Tower of High Sorcery at Losarcum

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.

History of the Tower[]

Age of Dreams[]

When Kharro the Red first decreed that the orders should each go forth and establish a new tower, so magic could spread beyond the walls of the Tower of High Sorcery at Wayreth, many mages looked to build towers and establish settlements around them. However the Black Robes instead sought an established city around which they could build their tower, and the master of their order, Grall Bonefist, decided upon the city of Qim Sudri only a week after Kharro’s decree in 2590 PC.

Grall didn’t care what the Sudrin thought of him establishing a tower, and just appeared one day without consulting them and began the spell to raise the tower, along with a large cadre of fellow black-robed wizards. The Sudrin mounted a large attack on the wizards, however whilst under assault, Grall raised the tower and turned away his opponents. The Sudrin were impressed by his strength and courage, and rather than becoming enemies of the wizards, they instead offered them respect.

However respect did not mean that the Sudrin did not still mount assaults on the tower, and in the first millennia of it being raised, over fifty attempts were made to raid the tower. None were successful, and the rulers of Qim Sudri would also occasionally petition the wizards for help, which was always granted. The wizards constantly refined the defenses of the tower, and it was at this time that they built the Guardians, an army of nine-foot tall malachite statues, to protect them.

The fighting between the wizards and the Sudrin continued until an enterprising Black Robe by the name of Moranda of Crowford appeared. Moranda was a skilled mage who sought to become the Master of the Tower of Losarcum, and towards that end made a pact with a Sudrin warrior called Ubar. Over a decade, she used magic to help Ubar rise through the ranks of the Sudrin army, and further assisted him in challenging and defeating the Sudrin ruler Halizan in battle, becoming the ruler of the city.

Ubar declared a new alliance with the Black Robes, and Moranda continued to assist him by eliminating his rivals. Within two years, Moranda became Master of the Tower, and the Black Robes had insinuated themselves as needed aides of the Qim Sudri rulers, even though Ubar himself was overthrown only a decade later.

The alliance between the Sudrin and the Black Robes saw the realm prosper and expand, ultimately forming into the Khanate of Dravinaar. The Master of the Tower of Losarcum became second in importance in the realm, subservient only to the Khan of Dravinaar. However this all ended with the Third Dragon War. The Conclave of Wizards decided to aid in the war and withdraw from any skirmishes or battles, and instead to unite and fight against Takhisis. When Khan Janduk petitioned the wizards at the tower for aid in their forthcoming invasion against Istar, he was refused. The Khan slew Alasto, Master of the Tower, in cold blood, and then rode away. Over the next week, both the Khan’s wives and all seven of his sons had died in strange accidents. The Khan again rode to the tower with his army, but was turned aside by the Tsorthan Grove, and could not enter. The alliance between the wizards and the Dravinish ended at this moment, and when the Dravinish invaded Istar, they were defeated and Janduk was killed.

Age of Might[]

In the early part of the Age of Might, the Dravinish were conquered by the Istarians, as a response to the original invasion by Dravinaar which was made 150 years earlier. By this time, the Dravinish were a broken people anyway, and their capital was renamed from Qim Sudri to Losarcum. The wizards realized they were under considerable threat and kept to their tower, hoping that if they remained hidden and unseen they would escape the wrath of Istar. For seven hundred years they cast spells to make the tower appear unoccupied, and even though the Istarians posted guards around the tower, it was considered no threat at all after some time. In 103 PC Ardosean IV declared himself the Kingpriest of Istar, even though two other clerics had done the same thing. The Black Robes of Losarcum made a plan to cast spells against Ardosean IV and make him their puppet. However the Master of the Tower, Caradoc of Caergoth, advised his fellows to forget their plan, as the weak Ardosean would never truly become the ruler. As the Three-Thrones War played out, Ardosean IV did indeed ultimately win the war and become the Kingpriest of Istar. Caradoc was seized by his comrades and taken into the dungeons where he was tortured for seven years until his death.

In 35 PC, Beldinas Pilofiro lifted the obscuring spells on the Tower of High Sorcery at Losarcum. Beldinas wanted the Black Robes of the tower to leave Losarcum. The White Robe Marwort brokered a deal. The deal made a Red Robe the Master of the Tower of Losarcum and a Black Robe the Master of the Tower of Daltigoth. This arrangement prevented a confrontation from happening between Istar and the Wizards of High Sorcery.

In 19 PC, Cathan MarSevrin and the Knights of the Divine Hammer were dispatched to bring down the tower. The wizards sent their emissary Leciane do Cirica to warn Cathan of the outcome of the battle if they persisted in the attack. When the attack continued anyway, the wizards unleashed the Guardians, however the knights still won through into the tower itself. The Master of the Tower, Khadar, released magical energy to destroy the tower; as a result the city of Losarcum was also destroyed.

Of all those residing in Losarcum and in the tower, only three people escaped, Leciane, Cathan and his fellow knight Tithian, who also fled via a teleport spell cast by the Red Robe.

Age of Despair[]

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.

Age of Mortals[]

When the red dragon Malystryx first arrived on Ansalon, she used the magic in the Ruins to assist her in powering the transformation of Goodlund into The Desolation. It is also rumored that her use of the Ruins helped in turning the kender into afflicted kender, but this is generally discarded as a wild unsubstantiated theory.

Other Names[]

When the tower was first built, it was known as the Tower of High Sorcery at Qim Sudri. When the city name was altered, the tower was renamed to the Tower of High Sorcery at Losarcum, which was the most popular name. Following the destruction of the tower and the Cataclysm, the tower was referred to simply as the Ruins. Occasionally the tower has also been referred to on rare occasions as the Tower of Goodlund.

Kender Tales[]

In one tale, it is told that the tower was destroyed by mages of all orders from the Tower of High Sorcery at Palanthas. However this is known to be untrue and that it was done by those within the tower at Losarcum instead.

Sections of the Tower[]

References[]

The Annotated Dragonlance Chronicles, Winter Night p. 581
Kendermore (Novel), p.191, 234-236, 260, 319
Divine Hammer (Novel) p. 280-287
Dragons of the Highlord Skies (HC) p. 135
The Last Tower - The Legacy of Raistlin, 'Book 1' p. 8
Legends of the Twins (Sourcebook) p. 50, 167
Lost Leaves From the Inn of the Last Home p. 50-53
Night of the Eye (Novel) p. 147
Sacred Fire p. 5
Towers of High Sorcery (Sourcebook) p. 123-126