Eye of the Tower

A cabal that was part of the conflict known as the Clash of the Cabals that resulted from the death of Arkadius Secondsight.

Technically it was several conflicts and the Eye of the Tower was created and destoryed as a result.

## The First Clash

### 371-370BE

371BE: Arkadius died and his apprentices (many of whom were massively powerful wizards in their own right) gathered their followers into independent cabals. One of the apprentices to clain the title Archmage was Volkalis. He had not built a large or strong cabal. He did not even attend the gathering to discuss the rulership of Armakania instead he excecuted his plan and secured the Ark-Tower above the city. When the gathering broke down into civil war Volkalis was literally above the fighting and remained unharmed in the all out spell battle, later called the Conflagration, that resulted. The battle left the cabal Hollow Truth in overall power and most of the other cabals were forced to flee the city.

Some of the most important Cabals formed at this time were: The Cold Comfort, the Hollow Truth and Ebsix's Circle of Friends. Yet Volkalis chose a different path. He joined no cabal and in comparison to the other archmages had few allies. Yet he had managed to take the Ark-Tower itself and was for all intents and purposes unassailable due to this fact. This game him time to study the secrets of the tower and attempt to break through the archane vaults hidden within. All this while the other cabals destoryed each other in the conflict below. When Hollow Truth was left in command of the city Volkalis did not dispute their claim to leadership of Armakania. He simply remained apart, untouchable.

## The Second Clash

### 368BE

Internal conflict ripped apart the leading cabal, Hollow Truth, revealing it to actually be made of several smaller internal cabals. Several non-mage assassins are used in a series of killings. This results in a sort of civil war and blood runs through the streets of Armakania. Many 'normal' people abandon the city for outlying towns and the protection of other cabals such as Cold Comfort, the Dragon's Eye and the Crystal Scepter.

The mage Volkalis, having used his years of isolation in study of the Ark-Tower now understood how to unleash more of its weaponry. He used the Star Guardians openly to secure the city and brought the infighting to an end violently. He also used Soulcraft to unleash magic not previously seen in the hands of humans. Valkalis had discovered the alternative magi source in reading books his master had secreted in the Ark-Tower. Using this magic he was able to bind defeated mages. Every mage left in the city at the end of his swathe of destruction was made to swear to him and was forced to take magical soul brands to ensure that loyalty.

This ended the conflict with Volkalis in control of Armakania and those sworn to him now called the **Eye of the Tower** due to the brands they all wore upon their foreheads.

These brands were placed by Volkalis himself and were in the shape of an eye. If the person were considered suspect Volkalis could look through the brand to see what they were doing. Also if he used a command word the eye would start to close. Initially this would cut off the branded wizard's senses and then their ability to use magic and finally if the eye closed it would incapacitate them completely allowing them to be summarily executed.

This was how Volkalis with no true allies was able to form a cabal.

## The Eye of the Tower Established

### 368-365BE

Volkalis now undisputed in Armakania proper turned the city into his personal kingdom. Following an idea of his master Arkadius Secondsight he made secret knowledge the basis of his rule. He refused to explain many of the secrets he had gleaned fromt he Ark-Tower records and the vaults he had managed to enter. He used the Star Guardians, the Ark-Tower and its magical forces/weapons and his enslaved cabal the **Eye of the Tower** to rule as a tyrant and dictator.

So the structure of his cabal was very different from those of his rivals. All were slaves to him including those few who had sided with him prior to his taking of the city. Even these first followers were forced to take the Eye of the Tower soul brand. However there was some concept of rank between them.

Especially those who had joined him before the taking of the city were each given a significant piece of Ark-Tower knowledge or power. One was allowed to know the sequences for entering the 'Soul-Vault' (Volkalis' name for the vault where he had found the information and artefacts concering the magic of soulcrafting). One was allowed to assist with the maintainance and even lesser command of the Star Guardians. One was allowed to have juristiction over training apprentice wizards who were new to the branding. Yet by making it absolutely forbidden to pass on additonal knowledge to each other Volkalis made each of his subordinates as jealous of their one or two pieces of additional knowledge and kept them from working together.

There was also a difference if you had 'Taken the Eye' or in other words had agreed to being branded under pressure as contrasted with being a 'Broken Eye'. A Broken Eye referred to a mage who had been defeated and physically and mentally forced to take the brand against their will. Broken Eye were the lowest of the mages and according to record were often treated worse than non-magic users by the cabal.

By the end of this era Volkalis finally started to stretch beyond the reach of the Ark-Tower. He used his enslaved cabal to wreck havoc on surrounding settlements including Tor Honarik and the area known as the Golden Lake, where there were elven and dwarvern settlements. this was a mistake as it turned those forces into receptive allies for his enemies. Yet Volkalis felt untouchable and he openly scorned those outside of Armakania as lesser beings.

## The Third Clash

### 366-364BE

366-365BE: As the Eye of the Tower remained in firm control of the city of Armakania the other cabals began to try and establish other strongholds. By late 365BE it was already clear that the cabals attempts to turn other city states into new Armakanias had failed. The destruction of the cabals and loss of irreplaceable wizards drove the rival cabals to turn back home.

365BE: There was a meeting between six different cabals at the Golden Lake in response to the Eye of the Tower striking beyond the city. These included the powerful cabals of Crystal Scepter and Cold Comfort, it also formed a natural lodestone for the remnants of the shattered cabals Dragon's Eye and Hollow Truth.

At this convocation two points bring consensus, one is that Armakania needed to be reclaimed as the **Eye of the Tower** and its leader were abominations. It is also agreed that single dictatorial leaders that used magical power to compel subservience was not what Arkadius had wished. They therefore agreed that they need to retake Armakania and do so together. The idea of using magical oaths to compel trust was rejected almost unanimously and specifically by the influential and powerful combat mage Glacius.

MARKER

365-364BE: - The united cabals turn on Armakania and fight against the Eye of the Tower and Volkanis. The battles seem hopeless as he has access to powers none of the human mages currently comprehend. Yet thanks to the intervention of a small group of heroes including a templar from the Tor Celer, dwarves and elves from Golden Lake and wizards from the Cabals the ritual used to control the magical eye brands through which Volkanis controlled his slave wizards is broken. This then allowed his own erstwhile allies and apprentices to turn on him. Throwing him out of the Ark-Tower and leaving him to face the wrath of the united cabals alone. Facts are sketchy some claiming Glacius hunted him down personally others that it was the band of heroes who broke the Eye that eventually toppled him, but the story most often repeated is that he attempted to use one of the magical weapons he had taken from the Ark-Tower in a desperate bid for ultimate victory and it destroyed him in the process.

### Aftermath

The key consequences of the Clash of the Cabals was the founding of the Archmages' Council. This ended cabals and the position of Armakania as an expansionist battle power and instead formed them as a united elitist educational society. The council would be run by those of magical superiority (The idea was so ingrained they couldn't quite move beyond it) but they would do so with common consent and only allow policy changes to be done with majorities and as the council ran to the number eight it made it easy to deadlock it. No movement was better than the fatal mistakes of the last 7 years.