The Ward
There is said to be a building somewhere in the world which cannot be seen or entered by normal men. The entire building has been shunted out of phase with the world, and sits in the ethereal plane. The word 'building' does not truly do the Ward justice. In truth, it would be better to call the massive structure a fortress. Designed by Oliphia, the Shield, the fortress gets its name from the defensive magic that its creator filled its walls to their brimming point with.
Purpose / Function
The original purpose of the structure was simply to be a safe place to call home. Before it was a massive fortress, the Ward started out as a magically conjured shack, intended simply to serve as a home for Oliphia after her tutelage under Grizwold, The Master of Many had come to an end. The house was protected by simple alarms at first, and indeed, did not have such a dramatic name. Oliphia simple called the shack her "House on the Hill"
Over time, as Oliphia's magical knowledge grew, it was simple convenient for her to use her own home as a testing ground for her new advancements, and so the building naturally became more and more difficult to penetrate.
Eventually, the Circle of Nine faced a foe that they could not kill, and so they needed a place to store their foe. At the time, the circle only had four members, and was still not so formally organized, although the beginnings of the eventual resulting organization had begun to take shape. At their meeting to discuss the issue, it was discovered, to the surprise of her master, that Oliphia's home was even more protected than that of her master. And so, a precedent was set. When the Circle needed to contain something dangerous, it was placed in Oliphia's charge. Eventually, the stone walls and towers rose around the little house on the hill, expanding its capacity for terrible things and obscuring it from sight and from history.
Alterations
The building has had walls and towers of a castle magically built around it over the course of its tenure. These defensive implements were designed to help contain the horrors held within, but also to keep prying eyes away from the wretched creatures.
Eventually, the entire fortress was moved into the Ethereal Plane, to make it truly impenetrable.
Architecture
The fortress is comprised of stone walls and simple, undecorated design. The stone is smooth, showing no sign of being worked into bricks. This is a telltale sign of a building that has been conjured into existence, rather than being built by human hands.
Comments