First tower: - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

First tower:

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
skrap-san
Jun 03, 2008 2:32:01 I'm curious if anyone has used this place in their campaigns, or has it gone by as the forgotten place in our worlds?

For quick remembering, first tower is a tavern shaped as a tower just outside the city borders of Sharn. It claims to be the first tower in the city, but no one really knows if this is true, and not everyone believes this. It seems to me that based on the fact that it was mentioned in the ECS and the way made it sort of a Default startingplace for the setting. But it seems a bit forgotten, at last by me.

Now I was considering starting my next adventure here so I was wondering if someone had done anything with it earlier.
#2
mystrich
Jun 03, 2008 20:00:23 I kinda forgot about it. To me, it's like the Ray's Pizza of New York, every tower wants to claim to be first, but no one knows which is, or if the first even still exists.
#3
snarky_monkey
Jun 03, 2008 20:57:06 I used it once, as one of the entrances to Undermountain, when I adapted it to Eberron. Used Sharn instead of Waterdeep. I know many people leaned towards using Stormreach instead, but I felt the whole mysterious lower levels of Sharn were perfect for the situation.
#4
fletch137
Jun 05, 2008 11:19:12 I love First Tower. Althought I haven't actually used it yet, I have plans to make it the base of operations for my next Eberron campaign (whenever that will be). It has the advantage of being close enough to the metropolis to allow for big-city action, but without the handicap of having PCs who are just one of 45,400 other adventurers, watch commanders, nobles, or mercenaries hanging out there.

In First Tower, my players will get to be the local heroes and figures of admiration. In Sharn, my players would be the "these other guys weren't available, so we came to you" guys.

Plus it just has a neat character to it.

Allow the starting adventurers to uncover the mayor's connections to Cult of the Dragon Below and their instant saviors. A little hero worship and maybe a free house or two and I suspect my players will be quite happy there for some time with only the occasional foray into Sharn proper when the need for an urban adventure presents itself.
#5
skrap-san
Jun 05, 2008 15:25:48 in my head that is just why they created first tower.
#6
cloud_divider
Jun 06, 2008 18:19:16
I'm curious if anyone has used this place in their campaigns, or has it gone by as the forgotten place in our worlds?

For quick remembering, first tower is a tavern shaped as a tower just outside the city borders of Sharn. It claims to be the first tower in the city, but no one really knows if this is true, and not everyone believes this. It seems to me that based on the fact that it was mentioned in the ECS and the way made it sort of a Default startingplace for the setting. But it seems a bit forgotten, at last by me.

Now I was considering starting my next adventure here so I was wondering if someone had done anything with it earlier.

In my campaign, First Tower is a tourist trap, like the ones you find driving across the US Midwest, like the Worlds Largest Ball of Yarn. Or like the "Center of the World" monument just across the California border on US Interstate 8. Or the full-scale replica of Stonehenge on the cliffs on the north side of the Columbia River in Washington.

It's about 60 miles/two hour's travel (by lightning rail) away from Sharn, and roughly 2/3s of the way from Wroat to Sharn. I figure the lightning rail trains often stop here for a brief layover before that last leg to Sharn for resupply, stretch legs/eat/bathroom breaks and so forth.

Figure a number of kitschy themed restaurants and inns, street hawkers selling cheap snacks (iguana on a stick!), gift shops, and so forth. Maybe even some of the moderately well-to-do of Sharn have "country houses" in the area, though for various reasons (see below), few choose to actually live in First Tower proper.

If you're wanting neutral territory to meet outside of Sharn, First Tower is a pretty good candidate. Just enough of a crowd to blend into, and yet distant enough to keep most prying eyes away...or just far enough that if they ARE following you, it's spectacularly obvious (this was the excuse I used to get my PC's out there).

The town was basically built around the Lightning Rail station - the building quality and population density drops geometrically the farther away you get...except around the First Tower.

Now, where the twist came in, is that I also threw in some wierdness there.

The tower itself is architecturally...primitive by Sharn's standards, and even by those of Shaarat/Dorasharn/etc. Kind of like the goofy stone pyramid that's at the Center of the World monument. Basically, it's pretty obviously fake. In fact, even the locals seem a little fake - maybe it's because they so honestly believe in the First Tower...or maybe it's just something else that your subconscious keeps trying to warn you about. Nothing intrinsically suspicious...but just enough to put the PCs off balance once the Really Wierd Crap starts happening.

And yet, someone was apparently inspired (LOWER case "I") to build it. Nobody's willing to say who did it, or why they did it. In fact, for as much as the locals talk about it (without actually talking about it) you'd almost think it was a genuine secret of the long-time locals...

