The Tower
Across the lands of Spectra lay great constructs by ancient civilizations. Our expedition to the jungles deep in the Terrant mage’s territory uncovered many structures. All abandoned and covered in a maze of thicket. The land which Terrants occupy covers from the low-swamps to the spiny peaks. We traversed miles of it’s fertile wilds. The people of this land were kind. Speaking a dialect we could not decipher, we resolved to converse in bartering. Our supplies limited, we parted with alloy and some mirra. In turn they brought us to a relic. Hidden by the rocky elevation among the growth. This sculpture was a monument from the past. It’s use unknown.
At it’s base a cavern lead over a mile underground to a small room. Circular in form, a table of spectralium sat at it’s center. A large rod shot up from the center through the stone. The precise function of this place was a mystery. Our guides dare not follow. Glyphs adorned the table, indicating a specific type of conduction. It was clear the structure was not decorative, nor a place of ritual.
Our small team, only one of us skilled in the conductive arts. Les Tep, a mage of exceptional talent was adept in Terraphyton magic. He moved to put his hands on the table. Guiding fingertips along the edge of its circumference. It began emitting spectral sparks. A light show unfolded before us. From the surface conduction traveled upward along the spectral column. Disappearing through the domed ceiling.
The platform came alive with fungi. A pattern formed with a multitude of colors. Growing and dying, it was undulating across the surface. Specific formations developed mimicking a familiar pattern.
“These are cities…”
Tep said aloud, in a calm but anxious tone. It was clear this place was an observatory. Used to track people within a certain radius, dependent on the skill of the mage. When the display ended Tep fell to the ground. Abilities exhausted.
We left the room. Before setting out, he fell ill. His speech pattern changed and it was if he was conversing in another language. We made camp at the base of the structure. Four days passed, a fever developed and we could not leave. Fungal bodies began taking on his form and he vanished underneath a rainbow of growth. None of our team could help, and the trek back was too far. We never returned to that forsaken place.