Editing Godbird sceptre (section)

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When [[Rhapthorne]] battled against the Seven Sages in the distant past and was defeated, [[Empyrea]] the Godbird created a sceptre specifically designed to seal away Rhapthorne's soul. Rhapthorne's body was imprisoned inside the the Goddess Statue located at the [[The Holy Isle of Neos|Neos]]. The staff was transported to the [[Kingdom of Trodain|Castle of Trodain]], were it was kept and guarded for many, many years. 

But one day a jester named [[Dhoulmagus]], deeply desiring to become the greatest magician of all time, learns about the sceptre from a book his teacher, Master Rylus, kept in his house. He then departs for Castle Trodain, disguising himself as a court jester, to entertain [[King Trode]] as a diversion. King Trode then allows Dhoulmagus to stay at the castle, and it is there when Dhoulmagus breaks into the chamber were the sceptre is kept. Dhoulmagus, overwhelmed by the sceptre's sheer power, gets possessed by the spirit of Rhapthorne and curses King Trode, his daughter [[Princess Medea]], and the rest of people in the castle, with the exception of [[Hero (Dragon Quest VIII)|a single guardsman]]. This chain of events begins the game's plot, and the hunt for Dhoulmagus begins as the jester is used to pick off the descendants of the Seven Sages, starting with his former teacher. Even after Dhoulmagus' death, Rhapthorne is able to possess anyone who touches the staff and continues his killing spree.

Four characters will be taken hold of by Rhapthorne over the course of the adventure, being Dhoulmagus, [[Jessica Albert]], [[Sir Leopold]], and the templar [[Marcello]]. Jessica aside, each will murder one of the descendants of those who stood against Rhapthorne:

*Master Rylus - Descendant of Gozo; killed by Dhoulmagus
*Alistair Albert - Descendant of Alexander; killed by Dhoulmagus
*Abbot Francisco - Descendant of Eagus; killed by Dhoulmagus
*Mr. Golding - Descendant of Golding; killed by Dhoulmagus
*David - Descendant of Kupas; killed by possessed Sir Leopold, Dominoco's dog
*Marta - Descendant of Kadan; killed by possessed Sir Leopold
*The Lord High Priest - Descendant of Regnar; killed by possessed Marcello

Once the sceptre is void of the demon's spirit, Empyrea retrieves it and instructs the protagonists on how to destroy the barrier protecting the revived Rhapthorne. The Godbird breaks up the Sceptre into miniature ones, one for each party member, and each must then use their sceptre in the same turn while Rhapthorne attacks them. Once all four members use the Sceptre, a spirit of one of the [[Seven Sages]] is released from the sceptre. Once all Seven Sages are released, the barrier around Rhapthorne will be destroyed and the final fight will begin.