THE TOWER OF KALZIZ
Hook: 'The Tower of Kalziz? Ay, I've heard of it. It's madness to seek it. What is your interest, friend? I see... You know, they say the wizard that lives there has four identical brothers... Each one is said to occupy a level of that cursed place. In any event, you won't catch me traipsing about the countryside to my death. If you don't die, you'll end up in the slave mines, or worse. None who go there return...'
The old man takes a long pull from his mug of ale, stares at you with bleary eyes, croaks a belch into your face that curls your toes, leans in, and continues in a low, drunken voice...
'They say, there's a rear entrance. A postern gate the servants of Kalziz leave lightly guarded because-,' he shakes his head and crams a meaty fist against his grease-and ale-glistening lips, stifling another a belch you think might lead to something far more unpleasant, if he lets it take its course. 'Because no one in their right mind would go near that unholy place... The King and his troops tried to rid the land of the wizard, once for all, only twenty years ago... but even collapsing part of the gatehouse wasn't enough to breach the tower. Not one of those men returned... So mind yourselves, if you...' his eyes widen. The old man visibly fights back his dinner, but he manages to keep his composure. 'If, if you intend to continue with this fool's errand.'
Details: The Tower of Kalziz is, in fact, controlled by a powerful Ashamite wizard's four fractured personalities. Kalziz is from the Caliphate, far to the south. He fled the Prince he was serving, after a failed coup. Following his settling in lands far afield, he was terrified to lose his power, again. In an effort to maintain it, he performed a powerful ritual that split him into four individuals, each one a separate entity with his own personality. They work together, but each level of the tower is ruled as an individual 'state', governed by one of the wizard's personalities. Each Kalziz vies for ultimate power over his area. They are mostly content to rule this way, recognising that they are all the same man, serving the same agenda, but there is still paranoia living under the surface of each personality.
Tensions are mounting between the four, as they grow more and more suspicious of one another, sending spies to watch the goings on of the other copies, to make sure no one is up to any shenanigans. Ultimately, Kalziz wished to begin his own small kingdom, quietly, in the wilderness, then expand to conquer the surrounding lands.
The wizard's tower, itself, is an unusual and unconventional edifice. It is a large, trapezoidal crystalline structure made of some kind of mottled brown sandstone-like mineral. The base surrounding the upper geometric portion contains the first two levels. It is a silicate of some kind with large and small faceted, reflective, slick faces interspersed through the limestone.
Level 1 - The lowest level is controlled by Kalziz the Gluttonous, who is a very greedy and cruel man. He has become enormous and mostly sits on his cushioned throne surrounded by the various slaves and servants (imps, troglodytes, and humanoid slaves) he controls, and a harem of women from around Keltika and The Sun Sea. He is responsible for prisoners and the mining operation underway on Level 1.
Level 2 - The second level is run by Kalziz the Pale, a scrawny, sallow-skinned individual whose body seems to have begun to consume itself. This Kalziz is a fearful and cowardly man. His intense paranoia has him posting guards at every possible vantage point, at all times (mostly trölls and humanoid brigands and mercenaries). For this reason, he is in charge of guarding the stairs that connect to the postern gate/rear entrance. It is heavily guarded. He is also in charge of most clerical operations within the tower, in general. There are small caves scattered along the sides of the rocky prominence, on this level. Some are occupied, some not.
Level 3 - The third level is run by Kalziz the Indomitable. A mountain of a man, this Kalziz has trained his body and mind to be a perfect tactical killing machine. Though they are all the same man, this one is as much a warrior as he is a wizard. The texts that he keeps are focused on combat and tactics of Keltica and the Jade Isle. His magic, like his personality, is aggressive and formidable. He is in charge of the tower guard (humanoid mercenaries and troglodytes). He trains them and sends them to the other floors. It is these men Kalziz the Pale uses to guard the postern entrance.
It's the first level located inside the crystalline structure of the tower. There are fewer rooms, and fewer encounters, but the challenges, here, are no less deadly. Kalziz runs an arena that he uses as a testing ground for the tower guard. There are a variety of creatures that participate. Great pains are taken to supply the arena with skilled warriors and powerful enemies to challenge and train the tower's soldiers. The stairs leading down into the pit area have iron gates that lower from the ceiling to block egress for anyone trying to escape. Winches are located on the upper level to the left of each set of stairs. A large, simple stone seat is positioned on the east side. Kalziz spends much of his time there, spectating. He also participates. He loves a challenge, and he is completely willing to risk his own health against worthy opponents. This Kalziz is extremely formidable. A mighty magician as much as he is a skilled weapons master.
The entirety of this level is a garrison. Barracks, mess hall, training arena, armoury, slave cells, as well as a library for Kalziz to study his magic and the history and philosophy of war. Stairs in the northeast corner lead down to level 2. A set of stairs in the western portion of this level are barred by a set of enchanted silver double doors. They lead up to the last level, which is the home of Kalziz the Scholar.
Level 4 - Level 4 is run by Kalziz the Scholar, the mastermind of the four aspects of the powerful wizard. He's an alien and unsympathetic man. His body is thin, he holds himself straight-backed, and his countenance is cold and unflinching. He is a fiercely intellectual and calculating individual. he is fond of games of the mind. He favours clever traps, mazes, and logic puzzles. It is this Kalziz who schemes and plots and organises the others, for the most part. He is the 'head' of the tower, located at its highest point, and the most 'wizardly' of the lot. He enjoys experimenting and creating new magical creatures to walk the labyrinth of his level. They serve him, exclusively. In fact, none of the other brothers like going there, for this reason. They see Kalziz the Scholar as a kind of alien, unemotional being. They value his cunning and intellect and magical might, but they think he is strange and dangerous. The Scholar does not permit any of the standard guard on his level. All of the protections he has are magical in nature, or creations of his own, with his mark on them, so he knows who is loyal to him.
The Scholar dabbles with creation, constantly, and spends his hours perfecting his abominable chimeras. Slaves, and those unfortunate enough to find themselves on the wrong side of one of the four personalities of Kalziz, can expect to become test subjects. The Scholar also has a sizable library he's gathered from the time he spent in the Caliphate serving the Sun Prince Aban, before he left and split his personality into for physical beings. There is a wealth of knowledge on many subjects, within the wizard's catalog of tomes. The Scholar utilizes the southwestern-most portion of this level for his personal quarters, library, and study. The northeast is dedicated to experimentation. The northwest is an audience hall. The southeast is a barracks and living quarters for the servants of The Scholar. It also serves as tower storage.
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