Van Richten's Tower
The Svalich Woods have swallowed up the road that once led to the tower. Now only a wide dirt trail remains.
You come to a cold mountain lake enclosed by misty woods and rocky bluffs. Thick fog creeps across the dark, still waters. The trail ends at a grass-covered causeway that stretches a hundred yards across the lake to a flat, marshy island with a stone tower on it. The tower is old and decrepit, with collapsing scaffolds clinging to one side where a large gash has split the wall. Timeworn griffon statues, their wings and flanks covered with moss, perch atop buttresses that support the walls.
Next to the tower, multiple graves van be found as well as a burned spot where no grass grows.
Tower Door
The tower door is made of iron, with no visible handles or hinges. In the middle of the door is a large, embossed symbol — a connected series of lines with eight stick figures set around it. Carved into the lintel above the door is a word: Khazan. Rumor has it that if someone tries to enter the tower without the password something terrible will happen to them.Rickety Scaffolding
Rotting wooden beams support the scaffolding, which groans and creaks with the slightest breeze. A series of ladders and platforms lead to a hole in the northwest wall on the third floor.Tower, First Floor
The flagstone floor is strewn with debris, and a few old crates stand near the east wall. A torn curtain to the south partially obscures the tower vestibule. A five-foot-square indentation in the center of the floor contains four pulleys attached to taut iron chains that stretch up through a similarly sized hole in the rotted wooden ceiling. Standing next to the chains are four tall clay statues. The four statues are clay golems that defend themselves if attacked. Otherwise, their sole purpose is to operate the elevator, which they do by pulling on the chains. The chains attach to a 5-foot-square wooden platform that normally rests on the fourth floor. If it appears that a creature wants to use the elevator, the golems lower the platform, then raise it to whichever level the creature specifies. They also heed commands issued from above. They obey only commands having to do with raising and lowering the elevator. The elevator isn’t a smooth ride. The platform rises or lowers 5 feet per round, and its movements are jerky. If even one clay golem is destroyed, the remaining golems can no longer operate the elevator and remain motionless until attacked. The crates in this room are all empty.Tower, Second Floor
Dust and cobwebs fill this otherwise empty room, the wooden floor of which is badly rotted and partially collapsed. In the middle of the room is a 5-foot-square hole in the floor and ceiling, with a rusty chain near each corner. The chains are part of the tower’s elevator mechanism (see area V4). The 5-foot-square sections of floor that surround the central shaft are weak.Tower, Third Floor
Time and the elements have all but destroyed this chamber, leaving a gash in the northwest wall and slimy black mildew on the walls. The wooden floor is completely rotted and has begun to fall away in places. In the middle of the room is a 5-foot-square hole in the floor and ceiling, with a rusty chain near each corner. The chains are part of the tower’s elevator mechanism (see area V4). The 5-foot-square sections of floor that surround the central shaft are weak.Tower, Fourth Floor
Unlike the levels below, this room shows signs of recent habitation, and although the place reeks of mold and mildew, it has plenty of creature comforts, including a cozy bed, a desk with matching chair, bright tapestries, and a large iron stove with plenty of wood to feed it. Light enters through arrow slits as well as through dirt-caked windows with broken shutters. Other features of the room include a standing suit of armor and a wooden chest. Old wooden rafters bend under the weight of the tower roof, which has somehow remained intact. Mounted to the rafters are pulleys around which hang iron chains that support the tower’s elevator platform.Architecture
The tower stands 80 feet tall. It has four levels (each 20 feet high) and a mostly intact slate tile roof. The second, third, and fourth floors have arrow slits that are 6 inches wide, 3 feet tall, and 1 foot thick. The tower’s uppermost level overhangs the levels below it and has window boxes in addition to arrow slits.
History
The tower stood empty for ages, it seemed, and would have collapsed under the weight of neglect were it not for the magic wards placed on it long ago. Recently, the tower was taken over by Rudolph van Richten, who used it as a base from which to explore Barovia.
