Old men say that long, long ago a mage lived in the swamp. He spent his days and nights pouring over his books and pipettes. They say he was seeking a stone that turns lead into gold and springs water into moonshine; in other words, a stone that sublimates all matter.
The Gods were not pleased because his pride would reach where no mortal should. Thus, one night a terrible storm struck the mage's tower down. However, he built a new one and cast spells to tame the storm. This tower stood until another dark night, the earth itself moved and toppled it. Yet he built a new one and cast spells to bind the earth itself.
And so neither heaven nor earth could harm the mage. Then one day, he disappeared. Some say he took on an apprentice and this brought him to his doom, others claim a woman was his undoing, yet others that his own creations turned against the mage. In any case, the tower stands locked and guards its secrets, and what lurks inside, nobody knows.
