Shalse Koshol

Emperor Zaloren built it as a show of strength. Tremble at the might of the Empire, that they would harness the lava which had killed thousands and turn it into the centrepiece of a tower of learning and investigation. To see the roofs of green volcanic glass at sunset was to know the magical prowess of his court.
It is ironic, then, that this very prowess is what destroyed the towers and turned Shalse Koshol into little more than an attraction for war historians and ghost hunters.

— Lani Koshidan, Telziado Royal Historian 359 AC

Shalse Koshol was a manor and mages tower located in the foothills of Chalsei Kóshoil, the tallest mountain on the continent. Built by the Vosti Empire to research the volcano and its magical properties, it was occupied by various imperial court mages for hundreds of years. Since its partial destruction in 334 AC, it has been owned by the Kingdom of Telziad.

History

Origins

Chalsei Kóshoil appeared in the midst of the Krenar Mountains during The Collision. Its bright green lava confused human academics greatly. In an effort to understand the volcano, and the process by which it had appeared, Emperor Zaloren V commissioned the construction of Shalse Koshol in 5 AC, which would act as a research hub for the mountain.
Its first occupant was court mage Fera Gularidan, who led a team which discovered that the lava was full of magical energy, and began to investigate potential uses for such a material. Shalse Koshol was renovated in 58 AC, with green volcanic glass being added to the two towers to amplify the magic performed within, as well as using it on the roofs and as decoration across the property. Due to the rarity of the material, few other buildings were renovated in this manner.
After the development of portals which could connect the human world to the elven world, the right tower of the manor was renovated again to incorporate them. The left tower remained the primary research station where experiments would take place.

The Separation

Shalse Koshol was unoccupied after The Separation, as its owner was caught on the elven side at the time. As the portals that connected the worlds collapsed, the right tower of the property was destroyed. Due to the manors remote location, and the associated expenses, the tower was never repaired.
Its status as a trove of magical knowledge would become important at the onset of the Vosti Civil War in 330 AC, becoming the base of operations for a unit of powerful Vosti magicians under the command of Kareon Powedan.

The battle lines of the battle of Volara by Isaac Thompson

The Battle and Siege

In 334 AC, the Battle of Volara occurred a few kilometres north of the manor. The northern Telziado rebels clashed with the Vosti magicians, who found themselves hopelessly outmatched. The result was a massacre, with the seven survivors retreating to Shalse Koshol. The Telziado force pursued them there and surrounded the manor - the "Volara Seven" were trapped.
Due to Shalse Koshol's value, the Telziado were unwilling to destroy the building in order to get at its occupants, which the Seven used to their advantage. It took two weeks for the Telziado to gain any ground, successfully killing a mage with an arrow. A few days later, a member of the Seven left the manor and surrendered, saying she had tried to convince the others to do the same, but they had refused. Rumours of necromancy began to spread amongst the Telziado forces, especially as the weeks dragged on.
These rumours were soon confirmed after a Zaimyalkee mage received permission to use necromancy herself. Only Kareon Powedan was still alive inside the manor, despite others having been seen recently. After Zoujol Maazije used her necromancy to kill the five zombies within, the left tower burst into flames. When Telziado troops stormed in to capture Kareon and retrieve all the knowledge in the tower, he used his magic to collapse the tower, killing himself and two of the soldiers inside. The siege was over.

Afterwards

It was used as an outpost by the Telziado for the remainder of the war, though it saw little action due to its remote position. It has become inextricably linked with the siege and the necromancy which occurred within, and many claim that the manor is haunted and cursed. These claims are bolstered by the mysterious death of the sole survivor of the Volara Seven a few months after the siege.
Shalse Koshol currently operates as a small museum dedicated to the Vosti Civil War, the Siege, and the lives of the Volara Seven. The left tower was not repaired, and its remains are still present on the manor's grounds.

The whole place is possessed! The fountain sputters to life without warning to spray you, the walls creak just before you can fall asleep, and that blasted tower! Its windows glow green at night, and elven chanting comes from the rubble out front. It's enough to drive a man insane!

— A distressed Skarhan tourist, recounting their trip

Kareon Powedan

Kareon Powedan was the final Vosti 'owner' of Shalse Koshol, and has become a cult figure in his home country. His attempt to claw victory from defeat is seen as classic Vosti spirit and gut. In honour of his sacrifice, his family were granted the Barony of Guarasi by Emperor Treveon I. By a twist of fate his grandson Rumen became emperor himself in 402, after being adopted by Emperor Treveon II.

Kareon Powedan by Isaac Thompson

Shalse Koshol by Isaac Thompson

Collide and Separate

For the majority of recorded history on Shano fe Yula, elves did not exist. They lived in a separate plane to the humans, and would have featured only in myth and rumour. It was only with The Collision, which brought their two planes crashing together, that elves appeared on Shano fe Yula. Transport between these realms became possible through magic a century and a half later, bringing the two races even closer together.

The gods chose to sever these ties and disentangle the planes from each other in 326 AC, an event known as The Separation. Passage between planes is no longer possible.

The Separation by Isaac Thompson

A War Uncivil

After the loss of Empress Ila and her family to the Separation, Empress Askila III ascended to the throne of the Vosti Empire. The actions of her and her co-monarch husband, Emperor Treveon I, sparked a rebellion in the empire's north and which spiralled into civil war.

By the war's end in 336 AC, the north had claimed more than half of the empire's territory as part of the Kingdom of Telziad. The Empire remains bitter about the whole affair.

Middle Ground

Shortly after its invention in the second century AC, necromancy was banned in all the countries of Abravost due to its potential for abuse. Waal Zaimyatl, however, offers a loophole. Within its borders it is legal to practice as medium, performing seances for families of deceased individuals. Many mediums use necromancy to achieve this.

This is how Zoujol Maazije learnt necromancy, and why she had to get explicit permission to use it - as she was operating within the Vosti Empire, where such practices are banned, she could have faced punishment.

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