"...Because of the object I mentioned, something wonderful and evil: the Scepter. Regarding what I will tell you, it is central to everything that has happened or will yet happen. Its power, or more specifically its potential to determine rule, has drawn them here, all of them. It is in fact more than a symbol of authority, but I don’t pretend to understand it. I’ve held it a few times. I felt no special sense of power, but at the same time, I’ve never been able to forget it."

The Red Scepter is a relic from the reign of a cruel Count in an area that today would be southern Belgium, brought secretly to America by a terrified young woman fleeing Europe for her life. Leaving behind her family and all that she had ever known, she lived the remainder of her life in obscurity, knowing that news of her existence and location would bring hunters from the evil that she barely escaped. 

The scepter itself was a disguised dagger, its separation and exposure used by the Count when he chose to betray an unsuspecting victim, always quickly concealed for its next iniquitous use. The Count used it many times to kill enemies, frequently during peace negotiations or at a surrender ceremony. He also used it on allies at victory celebrations. Still other times he used it for pure pleasure. 

When the woman dies in an accident, news back in her homeland causes descendents of the evil Count to race to America in order to reclaim the Red Scepter and what it will mean in terms of the Family hierarchy. The independent stories of The Red Scepter Trilogy reveal the history and secrets of the Family relic, chronicling the vile impact it has had on many lives over time and distance.