Part II: The Chosen
The tower of Marcus the Seeker, Captain of the Chosen, was one of the main objectives for the invading army, and one of the places where there was more than token resistance.
The scores of apprentice mages in the tower held the soldiers, who were attacking with only token magical support, at bay for several hours, until their spells ran out and the invaders were free to enter the tower. They captured those mages they could and searched the tower for magical treasures. While some items were acquired from the areas above ground, word among the invading soldiers - when they were in the taverns and thoroughly drunk – was, that none who ventured into the dungeons below ever returned…
Marcus himself, who had been absent during the invasion, returned a few days later to find the city occupied. Of his fury those who witnessed it speak only with fear even today. It is said that he slew hundreds before he calmed down. Noone knows what the deal he made with the enemy commander was, but in the end he went into his tower and did not come out again.
Whatever the deal was, the empire had obviously decided to break it, for a week later a selection of elite imperial troops assembled and the order was given to take the tower. The troops entered the tower, and… Nothing happened.
After two hours of ghostly silence – the enemy commander was just about to enter the tower himself – the top of the tower exploded, showering the surrounding buildings and the onlookers with a rain of stone chunks. The rest of the tower crumbled inwards until no piece of wall stood higher than a dozen feet.
Teams sent to search the ruin recovered some of the bodies of those sent in, their faces forever frozen into masks of horror. Of Marcus there was no sign, nor was he seen by anyone until the fateful events in R’Lyeh.
The only part of the tower that seemed to have remained intact was the subterranean part. Nobody seemed to be interested in investigating down there, so the entry to these dungeons was sealed, but to this day you can hear strange noises coming from below in the area where Marcus’ Tower once stood, and sensible people avoid going there…