The Dark Tower

Whatever the original purpose of the Dark Tower was, it has become a birthplace of evil and lair for the foulest creatures to roam the land.  Evil beings issue forth from its gates to invade the civilized nations beyond the Desolation, and it is rumored that armies of demons live and train within its walls, waiting for the right time to strike forth and cover the world in darkness and destruction.

The Dark Tower is called the home of all monsters, and the appellation appears to accurate.  Reports of vile creatures from undead to monstrous humanoids, terrible magical beasts, and even demons are said to roam the Desolation and have been reported going in and out of the Tower's main gates.  It is rumored that Astaroth, the Lord of Demons, dwells within the uppermost floors of the Dark Tower, using the building as its headquarters as it plots to invade and destroy the world beyond the Desolation.

Rumors and stories of massive troves of treasure are often spoken about the Dark Tower.  More accurate reports from survivors of various forays into the Tower have returned with reports of rooms filled with gold and jewels, and have returned with valuable coins of strange design and even magical artifacts and weapons.

Similar to the stories about treasure, the Dark Tower is supposedly riddled with deadly and dangerous traps that are nearly impossible to detect.  Survivors have reported encountering traps within the halls of the Tower, many of them deadly, but not as invisible as the stories claim.

The Dark Tower is constructed of giant stone blocks that are fitted together without mortar.  Over the centuries, the outer walls of the Tower have built up a patina of soot and ash that has blackened the stones to a dull charcoal color.

The Dark Tower has been present in the center of the Desolation for as long as history has been recorded. In the Second Age, during the Time of 1,000 Gods, an army of heroes known as the Legion of Light, which had attempted to stamp out evil throughout the Lands of Legend, entered the Desolation with the intention of invading and destroying the Dark Tower. None of the Legion was ever heard from again. During the Third Age, groups of heroes, especially champions of Raya, have dared to enter the Desolation to try their luck with the Tower. Most of those that entered the Tower have never come back out. Those that have have given conflicting reports, but universally have declared they will never make a second attempt. However, since the beginning of the Fourth Age, there has been an increase in attempts to penetrate the Dark Tower's secrets, but so far no hero or group of heroes has managed successfully to enter the Tower and return; most surviving groups turned back before reaching the Tower.