had changed to take on different forms.

Trivia

 * It is possible to kill Rodrigo Borgia without triggering the cinematic cutscene while in the Sistine Chapel. After this, the staff can be wielded though none of the powers can be used.