based on what i read in the comic, it was nikolai’s own intention to see that the staff was indeed destroyed, not the assassins’ desire to retrieve it. i am guessing he had this (eagle?) sense that it wasn’t fully destroyed hence his drive to ask the tsar about its whereabouts. what i am more concerned, though, is lenin’s words to him. on the surface, he is asking nikolai to assassinate the tsar, but what if his “dispose this last symbol of imperialism…” bit means more than just the tsar’s status in the eyes of the russian people and more about the staff? does lenin know something about the staff and is this knowledge part or a tool in his plan in pushing forward his dreams for the newly-formed based on what i read in the comic, it was nikolai’s own intention to see that the staff was indeed destroyed, not the assassins’ desire to retrieve it. i am guessing he had this (eagle?) sense that it wasn’t fully destroyed hence his drive to ask the tsar about its whereabouts. what i am more concerned, though, is lenin’s words to him. on the surface, he is asking nikolai to assassinate the tsar, but what if his “dispose this last symbol of imperialism…” bit means more than just the tsar’s status in the eyes of the russian people and more about the staff? does lenin know something about the staff and is this knowledge part or a tool in his plan in pushing forward his dreams for the newly-formed ussr? furthermore, does he know something about the shard? and this is not including stalin and the other leaders in early 20th century russia…

bah… too much theories again…