The Tallow Tower

Rising from the crest of a mist-shrouded, snow-capped peak stand the pale, rippled walls of the Tallow Tower. This massive fortress is molded from solid stone, yet it looks as if some long forgotten calamity melted parts of the rock. Its many buttresses and spiraling tiers culminate in a spire of glittering stained glass. The base of the fortress is swathed in a haze of shadow filled with drifting, mournful forms which shift like ghosts. And the air is thick with the scent of smoke, ash, and burnt tallow.

There are places where the connection between worlds is stronger, the separation thin and weak. In these places, souls can move between the realms and the unwary can find themselves lost. The Tallow Tower is one of those places but it was not always that way. Few living beings even remember a time when the gods held sway over Shira'tol, fewer still know that it was the gods who built the Tallow Tower.

Souls to the Flame

by Kayla Perisho-Denley

The gods, eons ago, molded and sculpted the world to their liking. They made creatures of all shapes and sizes, yet none of them were powerful enough to forge souls. Soon, they grew bored and frustrated with their simple creations. Unsatisfied with this, the gods bent their collective will to bring souls to Shira'tol if they could not make them.
That was the reason for the Tallow Tower. It became a beacon that touched other worlds and drew souls like moths to flame. The gods were ecstatic. They captured these souls and created the first sentient races like the elves, the xetri, and humans. They watched with pride as these creatures built civilizations. Soon, however, their little candle started to attract bigger moths.

Mother

As the Tallow Tower burned, the gods began to notice other things were called to it. Larger and more powerful things than simple souls had begun to make their way to Shira'tol and the gods were not prepared for this. In their hubris, the gods believed they could withstand anything drawn by the tower. Until Mother arrived.
A dragon is never something anyone would wish to see bearing down on them from the sky, not even as a god. A dragon god is even worse. From the churning darkness in the space between worlds, a dragon forged of shadow and storm burst like a tempest into Shira'tol. She brought with her a flight composed of thousands, all her children made of the same darkness and lightning. Their coming tainted the eggs of every other kind of dragon in Shira'tol, and there were many, so that when they hatched they only answered to Mother.
It took the combined might of the gods to imprison Mother, frozen in a mountain with all of her children, yet the devastation she wrought was immeasurable. And the Tallow Tower still called to souls from across the cosmic tree.

Wax

Though the Tallow Tower was created of stone, the gods realized it had been melting as it burned, just as if it were a massive candle. They did not know what would happen should it ever melt down to nothing but they determined they should never find out. The call of souls was too powerful and the risks too great. So the gods snuffed the flame.
They could not know that doing this would weaken Shira'tol's connection to the cosmic tree. It also slowed the flow of souls to a trickle. But they could not risk attracting something even more dangerous than Mother.

They crafted soldiers to guard the tower, to prevent anyone from relighting the flame. They forged these constructs out of wax and armed them with weapons and spells to withstand armies.
Candle Soldiers These footmen formed the infantry of the Tallow Tower guardians. They are not the strongest but they are hearty and numerous. They appear as humanoid forms of wax with glowing candle flames where their heads would be.

Candle Keepers These ethereal creatures of smoke, wax, and guttering flame have been imbued with the ability to cast powerful magic. In addition to their mighty, partially incorporeal scythes, they can summon other creatures of wax and invoke elemental spells.
Candle Golems Large creatures of thick tallow and stone, these behemoths are designed to take out siege weaponry.

Type

Fortress