Ark-Tower

The magical tower edifice that floated in static position above the location known as Tor Armakan. The original creator was never entirely clear. The tower remained in fixed position and contained significant defensive and offensive enchantments and powers.

## Powers

The Ark-Tower bore many runes which made it formidable indeed in any kind of conflict. Some of the abilities coveyed through those runes were known some were never fully uncovered or understood.

* Levitation - The Ark-Tower projected a field of energy that defied ground force. It did not 'fly' as it could not be moved in any way. This field seemed to also be what prevented the Ark-Tower from experiencing local weather patterns. The wind was always ar rest around the tower and the rain and snow simply fell around it.

* The Ark - A central altar-like device inside the base complex of the tower. The ark was roughly cuboid in design and carried a huge excess of magical energy, similar to a wizard's staff but multiplied a million times over. The Ark seemed to be the power source for the Ark-Towers defenses but it also created the ambient energy flow in the Consiliaire. This was a wide hall surrounding the Ark's vault and resting here it said to energize wizards and even heal the mind.

* Ark-Lances - These are lance like protrusions on the tower most face downward though several did face directly horizontally outward and four diagonally aimed upward. The two largest lances were nicknamed the Spike as they aimed directly upwards and downwards from the very centre of the floating tower. These lances were able to harness the Ark's power to fire bolts of energy. They could be activated by anyone who manipulated the runes along the command faces inside the tower regardless of the person's understanding or power. The Spike has never needed to be fired except as a test. It's power was recorded as being ten times the level of other Ark-Lances. When the spike was fired it also was noted that the Ark's visible energy dimmed and other ark-lances ceased to function temporarily.

* Star Guardians - The Star Guardians were constructs that decorated the exterior of the Ark-Tower. If one was holding the mark of the Principle of the Ark and sat in the chair of command in the Star Dome the Star Guardians could be activated by the Principle and commanded by them for a day or a night. Yet when the stars next became visible or faded from sight the Guardians would return to their places and not be able to rise again until the stars had shone upon them for a whole night. The Star Guardians varied in power, size and appearance. All of them were invulnerable to arcane energy, their surface was as resistant to physical attack as hardened dwarvern wrought steel, they could fly seemingly at will and in defiance of the wind or ground force and finally all Star Guardians were able to fire lances of energy similar to those emitted by the Ark-Lances.

* The Shelter Ward - A rune on the Ark-Tower that could be activated should the tower come under attack. This covered all of the towers windows and balconies and the star dome with transparent walls of force. These walls worked in both directions and so leaving the Shelter Ward up indefinitely would utterly isolate and possibly lead to the deaths of all inside.

* Hearthwold - A forge-like arcane workshop in the tower that has an assortment of strange instruments, tables, contraptions and fires. This room's instruments could not be removed from it intact and were always of ancient date. Some of these were used not only for arcane magic but also for soulcraft and runecraft. Volkanis the mage who ruled from the Ark-Tower in the Clash of the Cabals used this room and its instruments to brand the Tower's Eye on his victims. It was never exactly sure if the Hearthwold was designed as a torture chamber, a research centre, a hospital or a trophy room.

## Important Characters

Key figures associated with the Ark-Tower.

* Arkadius Secondsight First known Principle of the Tower.
* Volkanis Appentice to Arkadius that secured the tower during the Clash of the Cabals

## History

The towers origin was not ever definitively recorded, it was such a powerful creation though it seems likely that it must have been created by elves, probably with assistance from dwarves. However the date engraved on its ancient stones was 416PE this was placed by Arkadius Secondsight

Certainly it was his place of power by 416BE when he founded the city-state of Armakania.

416-400BE Using the Ark-Tower as his base Arkadius effectively defeated the elves driving them from the area surrounding the city itself.

371-364PE During the conflict between Arkadius' apprentices in the wake of his death called the Clash of the Cabals, the Ark-Tower was taken by the archmage Volkalis. He used it as the main base of his faction of the Dragon's Eye. The powers of the tower were used to destroy his opponents and for some years he gained complete dominance over the city-state. At the end the tower became the centre of the Archmages' Council.

0PE: The Aurian Monetary Union became the Aurian Empire and Tor Armakan was a founding part of it. The colleges of research were created in the city alongside the trademaster's lodge which moved away from the Ark-Tower being the centre of civil power.

155PE: After a lot of preparation Cartazian and his Imperial Vizier Whitefire a powerful wizard, formalised the Sarrifs (Or wizards) into a single guild: the Sapphire Wizards' Guild. Having created the guild they also create a leader for the guild called the Saffier. This individual has official political and military rank as well as being the leader of the only recognised wizards' guild in Auria. From this date all wizards on Aurian soil must register with the guild and if they want to be a part of any group of wizards such as colleges, research teams, the military units or guilds they have to be members of the guild. Whitefire was made the first Saffier. The Ark-Tower was the centre of this new guilds base of power though only archmages were allowed access to it. Regular Sarrifs and apprentices hasd to settle for the colleges in the city itself.