Nathema

Nathema was a black mage staff built and used by Ben Holliday after the Aether War. Consisting mostly of fine Valencian yew - the pride of his homeland - the staff was created specifically to control and direct the dark magicks most frequently used by black mages for ritual and combat. As such, its primary attunement was with the Maleficium school, with a secondary affinity towards Phantasmagoria so as to conjure highly effective illusions. After Holliday's apparent death by the mid 4850s, the staff was said to have changed hands several times before eventually being claimed by the pirate lord Finn Hamm.
Prior to creating Nathema, Ben's primary staff was the legendary Shadowsong, originally crafted by the eponymous sorcerer and refurnished by his hand due to centuries of weathering. Despite its sordid history, the staff served the black mage well; indeed, its affinity with the Nether had only grown over the years, inundated with death as it was due to the exploits of its original master. As such, by the time Holliday recovered it, it was likely one of the most powerful - and dangerous - dark artifacts in Aquila. Its malevolent energies were so potent that not even a master black mage could wield its full power without risking the annihilation of the self, and after the disastrous events of the Gensokyo Massacre and ensuing Aether War, it proved to be a serious liability as far as practical application.
As such, Shadowsong was sealed away in the Temple of Hades by Ben's hand, replaced with the freshly crafted Nathema. Though it was a mere child fumbling about in the darkness compared to the raw power of Shadowsong, a fresh start allowed Holliday to fine-tune the staff specifically for his use, allowing him to utilize more or less the full extent of his power with greatly lessened risk of disastrous malfunction, especially in his later years.
====Known spells====
As was standard for most black mage staves, Nathema was capable of casting a wide array of spells dependent on its wielder's knowledge, but could only "remember" up to 8 specific spells at a time. These spells were able to be cast essentially at will with minimal effort, whilst all other spells had to be invoked with their specific incantations, sometimes with the aid of a sufficiently compatible arcane grimoire such as the Ars Goetia or a spellbook of the mage's own authorship.
=====Maleficium=====
Spells within this school were noted for their destructive potential, with little apparent use apart from directly causing harm.
*Flaming Skull
*Enflame
*Soul Flames
*Detonate
*Chain Lightning
*Ice Spikes
*Blizzard
*Tempest
*Apocalypse
*Wither Storm
*Foul
=====Phantasmagoria=====
Phantasmagorical spells were used to create powerful illusions, both harmless and malevolent.
*Mind Thief
*Spirit Walk
*Conjure Dream
*Mass Hysteria
*Basic Disguise
=====Necromancy=====
The most dangerous form of black magick, necromantic spells were the foulest and most prone to failure for lack of willpower, but capable of remarkable disasters when wielded by a fearless master.
*Pacify Ghost
*Summon Phantom
*Kill
Category:Invidere