STONEFROST VALE 4: MYDRON'S TOWER

 

Hook: Stonefrost Vale... You have heard the name, as it's been on the tongues of most rumour mongers, as of late... Something happened there. An unusual, gray-white, thick mist crept in overnight. Those who didn't escape were claimed by it (a few outlying farmers and woodsmen). The first signs were fleeing wildlife, which led to bad hunting. The survivors of the village didn't stick around long enough to discover what the mist did, but, those who didn't make it had begun to act strangely, despondent, then vanished, mysteriously after a few days... They figured the arrival of the cloud had something to do with the unwelcome visitor who settled the high mountain valley south of Frosthearth a few years ago. He hadn't done anything, initially, so they left him to his strange business... After fleeing, the whole village relocated to the nearest settlements, moved in with family and friends, if they had any. Some moved into the free woods to the north, and lived off the land. The lord and lady became guests of the local township's royal family. A call has been put out, for the aid of those who would investigate why the village was beset by the mist.

Details: Mydron's Tower is where the tyrannical, near-mad wizard Mydron has made himself home. The cut foundation stones of the fortification are pink granite, as is the stone of his central tower (6). Any other stone areas are gray limestone with pink granite accents, like the library (3), 20' walls and 30' square towers (9). All buildings are plaster and wattle and daub with brown, oak-shingled roofs. The courtyard has a magical fountain that recycles its own water using elemental magic Mydron mastered as a youth. The white marble statue in the courtyard (1) is a beautiful elf maiden with a ewer draining the vessel into the water at her feet. All of Mydron's work takes place on the ground level in his laboratory (2), where he has an attached, fenced-in potted garden he uses for minor experiments on plants. His library (3) is stone. It's a single-room structure with a few free-standing shelves with research materials, among other things, and a desk that serves as a place for him to record his notes, spells, and read the various scrolls and books he has collected. The great hall (4) is where Mydron holds court and eats some of his meals. He is surrounded by goblins, human servants, and uses this space to give orders and make plans. The kitchen (5) is where his human servants, various people he's picked up from his travels he pays for their work, including a cook and a handful of younger people who act as porters, messengers, clothes menders, cobblers, and go-betweens. They are all afraid of Mydron, but, he pays them well, and they don't dig into his affairs. The central tower (6) is 60' tall, made of pink granite, and serves Mydron as a storage and living space. Goods are stored in the two levels at the bottom. A double thick, heavy oak (heavily locked) trap door that can be lifted via an iron ring opens to the spiral stair that leads to the sinkhole floor and the horizontal shaft leading outside to the edge of the pillar where Mydron and his minions toss anything they wish to throw below into the garden. Tánasz has the only key to the trap door on a ring around his waist. He also carries the key to the dungeon pit on the same ring. The third floor, the aerie, is a roosting and landing place for Mydron's airborne mount, a vulture the size of a large horse. The tower is hollow for 30' above the aerie. Stairs lead to the high master chamber and crenellated roof where Mydron can observe the surrounding land with ease and at liesure (and often does). The orchard (7) is comprised of an orange tree, an apple tree, a lemon tree, and pear tree, all Mydron's favourite treats he insists the servants bring him, whenever possible, candied and picked fresh. They are well-looked after. The herb garden (8) is a mundane garden used for tending to flowering, medicinal, and edible plants the servants use, regularly. The 3 square watchtowers are 30' high, 10' higher than the walls. Only the tops of them are used by the imps and Tánasz the tröll. Imps primarily serve as watchmen. The walls have a series of steps that allow them to see over. The captain's tower (10) is used by Tánasz and the imps as a barracks. The lower level has a dungeon pit 10' deep, and 10' square. The imps use this room as their living quarters. The upper floor is Tánasz's quarters and the roof is used as a watchtower. This structure is 10' taller than the square towers. 

Mydron has concocted a special tincture that he cultivated from the mushrooms, below. His minions drink it regularly to maintain an immunity to the effects of the spores produced by the evil mushrooms. He keeps the tincture in his laboratory and applies it once, weekly, on the seventh day of the week. It typically lasts for 8 days. It takes 1 drop per 50 pounds of body weight to be effective.