The Ruins

The Ruins are actually The Tower of High Sorcery at Losarcum was one of the Towers of High Sorcery on Ansalon. It was located on the fringes of the city of Qim Sudri in the nation of Dravinaar. Sudrin called the tower Jandhar Azuya or the Black Knife.

The tower resided on a promontory directly east of Qim Sudri, overlooking the city. It rose to almost four hundred feet tall and was made of obsidian, shaped like a knife. In the dawn, the shadow of the tower reached over the city like a great finger, whilst at dusk it appeared to burn with reflected twilight, making it appear crimson. By looking carefully at the surface of the tower, the outline of Nuitari could be seen, but neither Solinari nor Lunitari’s light was reflected by the tower. Two parapets lined the tower, both with red borders, and one was stark white, whilst the other was a crimson red, to signify the other two orders.

Surrounding and protecting the tower was the Tsorthan Grove. Past the grove was a courtyard paved with white gravel, which led to the entrance of the tower. The doors which led inside the tower were monstrous high doors made of blood-red stone, and engraved with images of the three moons. Hidden glyphs and runes adorned both the doors and the stairs leading into the tower, which could incinerate uninvited guests. The walls of the tower were made of smoky black glass and were slightly crooked, and it was rumored that if anyone looked into one of the tower windows long enough that they could see a multitude of sorrowful faces, depicting the person’s insignificance in a large world.

Inside the tower, a central staircase wound both up and down, leading to all levels of the tower, and further protected with magical glyphs. At the base of the tower were the rooms of the initiates, as were the rooms in which were conducted the Test of High Sorcery. The upper levels held the rooms of the more senior and skilled mages, and at the top of the tower was the Heartchamber.

Beneath the tower were a series of underground caves in which the wizards conducted experiments and also where they stored the Guardians. It was also where the Guardians were first crafted in the Age of Dreams. Also in the underground caves were the Vaults of Summoning.

When the Cataclysm smote Istar from the world, many of the outlying realms of the empire were later inhabited by other folk. The former deserts of Dravinaar turned into the grasslands of Goodlund, and the ruins of Losarcum became known simply as The Ruins, by those who never even knew of Qim Sudri or Losarcum. All that remained was a round pool of black glass, a ring of broken stones and a small part of the Tsorthan Grove. It is rumored that when Nuitari is in High Sanction, the image of the moon is reflected in the glass.