It's not quite a manifest zone, but the tower and the immediate vicinity does appear to be mystically significant...for instance, I had the PC's find a few random boulders in a field that had worn dragonmarks etched into them, and the stones seemed to lie in a geomantically-significant patterns (though one would have to look a great deal to find them). If they looked around inside the tower, they may find a few of the stones are similarly marked (though the marked stones are not placed by any obvious pattern). The markings on the stone do not appear to have been made by hand or tools...or they're so old that it's impossible to tell. The truth is that the dragonmarks spontaneously manifest on the stones in certain locations in the region, but most folk overlook them (as most are overgrown with grass, moss, and so on), and few are much larger than a hand-span.

The tower itself is set up as a sort of tourist trap/museum. Most of the exhibits talk about the local history, including that of Shaarat and the "fabricated" history of the First Tower. Imagine, if you will, a few exhibits and dioramas that show some of the more creepy/weird elements of Dhakaani tribal culture, but through a sort of funhouse mirror. Think of how you might expect to see a tourist trap in the Midwest in maybe the 1950's, with bits of Indian stuff, and it's all the fantastic and totally misinterpreted things that would make a modern (politically-correct or not) cultural anthropologist cringe.

Basically, I'm putting in just enough genuine off-putting weirdness into the area to contrast very strongly with the kitsch.

Are you at all familiar with the Delta Green adventure Darkest Calling? In it, the agents run across a diorama at a southwestern US state park that shows apparently a shamanic ritual, where the shaman was re-enacting a mythical duel with some evil spirt...the other figure is shown wearing a cloak with rows of teeth sewn on, stilts, and so forth (a representation of a nasty Mythos beastie that the PCs end up chasing after and trying not to get eaten by).

