The group decided with the transcript of the Anubin interrogation and with its minified body, to head back to Monta to let the guard know the source of disappearances. They decided to ask for reinforcements, but weren’t sure if they will join the ensuing army. They figured they could make a decision later once they see the army the city could muster up. Either way, on the way back, Noid was wrath-edging the rest of the party by playing their recorder at just a perfect level and consistency to prevent the party from being actually furious, but only annoyed.

The Tower

After an uneventful four day travel back to Monta, the party was greeted by a large, black tower. A mysterious obelisk that dwarfed the city and blotted out the sun. Its shadow stretched past the city walls, as it gently bobbed up and down nearby the docks. The party was able to spot some glowing blue sigils near the edges of the black stone. The locals were very distracted and put on edge by the tower, but are trying to go about their normal lives - there doesn’t seem to be much to do about it from their perspective.

Noid and Dick attempted to haggle to get more gold for the job, but failed miserably. The group get the promised 10gc and go on to figure out what’s going on with the tower. While walking around town, they noticed an unnatural quiet within the city. The townspeople were making a concerted effort to make as little noise as possible, as well as animals both wild and domesticated. Dust looked up and saw a horrifying vulture-like creature with a humanoid face and insectoid antennae. Dust recognized them as Watchingmen, some kind of chemically created creature with an unknown purpose - beyond their namesake. Noid, in its usual mischievous fashion, tripped a local hurrying by with a box full of glass bottles, causing a loud crash to echo throughout the streets. All the Watchingmen immediately jerked their heads toward the sound. The townspeople pointedly kept their heads down, while Dust rebelliously made direct eye contact with a vulture. As the party walked towards The Wrong Inn to meet with Umira, they noticed the Watchingmen Dust looked at following them. Dust recalled some more information on them, that they’re some kind of spy for.. something. They’re not sure why or how. But they easily counted over a dozen during their short walk within the city.

The Wrong Inn seemed to be even busier than normal - people were even more eager than normal to drink their cares away. However, Umira was not seen in the usual hangout spot. When they exited, a shadow of feathers flied above them and a letter from Umira was dropped from the vulture’s talons. She tells the party that she was currently staying in The Tower, and if the party makes it there within the hour, she can let them in and introduce them to “him”. Through Noid’s previous Zaubrin experience, they were aware that The Towers were giant machines crafted for The Grand Tower, something between a king and a lich. This tower was one of thirteen, though Noid knows of two others that were magical death machines. It heard a Grand Tower brag that his obelisk was capable of raising generation of bodies back from the dead, and another who said their obelisk could open a portal straight to Hell and engulf an entire city. Noid warned the party that these Grand Towers were horrifyingly powerful people that should not be fucked with. They protested to even going to The Tower. The party disagreed, The Grand Tower already knew the party had arrived, it wouldn’t be wise to keep him waiting. Noid hid inside Dust’s backpack, not wanting to be seen.

Originally, it appeared that The Tower was floating within the water. In reality, it was floating just about ten feet above the water, being anchored down by four large chains. Over half the city’s guards are posted up by the docks, though keeping their distance. There are odd Zaubrin people in bone white armor standing by The Tower. The supposed captain of the group was a man without a helmet and has an implanted crown of animal and monster teeth on his forehead. He speaks a deep, guttural language, though Dick was able to speak Zebeck due to his various trade dealings with them. Dick translates for Cyrus that they are there to have an audience with Umira and The Grand Tower. The captain laughs and doesn’t believe them, until they show him the letter from Umira. He reads it. Then reads it again. And again. Begrudgingly, he allows them inside by blowing a horn, causing rock to scrape rock as a mechanical bridge descends allowing the party inside. Dick attempts to insult the captain for being so rude, but fails, causing the guards to be very confused at the declaration of “I fuck!”

The Grand Tower

Once inside, the party felt as if the warmth from inside their bodies was being actively leeched by the profound cold within The Tower. Near the opposite doorway a mist gathered, where Umira greets them, donned in a brand new black cloak. She wore an amulet bearing a symbol they had seen before just outside, representing The Tower - a snake coiling around itself over a tower. Its eyes are prominent, being a bright, saturated red gem on a pale blue metal. Through their occult knowledge, Dust realized that this symbol was more than just a snake, but couldn’t recall any further information. The room was illuminated by a blue crystal, emanating a faint blue light. There was more color in the interior, with some marbles and granite. All around them was mish mash of various different pieces of furniture, and a similar mish mash of various looking people. Theoretically they were all once human, but many of them were now covered with fish scales, webbed fingers, or insectoid chitin. Seeing Umira in her more natural clothing, they notice long gills along her ribs.

