The Tower of Calemistar – Info and History

[Meleth Darkshine]

Hundreds of years ago, though the exact time is difficult to pinpoint when one considers that the oldest of elven records in regards to the subject had been destroyed, the Mage's Tower stood as a bastion and collective of knowledge in a similar fashion to the Mercaellian Monastery. However, the differences lied in the interests and use of that knowledge – the Monastery having always favored a more quiet lifestyle and peace, whereas the mages trained tirelessly in their crafts and preferred magical lores to best aid Silvanus in times of war and more shrewd moments of diplomacy. Then it had been made of flawless white stones, with ruby and golden detailing that flaunted their rise away from the earth and encompassing of all elements, never to say that they were against their mother element but pleased with themselves for becoming more.

Perhaps it is why the stones crumbled so violently when the leading Archmage was betrayed by his own, and were so readily consumed and reclaimed by the mossy, vined undergrowth of the Royal Forest to appear as they do now, and to remain forgotten until under two decades ago.

The Tower of Calemistar is it's own animal, a glimpse of what once was but that has taken another path. Spawned by it's Archdruid through the help of a very bizarre gem that had once rested within the original Mage Tower walls, it is no wonder that the present construct looks as if it has been grown as opposed to built. The only materials on the outside that do not give off the impression of naturally spawned items – though they very well could be if one thinks about it – are the large glass windows and the top spires that clutch pale but colored gems, that shimmer and merely glow in their shades and represent the elements of power. In it's growth, it seems to have disrupted the land some, never a fallen tree in it's sight but merely as if those surrounding trees had been shifted or, perhaps, even taken in to the collective of the tower itself. As such, the surrounding grounds are still shaded by the surrounding Royal Forest, but there is a small clearing that boasts access to one of the minor streams that course through Silvanus and perfect view of those barely-seen corners and stone heads of the Tower's predecessor.

The great tree that truly looks as if it is made of many trees is alive, seemingly happy to cater to the Tower and Archdruid's needs and readily opening doors, reaching for books with internal vines and creaking and groaning quiet responses to those silly and flustered apprentices who might believe themselves as alone. Whether it is an enchantment and control placed upon the living material by the Archdruid, Meleth Darkshine not only being of the last of the shapeshifters but also a tried and tested earthmage, or simply the way the tree was spawned, most will never know. Older scholars who have ventured here have found themselves very often surprised, both with the tree itself because there is little to no magical signature with which to read it on (though in life signatures, it has three different ones!), and because the curious woodland nymphs, the nandin, have actually defied all belief that they were only to venture to the Mercaellian freely and have been glimpsed and shown themselves here.

Any man or woman is rumored to be able to come within the Tower of Calemistar and be accepted if they are able and willing to be trained, but with the current way of things and the placement of the tower so precariously near the Darkshine Palace, only elves and the occasional human have ventured into the Tower walls thus far. While many mages developed without much difficulty before the Tower was remade, even those who once thought their gifts well handled have learned the great many things they could tap into if only they were taught a skill that Archdruid Darkshine can merely describe as listening.