Polst Spire

## Background

Attempts to build in the ruins of old Granthelia by hardier individuals have been made by many, but successes are few. One of the first failed attempts was the Polst Spire expedition. It was initiated by its namesake, Lord Ignatius Polst, the expedition’s leader and sole source of funding. An eccentric man of considerably poor taste, Lord Polst had a bizarre obsession for things beyond the safety of the walls. Deciding to commandeer the funds of his family’s estates and stored riches, Lord Polst deemed it his time to go beyond the port’s confines and stake his claim in old Granthelia.

Not unfamiliar with the archaic nuances of the land, Lord Polst fancied himself an amateur cartographer and archaeologist. Despite the ill reputed nature of those who supplied him with the information and maps that drove his curiosity of the ruins beyond the wall, Lord Polst swore by their signatures on his drink stained documents. Eventually, the accumulation of money and information led to the conclusion by Lord Polst that he should finally set out. With the preparations set, he spared no expense on the endeavor.

When Lord Polst left with his vast train of supplies and men, many saw that a large numbers of the carts were covered by tarpaulins bearing the Polst insignia. From the minute they left the gates, the expedition was beleaguered at the very start. Constant attacks from abominations, undead, and horrors beyond man’s imagination. Making it to the very edge of the old city, Lord Polst’s expedition was whittled down to a third of its original force. Taking stock of his charts and esoteric diagrams, Lord Polst decided it was there that they would unveil the covered carts. Revealed beneath the tarpaulins were building materials of all sorts, stones, braces, supports, scaffolding. Some had questioned the mental state of Lord Polst in the past, but his surviving men saw the true insanity of the Lord’s plan.

Wishing to build a grand tower on the edge of old Granthelia, Ignatius Polst planned to set up an outpost. Whilst the attrition of the weather, undead, and desertion took its toll on the expedition, Polst ordered construction to begin. Despite having bunkered down amongst the rubble, the expedition’s defensive capabilities were shockingly low. Lord Polst himself survived up until the final 10 men were left to fend off interloping horrors. The spire was in shambles, incomplete, improperly erected, and still covered in scaffolds. With the death of their employer, the remaining men are said to have gone mad with fear and run off into the ruins. However, the fate of the expedition has never been confirmed, yet no survivors have ever come back past the spire dubbed after its mad creator.

## Superstition

Due to the enigmatic nature of Polst spire and its equally mysterious creator. The primary rumor whispered in taverns of the port is that there sits an ancient brass bell at the top of the spire. Older than the structure or the man who constructed it, this bell will ring only once ever. It is said this bell will chime 12 ominous times before Granthelia’s luck is up, and the undead hordes will finally overrun the city, ransacking the Plaza Gardens. A few take this rumor further, and claim that on the year 2000, this apocalyptic prediction will prove true. Whether this is mere fiction or a sinister truth, it is said that some fearful nobies have pursued seers and other proposed diviners of the future to ordain Granthelia’s fate when Polst’s bell tolls.