Umira was very excited to introduce the party to The Grand Tower. She was even more energetic and preppy than her usual self, happy to be back within her home. Cyrus asked why The Grand Tower wants to see the party. She said that the party has proven to be helpful in her search for magical artifacts. She was sent to the desert by The Grand Tower to search for information relating to the legend of Arkhaos, and we have proven to be the best people around to help her with that. Dust gave her a copy of the Anubin transcript, hoping she can learn something from their cultural insights. She accepted it gratefully and was very excited to read further. Dick “fucks with the body augmentation scene”.

They entered a magical elevator, being moved by large metal chains, being made lighter by the same kind of magical blue light they have been seeing all over The Tower. On the elevator sat some odd, bone colored furniture that looked oddly like ribcages and screaming faces. Dick and Cyrus decided to not investigate what material these are made from, and chose to stand during the ascension. Dust followed Umira’s lead and sat down in one of these chairs, which were surprisingly comfortable! Dust asked if there are any social faux paus when talking to The Grand Tower. Umira said that he’s very understanding of non-Zaubrin people, but they shouldn’t look him in the face. Cyrus blurted out “What’s wrong with his face?”. Umira was offended - there’s nothing wrong with his face, he just doesn’t like being looked at. As they ascended the elevator, they realized there was a lot of one way windows. The Tower was quite well lit on the inside and you could see from a very far distance away. Dick made the silent observation that this would be very useful for a war machine. As they reached the top, the heat from their bodies seemed to have left them in a mass migration to be replaced by the bitter, numb cold that resided within them now.

Once at the top, they entered a long hallway, with a large triangular shaped bone white door on the other end. The group felt a distinct impression that behind that door, there was something incomprehensible. That if they were to make the foolis mistake of entering, they ought to do it with their heads down. On either side of this hallway were large statues of “people”. Most were curled up in poses that gave the impression of dying in agony, as their hands clutched their arms and torsos in crouched positions. They had skeletal jaws, but above their lips their faces were smooth to the very back of their skulls. As the statues progressed, they went from sitting in the fetal position, to standing on the balls of their feet with arms outstretched. The sculpted muscles were so well defined and straining, that if one were to recreate this pose, it would be physically painful to keep it up.

Umira once again reminds the party to keep their heads down. And opens the door.

The Faceless Monarch

The room was filled with an inky blackness. It was impossibly wide for the size of the tower, as the party could not see the walls from where they stood. A large, white pillar of light resided in the middle of void. The room was dead silent. Umira began walking to the center of the room, and the party followed. They were greeted with five, empty seats. Umira told them to sit, and they did. Umira snapped at Dust, telling them to get Noid out and have them sit. After a brief argument, the party persuaded it to dilate and take a seat.

In the darkness, in the corner of Dust’s eye, they saw movement floating towards the party as they were being surrounded by the blinding pillar of light. A whispering, voice spoke in the back of everyone’s mind. He introduced himself as Enox, the Grand Tower. He forced the internal dialogue of the party to be molded to his own voice, preventing their thoughts from inside their own minds. He told the party how useful they have been. Dust saw the silhouette of him, getting closer. They looked at his lower body, seeing long, boney, and pointed fingers sticking out from a black robe. His skin was brown, leathery, and appeared almost shrink wrapped and mummified to his bones. The party had grown numb to the cold. The skin on the back of Noid’s neck prickled as it felt something staring at it form the darkness. The silhouette moved directly in front of Dick. Less than a foot away. He almost didn’t notice, as he stared down at his legs. But when Dick saw the shadowy black surrounding him move, he realizes the inky blackness was the robes of The Grand Tower. Even by Dick’s standards, he was much taller than anyone else he had ever seen - twelve feet tall. He looked up, and where he expected to see a torso, all he saw was the continuation of his legs. Eventually, The Dark Tower floats away, and stopped right in front of Cyrus. Eclipsing the pillar of light. A long, spindly spiderlike thing reached towards the magical sword Cyrus kept on his lap. The Grand Tower does not have palms, instead his phalanges continued down to his wrist, leaving several inches of disconcerting space between the fingers. He picked up the sword and stared at it. Cyrus almost jumps, city guard instincts kicking in, and in the fraction of a second where he lifted his head to recoil from the speed of The Grand Tower’s grasp, he sees the vaguest blur of a tan thing on top of black robes. He, for a fraction of a second, almost saw Enox’s face. After a long, agonizing minute, he put the sword down and Cyrus was able to breath again.

