Emerald Tower

The Emerald Tower is the headquarters of the Order of Triadus, an organization of magi known for their elitist views and scientific distinction between magi and non-magi.

Landscape

The Emerald Tower sits in the western folds of the forest of Qaeld. It is a lonely structure, with no town or hamlet within easy distance. The Tower itself is built of a strange green stone. The Tower extends skyward in a fat cylinder until halfway up, it assumes a spiral structure, with a wide terraced stairway running around its outside. The Tower tapers thinner and thinner as one ascends until by the top the tower is wide enough only for one chamber.

History

The origins of the Order of Triadus lies in the Triadan Civil War, which destroyed the city of Rune and left the many surviving mage-groups without a home. Orphaned, those magi scattered, eventually building new homes and organizations devoted to the study and governance of magic. The Order of Triadus came to inhabit the Emerald Tower, which had remained vacant for many years following the Civil War. During the war it was used as an outlying fortress for the Triadan Empire, and deserted in the final years of the conflict as the struggles centered on Rune. Before its occupation by the forces of the Triadan Empire, it was home to a powerful dark mage, and before that, its history becomes murky. It is undeniably ancient, with many a historian arguing it precedes even the Elder Tower in Spire. Even the Trowls are unsure of its origins; they assert the structure shows no sign of Trowl craftsmanship.

People

The Emerald Tower is home to the mages belonging to the Order of Triadus, their servants, and occasionally to visiting dignitaries. The initiates and servants of the Order trade freely with nearby towns and maintain a slightly strained, but in tact relationship with the non-magic folk around them. The servants in the Tower are what the Order calls "Mundanes," or those who cannot use magic. While the Order believes that mages should rule over the mundanes, they still treat their servants well, on the whole. Those mundanes who perform admirably in the service of the Emerald Tower are treated with great honors. For them, a conflict is approaching between mages and mundanes, and they would rather strike a deal with the side they see as likely to win. Either that or they have no choice in the matter, being poor or destitute. There are few guards in the Tower, since what good mage really needs them?

Notable Persons

• Lady Alyssa Wylde, Mistress of the Emerald Tower
• Guendolyn Saldora, a Seeker
• Daphne Newcombe, a Hunter