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    \_|                     The Tower of Despair                        |
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      |  The Tower of Despair has been a black stake plunged into the   |
      |  heart of the land west of Darkhaven since the Age of Honor.    |
      |  The god Strahd created this monstrosity as a gift to his most  |
      |  loyal servant, Orcus, the Demon Lord of Death. Orcus crafted   |
      |  foul minions in his tower to terrorize the lands of Despair    |
      |  throughout the early ages of the Realms. Orcus was             |
      |  unchallenged in might until meeting the legendary Darkblade,   |
      |  Zarkas. Wielding the soulblade Nemesis, the Darkblade warrior  |
      |  forced Orcus and his minions to return to the Tower. Invoking  |
      |  the power of Scarab, Zarkas sealed the Tower and imprisoned    |
      |  Orcus forever.                                                 |
      |  But Orcus did not spend this time idle. Though he was weakened |
      |  by his struggles with Zarkas, he was able to capture and       |
      |  contain a Solar, a being of pure light. Unable to corrupt his  |
      |  hostage, Orcus bided his time.                                 |
      |  As the Ages passed, Orcus grew frustrated and irrational. His  |
      |  imprisonment infuriated him to no end and he sought release.   |
      |  These powerful feelings emanated from the Demon Prince so      |
      |  fervently that another imprisoned being detected them. As the  |
      |  moon rose that night, an offer was made. As the moon waxed in  |
      |  the sky, haggling began. As the moon sank towards the horizon, |
      |  Orcus' lifeless form fell to the floor only to rise again.     |
      |  Whatever spirit commanded Orcus' form had both power and       |
      |  purpose. He shattered the wards Zarkas erected and sent        |
      |  minions under cover of night to kidnap demi-humans from their  |
      |  towns. He took these captives and subjected them to horrifying |
      |  experiments, twisting them through magicks into the horrible   |
      |  entities. Those who had been bound to Orcus before his death   |
      |  unknowingly entered into a Covenant with the entity in         |
      |  exchange for more power. Only Hastur the Unspeakable           |
      |  understood what had occurred and received even more power in   |
      |  exchange for his silence.                                      |
      |  The changes in the Tower of Despair did not go unnoticed.      |
      |  Many flocked from Darkhaven seeking to unravel this riddle,    |
      |  but none succeeded. However, it is possible their actions      |
      |  weakened or altered whatever nefarious plans had laid dormant  |
      |  within the Tower and lessened the impact of the Shattering.    |
      |  Following the Shattering, the Tower stood quietly as it rose   |
      |  crookedly from the Mire. Travelers who have spoken with        |
      |  Tyrax, the Watcher of the Tower, say that he reports he can no |
      |  longer sense Orcus. Whether this is a new trick of the Demon   |
      |  Prince or whether he has met his demise is as yet unknown.     |
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