Spiral Tower
Location: Mechanus
Hearsay: Not every bit of Mechanus is gearwork. There’s a few other sorts of mechanical bits that help to keep the whole place turning. One such thing it the screw. Sure, a screw’s like a sideways gear. The teeth of a gear fit into the grooves along the side and the gear gets turned as the screw rotates. It’s basic machinery. Well, I’ve seen one screw unlike all the rest in Mechanus. Only a mile or two tall, it’s one of the smaller bits in Mechanus, but it’s got a secret: it’s hollow. On a lark I climbed to the top of the screw once, and I found a staircase down into the guts of the place (if you can give a chunk of metal guts). I let real quick, but I’ve heard stories since. Some say it’s the forgotten hideaway of a lich or something. Others say it’s just forgotten. I’ve even heard it’s a secret fiendish weapons stash! I ain’t goin’ back, but I’ll show you the way for a spot of garnish, if you’re interested.
Description: The Spiral Tower is a section hollowed out inside one of Mechanus’ smaller screws. It’s got no windows and only one entrance at it’s very top, a trap door heavy enough that it’ll keep out most curiosity-seekers. If you can haul the trap door open [which requires a combined strength of 20], you’ll find a simple spiral staircase down into the hollow interior of the gear.
At first, the tower lacks any sort of illumination even infravision can’t pierce the darkness. Magical lights work at only half efficiency and no amount of metamagic can dispel the seemingly magical blackness. If a body’s patient though, they’ll eventually (after a few hours on the spiral staircase) get to a brightly lit area near the centre of the screw.
Few explorers have actually returned from the illuminated depths of the Spiral Tower, but those who have describe floor after floor of laboratories, workshops, storerooms, and forges. The entire place seems empty. Occasionally, strange magical constructs resembling nothing less than mechanical animals attack intruders, but these encounters are few and far between.
Thievery is a literal impossibility in the Spiral Tower. If someone tries to take anything from the Spiral Tower, the item vanishes as soon as the thief leaves its confines. Probably because of this, rare and extravagant magics lie scattered throughout the tower, in the forms of items, scrolls, and spellbooks.
No explorer has discovered the true purpose of the tower, however. It is the secret home of the ‘Tenth Tertian‘. Like the nine modron armies that act as reserve forces around Primus’ tower, an additional tertian exists, largely independently, where it produces magical items for the modron hierarchy, researches law-related spells, and experiments with non-natives to try and understand greater intricacies of the aspect of Law. It has the full support of the screw’s gear spirit, which calls itself ‘Latch‘.
It is unclear whether or not the Tenth Tertian is a rogue or not. Rogues who believe themselves not to be rogues retain control over lower-ranking modrons, and the known terians, secundi, and Primus himself do not leave Regulus. Thus, though he works for the good of the modrons, the Tenth Tertian may be a rogue. On the other hand, it may just be a trump card in Primus’ hand, a factor which those planning against the modrons cannot consider in their plans. If this is the case, there is nothing unlawful about it. Remember, “Just because it’s the law don’t mean it has to make sense, berk!”
Source: Belarius