The Obsidian Tower

Written for Prompt 6 (2019 Summer Camp)

Written by David_Ulph

For all the magical atrocities and genocides attributed to the harsh rule of the Golden King, many of the constructed wonders of Elgerlia were built on his very orders. The most famous of these are the four towers that dot the continent; the Jade Tower that is now the Imperial Citadel in Elgerlor; the Gold Tower that is now the Arcane Academy in the Faar Isles; the Ivory Tower that is now the castle of House Farrow that rule over Rumarsh; and finally the Obsidian Tower that is now a mercantile waystop in Mylrondia.

Major History

Origins

The origins of the Obsidian Tower hark back to the times when the Golden King was still only known as Vortigern of Sadaprax. Vortigern and his Companions that had rejected the teachings of the original Arcane Academy, struck off on their own with aspirations to find a place in the world to cultivate their own powers. During this time, the late Second Age, the region of Mylrondia was extremely divided between countless different Bludalfar Conclaves that fought amongst each other like tribal chiefdoms and petty kingdoms. Near the mountain range known as the Back of Terralba, in the sub-region of Phoeniswari, was a relatively unclaimed settlement known as Emlyn that the Companions managed to claim direct control over by defending the inhabitants from possible dangers.

Above Emlyn was a hollow and extinct volcano with the same name as the settlement. Here, behind this crater, Vortigern decided to magically create - with the help of the Companions - a tall tower made of the very obsidian and rock found in the volcano. With the walls stretching round the now growing Emlyn, this new fortress of High Emlyn helped Vortigern to ascend in power in Phoeniswari, giving him and his followers' both a stronghold and the rudiments of a kingdom within its walls. It was upon the completion of this impressive citadel - in the year 1539EM (the 539th year of the Second Age) - that Vortigern of Sadaprax crowned himself as the Golden King of High Emlyn, first Syre of House Emlyn, and found a consort in Nimueh Pendraig creating a political alliance with one of the other Bludalfar Conclaves of Phoeniswari.

Capital of the Golden Kingdom

As the Golden Kingdom expanded and had it's conquest over the Bludalfar Conclaves, so too did the metropolis of Emlyn and the significance of the Obsidian Tower. Even when the Humans of Elgerlor started rising up and the Korgs of Skìrah betrayed the Golden King, the Obsidian Tower remained tucked away and out of harm.

House Emlyn's trusted allies and arcane students had magical freedom within the confines of High Emlyn and it is here that many magical creatures had their first conception. Creatures that now plague the lands in the late Third Age and onwards. Vampyres, Hobgoblins and Wraiths are some of the most famous of these damned creations, all of them tracing their origins to the Obsidian Tower.

Tomb of the Hands

When the Golden Kingdom was on the brink of collapse, the Golden King and his Dragoncloak bodyguards sallied out of the gates of High Emlyn for the final time, sealing off the Obsidian Tower with his arcane prowess so that no one except his Hands could open the fortress up again. Over time, the highly built up and fortified location passed through several hands during the Vampyre Wars and finally under the Kingdom of Mylrond formed by King Rhodri the Uniter of House Hawksword.

The tower, though remained sealed shut, became a symbol of the High Steward of Rhodri's Court due to its evolved usage as a mercantile waystop for those traversing Mylrondia. As such, the tower appears on the Coat of Arms of House Gradlon and the seat of Robent ag Gradlon, one of the richest and most powerful figures in the courts of the Great Western Emperor. During the mid-Third Age, Robent had uncovered the stories of what riches - including golden artefacts - lay behind the magical Four Doors of High Emlyn.

Hiring tomb raiders to break into the Obsidian Tower, Robent accidentally awoke the Golden King's Hands of the King and so, put the citadel of Emlyn into renewed ownership of the long dead Golden Kingdom.

Structure

The mountains surrounding the Vale of Phoeniswari are perhaps some of the most impassible regions of Terralba, with the Obsidian Tower settled in the middle of these mountains in the crater of an extinct volcano. There is only a single narrow pass through the thick natural walls of solid rock surrounding it to the front gates, with the only other entrance facing a narrow, treacherous pathway through the mountains to Hellaland; a pathway that very few have survived to know well. Merely reaching High Emlyn from any direction on foot requires a perilous trek through the mountainous region.

The four seperate front gates of the fortress tower is magically sealed after the Golden King sallied out for the last time, with the landmark becoming the effective tomb and burial place for the Hands of the King (Melecoth, Miathrog and Dragorpsa). The outer walls are several metres thick and various guard posts for whoever claims dominion over the fortress throughout history.

As the settlement of Emlyn expanded into and filling the hollow crater under the rule of the Golden King, over time a secondary wall was erected cutting half of the settlement in two. A single central gate became the only way through from Emlyn Proper to Emlyn Upper that was elevated by the wall by the height of two people, with guards rarely allowing anyone past the gate. Thus, the inhabitants of the fortress and Emlyn Upper became a sort of reclusive sub-society that had little to no contact with the outside. Resources were not even allowed through the gates for the most part, with winches being put in place across this wall to get things in.

The fortress itself consists of everything you would find in any castle, in the form of a night-black tower soaring into the sky. The second from top floor is a wide throne room filled with golden artefacts sought after by many a lord in the Great Western Empire for their unrivalled magical capabilities. The very thrones Vortigern and Nimueh Emlyn are still locked away in the throne room, where the resting body of the Hands of the King rested and now in the present day, their remains scatter the room. The top roof is open to the elements, with balconies opening up into every direction and a large telescope pointed up into the sky.

Alternative Names

Fortress of High Emlyn, Throne of the Golden King, The Dark Tower, The Hidden Throne, Tomb of the Hands

Type

Fortress