Talae Magica

2014, United States
After years of waiting, the American audiences finally get their hands on the the Professor Layton/Ace Attorney crossover game that has Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright attempting to solve the cases of Labryinthia's Wtich Trials.

A major aspect of the game is the use of presenting spells as evidence during cross-examinations. This gave players access to the 'Grand Grimoire', a tome of several spells. In addition, a piece of evidence would appear in almost each of the cases, that being the Talae Magica, or witch's scepter.

Today, Brazil
When the Talae Magica and several of the gemstones that the staff required to use the spells appeared in Brazil, Consultant Biston and Agent Scott were sent out to recover the artifact. At first it was thought that Consultant Lepido had accidentally created another artifact, but was proven false.

Trivia

 * The reason Agent Scot was so quick to point the finger at Consultant Lepido was the fact that Lepido had made a homebrewed Pathfinder class based on the magic system seen in the game.  This homebrew had taken off and become a popular thing on the web.