Suur Pillar (book)

The Suur Pillar
A report by the GCMH

A towering monolith reaching from the bowels of the mountain earth toward the lightning streaked clouds above -- that is the Suur Pillar. The generosity and indulgence of the noble Baron Jeladric Theren as well as the Therengian Warrior Mages have enabled the Gealeranendae College of Magical History to investigate the mysterious and magical Suur Pillar ruins in an attempt to understand its origins and magic.

Ancient legends tell of a mythical obelisk, formed by the hands of Meraud and Firulf themselves. This pillar was shaped of the stone of the earth, and the electricity of the skies. The gods of magic constructed this high above Elanthia before hurling it towards the planet. Where the Suur Pillar struck the land a crater was formed, and the elemental power of the obelisk caused pure water from the Elemental Plane of Water to flow into this crater. The gypsies would later name this Laakmir.

Other legends, exist about the Suur Pillar, though all end in the creation of the magical lake. One of the other most prominent tales relates the following:

"Firulf, great God of Elemental Magic, possessed a mighty 
staff, one of black marble and silver.  The Staff of 
Firulf, the Agani Tayeu'a, held within it immense 
Elemental powers.  It could hurl bolts of lightning with a 
thought.  Many times would benevolent Firulf lend Agani 
Tayeu'a to mortals in a quest for knowledge, and with the 
power the Staff bestowed upon them, they succeeded in 
their quests, bringing enlightenment to the lands.  

Once, a mighty king of a long forgotten kingdom kneeled 
upon the ground of his palace shrine and prayed to Firulf 
above. 

'O Mighty Firulf, I beseech you.  A fierce dragon from the 
seacaves beyond my kingdom has ravaged my lands - - it has 
killed my people.  My own wife has died at its hands!  I 
seek a way to restore the dead to the living, but first I 
must kill the dragon of the sea.'

Firulf observed the mortal pleading for aid, and a magic 
to Resurrect the dead would be a great boon to the peoples 
below.  So to the king Firulf gave Agani Tayeu'a, and bade 
him slay the dragon and take his quest for knowledge.

But the king was wise, and he had tricked the god.  
Destroy the dragon he did, but he did not embark upon a 
quest to save his people.  Instead of using the Staff of 
Firulf in such a quest, the king gathered his army and 
rode to the neighboring kingdom.  He used the power of 
Agani Tayeu'a to crush his enemies and increase his own 
might.

'I have the power of the gods at my control!  None may 
stand before me!' he exclaimed as he conquered the 
bordering nation, a peaceful land of Elotheans seeking 
knowledge.

Firulf was enraged at the affront.  He visited the kingdom 
in the form of a horned owl, and skewered the king with 
his beak.  Taking the Staff back, Firulf returned to his 
domain in the clouds.  And then he gathered about him all 
his magic, and hurled the Agani Tayeu'a to the earth 
below.

Where the Staff struck, the earth shook with a fury as 
though a dragon had tumbled to Elanthia.  And where the 
Staff struck, a massive stone monolith rose up, as 
lightning from the skies bombarded it in an illuminating 
display of fireworks.  The kingdom that had once ruled 
that land was no more, and where once had been plains, now 
stood mountains.  Where once was the king's palace, there 
now was a crystal lake.

The monolith stands even to this day, and encased within 
it is the Agani Tayeu'a, the Staff of Firulf."

That story was recounted by a noble Bard in the court of the Ferdahl Thaerine. It is an interesting myth, but its truth we cannot confirm. It is a plausible origin of the Suur Pillar, however.

Centuries after Ferdahl Thaerine's rule had come to an end, the Suur Pillar was discovered in the Mountains of Ker'Leor. The Suur Pillar was unearthed near the major quarry sites around Fornsted. Time had been unkind to it, and portions of the pillar had collapsed. The entirety of the monolith was covered in granite, and the quarriers had to work carefully to move the rubble.

The air about the monolith crackled with static, and when he touched the pillar, one man was struck by a bolt of lightning from the skies, though it was a clear, cloudless day. The men quickly fled from the stone, and ran back to Fornsted, where they reported the occurrence to the Garrison Commander there. The Imperial lord quickly sent a runner to Therenborough, where the Gealeranendae College of Magical History was located.

Researchers from the GCMH were dispatched to study it. Utilizing Elemental Othersight, a shocking discovery (no pun intended) was made. The obelisk appeared to open miniature gateways to the Elemental Plane of Electricity, from which it summoned powerful magics. It would explain the static crackle in the air and the death of the quarrier.

A portion of the obelisk that had crumbled and fallen to the ground, likely due to the ravages of time, was shipped back to the GCMH for study, though the research team remained to continue their analysis of what they called the Suur Pillar.

Disaster struck shortly after, unfortunately. A side effect of the pillar's unearthing apparently enabled it to realize its true magical potential. Incredible magical storms soon raged about the pillar, wreaking havoc to the surrounding land. In the midst of the storms came forth beasts that seemed to be lightning brought to life. They were most lethal, and caused damage to the town of Fornsted.

A new force from the GCMH was sent forth from Therenborough to contain the magical rampage, and they managed, to some degree, to successfully restrain the power of the Suur Pillar. Erected around the monolith was a magical barrier that kept the fury of the storm in check. They were unsuccessful in stopping the beasts, though - - given flesh on the Plane of Abiding, they were able to pass through the barrier erected by the mages, though they were weakened drastically.

Some superstitious worriers claimed that it was the wrath of Meraud, who saw mortals once again on the verge of tapping into the power of Agani Tayeu'a for self-serving purposes, who had sent the beasts to stop them and protect the Suur Pillar. These are the same villagers who shortly named the beasts "dark cats." Their claims are easily dismissed, however, as it is clearly a natural result of the connection the Suur Pillar established with the Elemental Plane of Electricity which allowed elementals to travel to our own world.

The magical study we conducted upon the Pillar is preserved in the College's archives.

For the GCMH. High Mage Vistraluth