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Lore

First floor - The Arcanium

Bridge over the river near the Wreckage of Carphin in Alpha-2.[1]

The Tower of Carphin actually rests upon a river... The Tower of Carphin event actually trickled out through the Riverlands because of the rivers; and the Undead began to form around these rivers, but you'll learn more about that during the story arc.[1]Steven Sharif

We are about to reveal the first two lore tidbits. Now this is reflective of what the point of interest shall have, called the Wreckage of Carphin in Alpha two. You might even see some of this in a little while.[3]
First of all, the first piece of lore. During the Apocalypse, the tower you saw before you and that the party is about to enter was known as the Mage's Tower at the University of Carphin. Home to the Head Mistress and Dean of the University of Carphin, Laria Lemonte.[3]
Laria Lemonte was a powerful mage. Well, actually, as you enter the tower, the wailing you heard on the night sky, just the previous evening returns, but is whimpered to a degree and only encompasses now the tower. But you hear these wailing moans coming from above.[4]
During your transit here to the Wreckage of Carphin, you observed the rivers as being impassable; except of course by bridge. The reason for this is the fires that you saw- these magical fires that were encompassing the entirety of the river. In addition, you saw burned bodies devoured by the blazing water. You also saw as you exited the Underrealm some of these bodies moved as dark figures shambling in the distance: their burned corpses still moving even beneath the water and crawling ashore with violent intents. This you can only assume after having recovered from the Lich's body a number of notes detailing what the Dean was attempting to accomplish at the tower.[5]
Laria Lemonte, one of the most important mages that the Aelan Empire had at the time, being the Head Mistress at Carphin. She was attempting to cast a spell that would buy time for the capital. And that in the process of that attempt, the letters read that she requires a willing participant. Someone by the name of Veric Pulsifer volunteered his essence to expend in the ritual as a blood sacrifice. Only the most desperate of acts that would be undertaken in the last moments of time escaped them. And as the legions in the letters detailed walked past the tower, Laria Lemonte decided to do a desperate act and listen to advice from an unknown origin that she was able to communicate with. Taking that risk unfortunately proved fateful, because what came to be was the despair you see now at Carphin, the root of which you have yet to discover.[6]
As you walk into the interior of level one, you discover the Arcanium. It is shaped as a large library. The large library with a grand hall running throughout. Its spiral staircases lead up to floor two. This ornate space was devoted to research and magical exhibits, however, now are which in disrepair. The walls house alcoves, which contain various sizes of statues. Stone bookcases, pedestals, and benches dot the grounds. By the way, this is all accurate visually as I'm describing to what the actual point-of-interest in Alpha 2 contains. Pedestals and benches dot the grounds. Blood pools along the floor, appearing to emanate from the floors above, trickling down the walls along the interior and exterior of the wreckage.[7]
You see, before entering, a large, explosive, and destructive event has occurred near the top of the tower. You don't know what and cannot tell from this distance. As you navigate into the first level, you discover a number of animated statues missing from their alcoves. They assault the party.[8]

Second floor - The Administratae

As you advance further, you discover that the second floor, known as the Administratae, has various private offices where wizards and professors could work on their studies in peace. A large lounge area is on the floor for wizards to have meetings and take breaks. Historical archives are magically stored here as well as the paperwork containing a number of topics on all sorts of things, such as history of the local area, and wizardly research papers on various topics and studies within the essence. There is also the entryway to an arcane elevator, which rises up through the rest of the levels in the tower. It rests at the center of the second level. A number of flying arcane books come out of the bookcases and mimics attack your party. Mimics of all sorts from laboratory equipment to study materials.[9]

Third floor - The Crystal Halls

As you ride the arcane elevator to the third floor you do not exit because you must make haste to the top. But you see out from the elevator a collection of viewing galleries, remarkably well preserved. Older construct models and previous foundational magical theories are presented here in a format reminiscent of a museum. Meant to impress would-be magical students, patrons, foreign dignitaries: the advanced crystals architectures and lavish decorations are on display.[10]

Fourth floor - The Sacrificial Chamber

Undead mobs near the Wreckage of Carphin in Alpha-2.[11]

These particular undead are a result I believe- for those of you who are watching the livestream of the Wreckage of Carphin- the event that occurred there just before the Exodus from Verra all those years ago.[11]Steven Sharif

Okay, third piece of lore. Unknown, Laria and Varric during their ritual in desperation to grant more time to the capital, as was requested by the council and the royal family both, they performed an unknown repercussions from this ritual. The mass killing of so many burned victims from the explosion of the ritual caused a corruption to grip both Laria and Varric. This corrupt mist began flowing down from the tower, its source unknown to you just yet. But its effects have turned the residents of Carphin undead. And in the surrounding areas and along the river's edge. It did, however, have the effect caused the Ancients the inability to cross the waters. And so they began to construct an apparatus of their own to get their legions across to the capital. But this bought the time necessary, you would assume. These levels open up; and at the fourth floor, you see halls reserved for only the most private of wizards. These artisans use these halls as research labs and also a construct boundary. Built to be deliberately secure and private, the winding halls lead into an open experiment room where mages would tinker with ways of improving construct through more unethical means. A number of them have been left unattended, but you are able to sneak around them to reach the Nexus Gate.[12]
This floor contains a large summoning and sacrifice room. The mages here originally used it as a teleport nexus, but as the world fell into ruin, this was transformed into a sacrificial chamber. The small quarantine and customs rooms changed into jailing cells as the mages over recent weeks turned to more desperate rituals to deal with the collapse of Verra. Compromising their ethics and their conscience, they perform forms of magic none should ever see: Long forbidden, long forgotten, only to the Ancients was this known. And it turns out the unknown voice from which was aiding and abetting her pursuits, was indeed an ancient: one familiar with this world, one who treated with a member of the world- With a member of your kind in the past, known as Atrax, the one beyond the void who was giving Laria the information she needed to perform the ritual she did had ulterior motives. Its effects now seen on the grounds around the tower as undead roam the countryside.[13]

Fifth floor - The Observatory

The top of the elevator resides in the center of the room as you exit. The explosion that occurred has rendered the remainder of these stairs- the elevator may go no further- the remainder of these stairs are narrow and in disarray.[15]
This floor is used to channel what appears to be large amounts of Essence from the summoning room directly- that's the sacrificial area. The orrery acts as both a container and map to focus summoning rituals of the Nexus on the floor below. The spiral staircase you see now that lies in disarray winds up the open chamber, occasionally giving way to platforms, now partially collapsed and in disrepair. The floor directly above this is an observatory: The observation level. It has large open view areas and a lounge that according to the maps that you've received. However, it appears from the outside that this area has now been exposed to the exterior, as large portions of the wall have been deconstructed, destroyed. Wizards would likely gather here to discuss the state of the world and to perform their auguries as well as their scrys. The area is filled with the red mist that emanates from the floor even above that. You hear, as you ascend these stairs, footsteps: large, deep, coming from the floor. As what is known as the Eye of Ayla at the top. According to your understanding, this was the roof of the tower. It acted as a conduit for magic to amplify their spell effects across the land. Here is where you assume according to the letters retrieved off the body of the Lich, the right-hand man of Lamont, that the sacrificial altar for the most powerful blood magic ever to be seen on the face of Verra up to this day was done just a few days earlier. The footsteps continue. What do you do? And those are the lore reveals[16]

Mobs at this location

Artwork

See also

References