Granite Tower

The Granite Tower, also called Granite Keep and Keep Bodvar, was a secluded fortress in Vaasa made of black granite. It was home to the descendants of Bodvar the Black and his Moor Eagle tribe.

Geography
The Granite Tower sat on the slopes of the Galena Mountains in southern Vaasa, overlooking the Bleak Steppes of Haatar-Baen.

Defenses
The Tower provided safety from the dangers of Vaasa. The walls were bonded by magic and were nigh impregnable as long as the inhabitants upheld the Oath of Bodvar. In addition, it was defended by the Scions of the Granite Tower, twenty elite warriors trained from a young age to wield heavily enchanted blades called darkswords, which were said to be able to bypass or cut through any protections.

Moor Eagle Clan
The people who would come to live in the Granite Tower were originally a clan of nomadic Vaasan barbarians called the Moor Eagles. They were capable and honorable warriors who traveled in wagons pulled by oxen.

In the mid 13 century DR, Bodvar became chieftain of the Moor Eagles, and devised a scheme to establish a fort at which his clan could offer travelers and caravans shelter during their trips across the Bottomless Bogs. However, this made the clan a target for local groups of monstrous marauders who preyed on those same caravans. Bodvar's fort was destroyed and the Moor Eagles were pursued into the Bogs. They were nearly wiped out, losing all but twenty of their warriors, before they were saved by Melegaunt Tanthul, a Prince of Shade.

Oath of Bodvar
The Granite Tower itself was raised in a matter of months by Melegaunt Tanthul as part of a pact with Bodvar and his Moor Eagle clan made on Higharvestide in the. In exchange for the Tower and the twenty darkswords, Bodvar pledged that his clan would send their best warriors to assist Melegaunt when called upon. Thus, the Moor Eagles essentially became the first vassals of the Shade Enclave in Faerûn.

It was not until a century later in the, that Melegaunt would call upon the clan to uphold their end of what had come to be called the Oath of Bodvar. Although Bodvar himself had been leery of the wizard, his descendants had come to idolize and respect Melegaunt, who had provided them with so many protections from the harsh wilds of Vaasa. A force of warriors led by Vala Thorsdotter, Bodvar's great-granddaughter and wielder of one of the darkswords, accompanied Melegaunt in his ill-fated infiltration of Evereska and subsequent journey to Karse to summon Thultanthar to Faerûn. While Melegaunt would not survive the expedition, Vala returned home in 1372 DR accompanied by the elves Galaeron Nihmedu and Takari Moonsnow.

Scions of the Granite Tower
As of 1480 DR, the Granite Tower was still protected by Bodvar's descendants wielding the darkswords, now calling themselves the Scions of the Granite Tower. While it is unclear how many of the darkswords were still in their possession, it is likely that those who wielded them were still bound to serve Netheril whether they knew it or not.

Inhabitants
As descendants of the Moor Eagle clan of nomadic barbarians, the people of Granite Tower maintained elements of that warrior culture. They placed great value on honor and family and were known for their honesty, wisdom, and straightforwardness.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Return of the Archwizards (The Summoning, The Siege, The Sorcerer) • Realms of Shadow: "Darksword"
 * Return of the Archwizards (The Summoning, The Siege, The Sorcerer) • Realms of Shadow: "Darksword"