Scepter of the Sorcerer-Kings

The Scepter of the Sorcerer Kings was a powerful artifact that originated from the ancient empire of Netheril. It was one of the empire's numerous creations that exemplified the hubris and arrogance of the Netherese: its purpose was to strip the power of the gods, by banishing the influence they held over the people of Toril.

Description
The scepter was crafted from a strange, unidentified blue metal. It was topped with two prominent horns that curved toward one another, with a hollow circlet on its other end. It had the same approximate weight and size as a heavy mace.

Powers
The Scepter of the Sorcerer-Kings was exceedingly powerful and made its wielder nigh-invulnerable to magical attacks. Anyone wielding the scepter was at all times protected from any magical spells or psionic attacks. Magic missiles specifically rebounded against the wielder and were redirected towards their source.

Nine times each day, the wielder of the scepter could heal or harm any other creature. This effect was more potent than when cast by a spell, however, as it permanently bolstered or siphoned away that creature's life force.

Once per day, the scepter could be used to dispel any magical effect, or even drain the magic from other items, with no chance of failure.

Divine Power
The scepter's most dominant power was actually its curse. Whenever its powers were used, the influence of a single deity was stricken from the Realms for a full tenday. That deity became unable to see, communicate with, or otherwise influence any living things, or alter the course of events, in the world on which the scepter was used. Additionally, devotees of that deity were unable to access any divine spells granted through prayer or other means.

History
The Scepter of the Sorcerer Kings was crafted by the great arcanist Glaeros Lhaerimm, in a process that involved the sacrifice of dozens of his apprentice mages. It was believed insights into that process were gleaned from reading the Ars Factum chapter of the legendary Nether Scrolls.

The willful abuse of life used to create the scepter―and the threat it posed to divine powers―attracted the ire of Netherese gods. Those gods dispatched their servants to stop Glaeros, before the scepter was completed. In the end, the gods emerged triumphant: Glaeros was slain, and the Scepter of the Sorcerer-Kings was left incomplete. It was eventually seized by some other powerful arcanist.

Over the following centuries, the scepter found its way into the possession of several powerful mages and tyrannical despots.

Some time during or before the early 13 century DR, the Scepter of the Sorcerer-Kings was wielded by the lich Thavverdasz, the self-proclaimed "Harper King".

Reputation
Many deities of the Faerûnian pantheon instructed their followers to readily identify the Scepter of the Sorcerer-Kings, so as to ensure their divine influence over the Realms continued unimpeded.

It was rumored that the scepter could be only be destroyed by using it to outright kill a god, destroying all the Netherese liches on Toril, or forcing the gods to abandon the world and remove themselves from the affairs of mortal beings.