Onyx Tower

The Onyx Tower was a tower in the Marsh of Chelimber in the Western Heartlands. It was the most powerful creation on the face of Toril and was ruled by the spirit of hatred, Eldrith the Betrayer. The Onyx Tower was created out of the Elemental Foundations and laid out on the Material Plane. It controlled all of the elements, which was what made it so powerful. "Not even the moonlight will touch it, for the Tower drinks its light. It is a black kiss, a serpent's bite on the land."

- Sleyvas

Origins
When Eldrith the Betrayer turned her back on the city of Baldur's Gate, archers chased her into the Marsh of Chelimber. In the marsh, they shot her down and killed her. However, her rage against the city was so strong that her spirit lived on and created the Onyx Tower in the middle of the Marsh of Chelimber. The Elemental Foundations, located in five of the planes in the elemental realm, were activated. These foundations could only be shut down by destroying the tower. In the Plane of Shadow, the Onyx Heart was built. The Heart contained the power to turn people into zombies and only by its destruction could the Onyx Tower be destroyed forever. The death of the Onyx Heart's holder could also destroy the tower. However, another person could reactivate the foundations and enter the tower and claim the Onyx Heart for their own. Doing so also brought back the spirits of Eldrith's comrades, who were trapped in the tower. Eldrith and her comrade's life-forces were connected to the Onyx Tower and could only be freed with Eldrith's second death. Eldrith began to create Shadow Gates out of onyx to create a "Dark Alliance" to destroy Baldur's Gate.

Eldrith's Alliance
Eldrith the Betrayer succeeded in creating her Dark Alliance, but when they attacked three adventurers in the, the trio sought revenge. The adventurers traveled throughout Baldur's Gate, the Sunset Mountains, and the Marsh of Chelimber and one by one destroyed the Dark Alliance. These three adventurers however, were not able to enter the Onyx Tower, owing to the fact it had no gate. Instead, they had to go through the Elemental Foundation of Water to enter the tower and fight the Betrayer. In the tower, they learned much of the history of Baldur's Gate, the secrets of the Elfsong Tavern, the Company of the Crescent Blade, and of the Betrayer herself. The three adventurers then fought with the Betrayer and managed to kill her in the top floor of the Onyx Tower. They then fled through the only remaining shadow gate—its parallel was the only way into the tower. The Onyx Tower was then destroyed as Eldrith's death had caused the elemental foundations to shut down. The tower, however, still existed, it just did not stand, as the Onyx Heart had not been destroyed.

The Vampires
Mordoc SeLanmere then got control of the Onyx Heart and thus the Shadow Gate that led back into the Onyx Tower once it was rebuilt. After the Harpers and Zhentarim reactivated the Elemental Foundations, the Onyx Tower was rebuilt just outside the Battle of Bones. When Mordoc was attacked, he moved it to Baldur's Gate. Using its magic, he turned all of Baldur's Gate's citizens into zombies and skeletons (minus soldiers who were patrolling outside the city, people in the sewers, and merchants such as Bartley who arrived after the tower's creation). Mordoc's servant Xanhast turned certain citizens like Randalla into vampires to patrol the streets during the short period while they had it. Mordoc then connected himself to the Onyx Heart and entered the Plane of Shadow, redirecting the final Shadow Gate to transport its user there, as Mordoc planned to use the Heart's power to its full extent. The multitude of undead that Mordoc commanded caused the vampire to gain more power. Mordoc was then apprehended by Vahn, Adrianna, Kromlech, Ysuran Auondril, Dorn Redbear, Allessia Faithhammer, Vhaidra Uoswiir, and Borador Goldhand. The eight adventurers killed Xanhast, who resided on the top of the Onyx Tower and guarded the final shadow gate. The eight then fought and killed Mordoc and the tower was destroyed again. The eight however, were trapped inside the Plane of Shadow. The eight then destroyed the Onyx Heart, which ensured the Onyx Tower was destroyed forever as now the elemental foundations could no longer be activated.

Appearances

 * Video games
 * Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance • Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II