Yeah, I had my PCs find a diorama like that. Right around the time some mysterious and rather violent deaths start occurring in the area... Unfortunately the game had to take a lengthy hiatus shortly after that session...
#7
skrap-san
Jun 07, 2008 4:52:08 That is truly great Cloud Divider, now I have to use first tower in my next adventure.
#8
snarky_monkey
Jun 07, 2008 14:44:51 Cloud Divider, I think that is a fantastic use of First Tower. Since I have already used it as an entrance to Undermountain it will be interesting, but I believe I will play the, your escapades made it a bit famous so now it's a tourist trap compared to when you first saw it. Nicely done.
#9
wraithstrike
Jun 10, 2008 21:54:51 Does first tower have any official support or is it another castle/ruin that DM's will have to make their own history for?
#10
skrap-san
Jun 10, 2008 23:13:07 First tower is briefly mentioned in the ECS as a tavern/inn a short distance outside of Sharn. It claims to be the first ever tower of the now infamous city. But if the legends holds true that is up to you.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 skrap-san Jun 03, 2008 2:32:01	I'm curious if anyone has used this place in their campaigns, or has it gone by as the forgotten place in our worlds? For quick remembering, first tower is a tavern shaped as a tower just outside the city borders of Sharn. It claims to be the first tower in the city, but no one really knows if this is true, and not everyone believes this. It seems to me that based on the fact that it was mentioned in the ECS and the way made it sort of a Default startingplace for the setting. But it seems a bit forgotten, at last by me. Now I was considering starting my next adventure here so I was wondering if someone had done anything with it earlier.
#2 mystrich Jun 03, 2008 20:00:23	I kinda forgot about it. To me, it's like the Ray's Pizza of New York, every tower wants to claim to be first, but no one knows which is, or if the first even still exists.
#3 snarky_monkey Jun 03, 2008 20:57:06	I used it once, as one of the entrances to Undermountain, when I adapted it to Eberron. Used Sharn instead of Waterdeep. I know many people leaned towards using Stormreach instead, but I felt the whole mysterious lower levels of Sharn were perfect for the situation.
#4 fletch137 Jun 05, 2008 11:19:12	I love First Tower. Althought I haven't actually used it yet, I have plans to make it the base of operations for my next Eberron campaign (whenever that will be). It has the advantage of being close enough to the metropolis to allow for big-city action, but without the handicap of having PCs who are just one of 45,400 other adventurers, watch commanders, nobles, or mercenaries hanging out there. In First Tower, my players will get to be the local heroes and figures of admiration. In Sharn, my players would be the "these other guys weren't available, so we came to you" guys. Plus it just has a neat character to it. Allow the starting adventurers to uncover the mayor's connections to Cult of the Dragon Below and their instant saviors. A little hero worship and maybe a free house or two and I suspect my players will be quite happy there for some time with only the occasional foray into Sharn proper when the need for an urban adventure presents itself.
#5 skrap-san Jun 05, 2008 15:25:48	in my head that is just why they created first tower.
#6 cloud_divider Jun 06, 2008 18:19:16	I'm curious if anyone has used this place in their campaigns, or has it gone by as the forgotten place in our worlds? For quick remembering, first tower is a tavern shaped as a tower just outside the city borders of Sharn. It claims to be the first tower in the city, but no one really knows if this is true, and not everyone believes this. It seems to me that based on the fact that it was mentioned in the ECS and the way made it sort of a Default startingplace for the setting. But it seems a bit forgotten, at last by me. Now I was considering starting my next adventure here so I was wondering if someone had done anything with it earlier. In my campaign, First Tower is a tourist trap, like the ones you find driving across the US Midwest, like the Worlds Largest Ball of Yarn. Or like the "Center of the World" monument just across the California border on US Interstate 8. Or the full-scale replica of Stonehenge on the cliffs on the north side of the Columbia River in Washington. It's about 60 miles/two hour's travel (by lightning rail) away from Sharn, and roughly 2/3s of the way from Wroat to Sharn. I figure the lightning rail trains often stop here for a brief layover before that last leg to Sharn for resupply, stretch legs/eat/bathroom breaks and so forth. Figure a number of kitschy themed restaurants and inns, street hawkers selling cheap snacks (iguana on a stick!), gift shops, and so forth. Maybe even some of the moderately well-to-do of Sharn have "country houses" in the area, though for various reasons (see below), few choose to actually live in First Tower proper. If you're wanting neutral territory to meet outside of Sharn, First Tower is a pretty good candidate. Just enough of a crowd to blend into, and yet distant enough to keep most prying eyes away...or just far enough that if they ARE following you, it's spectacularly obvious (this was the excuse I used to get my PC's out there). The town was basically built around the Lightning Rail station - the building quality and population density drops geometrically the farther away you get...except around the First Tower. Now, where the twist came in, is that I also threw in some wierdness there. The tower itself is architecturally...primitive by Sharn's standards, and even by those of Shaarat/Dorasharn/etc. Kind of like the goofy stone pyramid that's at the Center of the World monument. Basically, it's pretty obviously fake. In fact, even the locals seem a little fake - maybe it's because they so honestly believe in the First Tower...or maybe it's just something else that your subconscious keeps trying to warn you about. Nothing intrinsically suspicious...but just enough to put the PCs off balance once the Really Wierd Crap starts happening. And yet, someone was apparently inspired (LOWER case "I") to build it. Nobody's willing to say who did it, or why they did it. In fact, for as much as the locals talk about it (without actually talking about it) you'd almost think it was a genuine secret of the long-time locals... It's not quite a manifest zone, but the tower and the immediate vicinity does appear to be mystically significant...for instance, I had the PC's find a few random boulders in a field that had worn dragonmarks etched into them, and the stones seemed to lie in a geomantically-significant patterns (though one would have to look a great deal to find them). If they looked around inside the tower, they may find a few of the stones are similarly marked (though the marked stones are not placed by any obvious pattern). The markings on the stone do not appear to have been made by hand or tools...or they're so old that it's impossible to tell. The truth is that the dragonmarks spontaneously manifest on the stones in certain locations in the region, but most folk overlook them (as most are overgrown with grass, moss, and so on), and few are much larger than a hand-span. The tower itself is set up as a sort of tourist trap/museum. Most of the exhibits talk about the local history, including that of Shaarat and the "fabricated" history of the First Tower. Imagine, if you will, a few exhibits and dioramas that show some of the more creepy/weird elements of Dhakaani tribal culture, but through a sort of funhouse mirror. Think of how you might expect to see a tourist trap in the Midwest in maybe the 1950's, with bits of Indian stuff, and it's all the fantastic and totally misinterpreted things that would make a modern (politically-correct or not) cultural anthropologist cringe. Basically, I'm putting in just enough genuine off-putting weirdness into the area to contrast very strongly with the kitsch. Are you at all familiar with the Delta Green adventure Darkest Calling? In it, the agents run across a diorama at a southwestern US state park that shows apparently a shamanic ritual, where the shaman was re-enacting a mythical duel with some evil spirt...the other figure is shown wearing a cloak with rows of teeth sewn on, stilts, and so forth (a representation of a nasty Mythos beastie that the PCs end up chasing after and trying not to get eaten by). Yeah, I had my PCs find a diorama like that. Right around the time some mysterious and rather violent deaths start occurring in the area... Unfortunately the game had to take a lengthy hiatus shortly after that session...
#7 skrap-san Jun 07, 2008 4:52:08	That is truly great Cloud Divider, now I have to use first tower in my next adventure.
#8 snarky_monkey Jun 07, 2008 14:44:51	Cloud Divider, I think that is a fantastic use of First Tower. Since I have already used it as an entrance to Undermountain it will be interesting, but I believe I will play the, your escapades made it a bit famous so now it's a tourist trap compared to when you first saw it. Nicely done.
#9 wraithstrike Jun 10, 2008 21:54:51	Does first tower have any official support or is it another castle/ruin that DM's will have to make their own history for?
#10 skrap-san Jun 10, 2008 23:13:07	First tower is briefly mentioned in the ECS as a tavern/inn a short distance outside of Sharn. It claims to be the first ever tower of the now infamous city. But if the legends holds true that is up to you.