002 - Building: The Humble Tower of Ulmer

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A three story tower about fifteen feet square stands about half a mile from the apex of Highcliff Pass. There's no obvious reason to have a tower here, but its owner, Ulmer the Abjurant, believed that a proper wizard must have a proper tower. The view of the valley below is impressive, but it's clear the location has little tactical value, and keeping even basic supplies would have been logistically difficult without magic. The tower is in good repair and has a small herb garden. It has a root cellar. The ground floor is where Ulmer eats and cooks, the second floor is his bedroom, and the third floor is where he used to practice his magical craft, but is now full of cobwebs, dust, and empty storage. There is little of value to an adventurer here, but there is about a month's worth of food for the tower's sole occupant.

Encounter

Ulmer, a retired wizard dwells here. His tower is sturdy enough that he survived by hunkering down, but consequently, his knowledge of exactly how things unfolded is incomplete. Ulmer is despondent, expecting to follow the city into death. He has no will to relocate, and no resources with which to do so. While he is polite and understanding of adventurer's questions, unless his mood is improved, he's likely to mostly just confine himself to relaying facts, rather than any speculation he might have.

• From the time the ground started shaking until the time it stopped was a span of about four hours.
• In the days before the event, many heroes and adventurers had flocked to Tyrandel, brought by visions, prophecies, and generally guidance by the gods of fate. While it seems to him they must have prevailed, he has neither seen nor heard of any survivors.
• In addition to being vast beyond imagination, the creature was supernaturally terrifying to behold. Ulmer was forced to look away the one time he dared venture outside. Cowed, he retreated back to the safety of his tower.

• The thing that sets Tyrandel apart from other cities is that it contained an entrance to the Nexus, a magical transportation network that connected it to five other locations around the world. The Nexus is why the city was here, as trade through it was incredibly profitable.
• In the past twenty years, the Nexus transit has become more dangerous. Journey times have increased, and some travelers have disappeared. People have started traveling with bodyguards, which does seem to have helped.
• Ulmer traveled through it often in his youth, and says that back then, moving from Tyrandel to another terminus was like walking through a long tunnel for about a week, with a stop at a large settlement called the Hub about halfway through the journey, and smaller stops at inns and businesses built into the side of the tunnel along the way.

Ulmer's vision is failing, and he has not seen either the small camp on the outskirts of the ruined city, nor the narrow spire of stone sticking up above the huge hole the monster emerged from. If the spire is described to him, Ulmer will suggest it might be the stone entrance to the Nexus, preserved from the surrounding destruction by its magic.

Ulmer is willing to identify magical items, but that is the closest he will venture to coming out of retirement. If attacked, he has little fight in him, he will place defensive magics on himself and attempt to flee or endure. The only thing of value Ulmer has is his spellbook, a practical grimoire containing a dozen spells primarily focused on protective magics, and spells that can be cast for others at a profit.