The Last Tower of Lost Avallen

It was a long trek to the western sea on the edge of Ynys Alban. Not that the distance across was vast, but from the mountains to the sea was forever enshrouded in a mist that never thinned. Wraiths dwelt within the mists, according to some travelers. Ancient shapes withered and warped by the passage of time.
We saw none as Angharad led us further and further west. Perhaps it was fortune that guarded us that day or perhaps it was Angharad's druidry that warded us from the unsettled dead; if dead they really were. None could truly say what lingered in the mist. But they smelled of apples, richer and sweeter than any orchard that I had ever encountered.
But it was in the many days afterward that I first saw a sight that took away my breath, for as a salty wind blew in from the unseen sea, a tower appeared in the mists, just for a moment, but it was elegant, beautiful, and yet broken down, one last sentinel of a forgotten land. Yet in the next breath, it was wrapped again in mist, as if it was no more than a memory of a vision.

Purpose / Function

Long ago when the lands stretched farther to the west, the land of Avallen sloped gently down to the sea through ancient groves of apple trees, so rich and heavy with fruit that to breathe the air was to drink apple fumes. And on the easternmost edge of the groves, the long-lost folks of Avallen built a tower to stand watch upon their sacred groves, for in those days, there were those who would seek to steal the sacred apples (believed to have been planted by Lynur himself) for their own gain.
So their sentinels, Warriors of the Golden Boughs, would stand guard upon its ramparts and sound a golden horn when enemies were spotted, and a great mist would descend upon the land, hiding the land from any who would steal it.
Yet in time, Avallen was lost to the seas, and so were the groves. All that remained of that once-beautiful land was the last lonely tower, wreathed in eternal mists. No eyes watched from the ramparts, no horn sounded from the top, and no more were the apples seen, except in dreams.

Architecture

The tower is built of massive blocks of stones atop an abutment of ancient rock that was once the crest of a steep hill, but with the sinking of Avallen, it became little more than a knoll, and in the wrath of the sea, much of the tower was broken, and cast into the depths, so that only the bottommost portion remained.
Few of the carvings remain in the original stonework, but those that do are elaborate and seem to tell a richly complex story, although they are too worn down to discern their original nature. At the top of the ruin, there remains a remnant of a window, delicately arched and traced in gold. Many have tried to climb up and peel the gold from the building, but none have ever returned, so at sunset, the gold still glints in the sunlight.

History

Once, long ago, there was still more to Laeonesse, according to the tales of the Fae, and the region of Avallen, known for its great groves of golden apple trees, was one of the most beautiful. In midsummer, all would travel here would the Feast of Apples, when the air hung heavy with their sweet smell, and those who breathed too deeply would grow delirious from their sweet, heady scent.
While peace lay on the land, for the most part, the king of Avallen was far-sighted and wise, and he knew that conflict was brewing far in the east, some shadow had begun to fall across the world, and the Awen shuddered from its influence as if the threads of the world had begun to be unwound. Yet it was far away from them, so he erected a great watchtower on their western border so that they might see any foes approaching from beyond the horizon. So for countless years, the Warriors of the Golden Boughs stood guard and sounded the alarm when threats approached, and they began to come, first rarely, but soon more frequently, and battle became common amongst the base of the tower, but it was never overthrown.
Yet, nothing lasts forever, and in time, the legends speak of how Avallen offended the Sea-King, and in his rage, sent a great tempest against the land, which drowned the groves beneath the sea, consumed the land, and left nothing remaining but the great watch-tower with the impatient sea grinding against its foundations. Yet the mist remained in a great cloud, never lifting from the sea or tower, one last attempt of the fabled warriors to guard their doomed homeland.

RUINED STRUCTURE
-954

Type

Tower, Guard