Maskyr's Tower

Maskyr's Tower was a ruined mage's tower in the vale of Maskyr's Eye in the Vast. It was built by the archmage known as Maskyr One-Eye in the 7 century DR. Although since destroyed, it still held many mysteries.

Location
Before its obliteration, the tower stood on a rocky bluff that rose above the trees around Maskyr's Eye. This bluff resembled the prow of a ship and pointed northeast toward the Coldstars, a pair of twin peaks in the Earthspur Mountains. This high bluff gave one a commanding view of the valley and the North Road, so watchposts were established here by visiting Mulmasterite riders on two occasions when orc hordes were feared in the region.

Structure
While it still stood, the tower was known to be small, rugged, and lacking embellishments. By the mid–14 century DR, however, there wasn't much left apart from the rubble lying about the place, grown over with shrubs and long grass. Much of the surviving stonework had been robbed out by the villagers of Maskyr's Eye for reuse in their cottages and walls. Nevertheless, the site was still an unnerving place at nights.

Defenses
Maskyr placed wards of force over the tower's door and windows, and these remained even after his disappearance, barring all entry.

Intact
After giving his right eye for the vale in payment to Deep King Tuir Stonebeard of the dwarven realm of Roldilar in the, Maskyr then went and dwelled there erecting the tower that came to bear his name for his home.

Others followed, and this marked the beginning of permanent human settlement in the Vast. A small settlement soon arose in the vale. Maskyr, meanwhile, lived peacefully and alone in his tower in his vale for several centuries. Finally, he went on a journey to the planes and disappeared, and was presumed to have been slain. However, some sages theorized that Maskyr had eventually moved out as people settled in his vale, leaving his old tower as a trap while he moved into the Mage's Tower on the other side of the Flooded Forest. Elminster declared this to be false, however.

Destruction
Over time, a number of ex-adventurers retired to the vale, and occasionally they went to Maskyr's Tower to try their luck on its wards, thinking they might find some heretofore undiscovered vulnerability. Yet its wards proved impenetrable, so they left with nothing. Eventually, one retired adventurer of Maskyr's Eye named Gathen Swiftsword resolved to take a brute-force approach. He rode to Mulmaster and returned with a 30-strong crew of hired 'strongarm' laborers whom he ordered to simply tunnel through the walls with bars, hammers, and picks. After two days of effort, they'd made one breach and almost had a second. Impatient to begin, the Swiftsword donned his old armor and collected his old weapons, and headed inside. He would never return.

The workers, who'd remained outside to widen the breach, later reported glimpsing inside "shifting shadows" and hearing, as one described, "odd, high calls, like a bird or bells, high and far-off?" They knew nothing of what transpired within. But following close behind Gathen was the thief Khonduil Ammargath, going unseen thanks to a potion of invisibility. It would save his life too. In an upper level, Gathen encountered a gargoyle-like guardian monster that proceeded to rip his arms and legs off. Khonduil used the distraction to creep by and he claimed a wizard's staff and a wand. As the guardian finished with Gathen and began to hunt for new prey, Khonduil pointed the wand and spoke the command word conveniently inscribed on its handle. The guardian enlarged and changed, transforming into a mighty dragon so massive the tower exploded around it, causing stones to rain down around the site at the start of dusk of that day. With a triumphant roar, the dragon spread wings as wide as the tower was high, and flew off to the north as the tower collapsed. Witnesses disagreed on its kind, on whether its scales were brassy, or green, or white, or even like electrum. Whatever it was, Khonduil would believe it to be the thing's true form.

Come morning, people returned warily to the site to survey the ruins, finding only a circle of fallen stones, no furnishings or treasures, and certainly nothing living. One farmer, Udzgul Thairharrow, claimed to have spotted a silvery doorway appearing for an instant in the air high over the ruins at sunset, but no-one believed him because they thought him a half-wit. Some others reported the same thing later, but they too were dismissed. Soon after the collapse, the Mulmasterite laborers began to turn over the stones, but when they heard digging noises coming from underground, noises that gradually got louder, most of them lost what was left of their nerves and fled. The remainder started to excavate and discovered a deep shaft; finding it held water, they decided it was simply a well.

Meanwhile, the thief Khonduil had survived his fall from the falling tower. He lost the wand, but kept hold of the staff. At some point, when he recovered, the tower was gone and the surprised strongarms were in their camp, so he crept away to seek his fortune some place much more peaceful.

Ruins
In later days, dwarves came to survey the ruins. Then, predictably, treasure hunters descended on the site, mostly adventurers and lone young mages, and some caused trouble by threatening or enchanting the villagers for information, thinking they'd surely stolen and hidden the treasures of Maskyr's Tower.

One day, another mage, one Loathren of Phlan, came to Maskyr's Eye and made efforts to erect a new tower on the place where Maskyr's Tower had once stood, perhaps in an attempt to learn the old archmage's secrets and magic. However, the stones laying about the bluff rose up of their own accord, spun about like leaves in a whirlwind, and rained down upon his camp, killing Loathren. Naturally, stories spread that this was Maskyr One-Eye's doing, or his abandoned magic, or a curse. Yet others claimed the local dwarves were responsible, somehow, or that it was the work of a rival wizard opposed to Loathren acquiring Maskyr's arcane mastery. The curse story proved more popular and bards carried it far, so much fewer adventurers and ambitious mages came poking around the site.

In time, the folk of Maskyr's Vale took much of the stones away in their carts, and nature began to reclaim the remaining rubble.

Reputation
Believing it best not to disturb the doings of long-dead wizards, the folk of Maskyr's Vale were quick to warn travelers not to set foot there, given its history. Nevertheless, some reckless sorts did camp amongst the ruins overnight and would light a fire there.

Rumors & Legends
Local tales maintained Maskyr had had much treasure and mighty magic and that it could still be concealed somewhere nearby his old tower. Yet there was also a warning, that Maskyr the One-Eyed would someday return and hunt down all those who had taken from him, even a single copper piece.

Either way, regardless of all the searches and destruction, no treasure had ever been uncovered by anyone by the late 1350s DR, not unless they'd discovered and taken it away in secret and never said a word about their wins. Nevertheless, old Khonduil, who'd returned to Maskyr's Vale as a cleric of Tymora, was a believer in the treasure tale, thinking much of it was yet to be found. He supposed the silver door seen in the sky was a permanent portal or gate, leading anywhere from a cavern under the bluff to a far-flung corner of Faerûn, or even another plane. Once a door or wall in Maskyr's Tower, maybe hidden behind a tapestry, it would now be suspended unseen high in the air and out of reach. Curious to know the truth, but unwilling to risk life and limb again, he spoke often about the tales of Maskyr One-Eye and his treasure with minstrels, travelers, and villagers, but never gave any hint of his past or personal involvement.