Enox floated to Umira, and for 10 minutes engaged in an unheard conversation. The silence was eventually broken by The Grand Tower asking. “What do you wish for?”. Dust asked The Tower what he meant, but received no response. Cyrus pointed out to The Grand Tower that the word “wish” carries a lot of meaning in stories, but they could tell him what they want.

“I want my city to be safe.” - Dick
“I want my brother to come home.” - Cyrus
“I want my home, the desert, to remain in balance within itself.“ - Dust
“I don’t want to be here.” - Noid

The Grand Tower hovered over Noid. Dust attempted to defuse the situation, they said that Noid probably meant that they wanted to feel more at ease. The Grand Tower floated there in front of Noid, for a long time. Hoping for a different response. Noid felt numb, devoid of all emotion. But didn’t give a response. He then followed up with the party. “What would you do to get it?”

“I would kill for it - in fact I already do.” - Dick
“I would work for it. Whether that means breaking my back, or someone else’s” - Cyrus
“I will do what was necessary, no more, no less.” - Dust
“I.. would walk… I would fly…” - Noid

The long, spindly hand moved towards Noid. He was floating behind it now, reaching towards its shoulder. Dust saw the Grand Tower in their peripheral vision reaching toward their friend, and desperate to help it, spent too long analyzing the the hunched over figure in robes. The Grand Tower was doubled over in such an impossible pose, Dust could only conclude that he did not have a spine. Their eyes wander too high, but before they can stop themselves, they were greeted by a human head with no muscles and hollow cheeks. There was no fat or tendons, but skin shrink wrapped tightly around bone and beady black eyes. Dust gained insanity upon seeing him, and immediately looked away once they realized their mistake. Much too late.

An image of Enox, The Grand Tower's face. He is a hairless, humanoid creature with no muscles or fat around his face. He has deep, hollowed in cheeks and inky black, sunken eyes.

Noid feels the overwhelming prescience leave. Dust resisted the urge to look up, but knew implicitly that The Grand Tower’s face was no less than five inches from their own. Dust stared straight down, eyes closed, and nervously fiddled with their knotted grimoire sash. They apologize for causing offense, and say they are not good with people. “It’s ok..” He drags his cold, spider-like hands up Dust’s arms, past their shoulders. “I’m not either.” He pushed Dusts head up to look at them. Dust squeezed their eyes shut and told him that despite their opaque goggles, eyes are shut and they didn’t want to look. “I know.” He pushes his thumbs, removing Dust’s goggles and gently presses them on their eyes.

“What would you do?”
“To get what I want?”
“No. For me to not rip out your eyes. Right now.”
“I could negotiate with you a favor. Something for you, in exchange for your mercy.”
“I need you to find the key. The key to the black sphere of the storm in its eye. I need you and your compatriots to take me to the throne.”
“Understood.”

Enox backed away from Dust.

“Leave.”

We’re Fucked

The group sprinted out of the room, losing all desire for politeness.

Umira was pale, and fearful. She said someone looked at him. Dust came forward and said they looked, but it was an accident. Cyrus and Dick slapped and punched them respectfully. They explained the favor they now owe to Enox, and Umira began freaking out. The good news, Enox didn’t give them a time limit. And it seemed like he was there to do this anyway, given how he was looking into Arkhaos. But now, the party was responsible for sending this horror beyond comprehension to godhood. Dust recalled the exact wording of the conversation, Cyrus pointing out that Dust said they “understood” the favor, but didn’t agree to it. Umira said that Enox was neither fae nor devil, and wasn’t restricted to the exact wording. Unfortunately, the party was bound to completing the favor.

The group decides to spend the rest of the day drinking at Dick’s house with Umira, for lack of a better plan any time soon.

Downtime

Dick decided to get some body modifications! He gained fire resistance. He gained thick, leathery looking skin and thicker and oily, almost stout, looking hair. Dick’s apparently really into this, and goes back under the needle for another modification. He gained multicolored bright spots all over his body that move places with every rest. They appear almost like paint splotches that move underneath his skin.

Dust gained a spell! They can consult some auguring bones, allowing them to know the answer to any yes or no question. They also got a crow familiar! Luckily, they didn’t get a mark of darkness for this, but did gain corruption. Dust also made a dangerous enemy who seeks to harm them. They gained a nemesis..

Dick somehow got hold of a horse? He sold it for a pretty penny.

Noid learned a new profession! It could actually play their recorder. From this point onward, when it played the recorder, it will always be purposefully bad.

Cyrus pissed off the blacksmith’s guild while very, very drunk.