The First Tower
Recruits! Its time for a history lesson, so gather round and listen well.
Our story begins in a town next to a mountain. It was originally a prosperous area that gained wealth from mining operations in the mountains, but these were eventually abandoned. Bandits took residence in the abandoned mines, and harassed the townsfolk. A bard named Tom and an elf named Elanor hired a small band of adventurers to eliminate a few bandits in the mountainside. It should have been a simple job, as these adventurers were very powerful. However, right before our heroes could defeat the bandits, one of them pulled out a scroll that caused an earthquake that collapsed the tunnel. The adventurers were trapped with no way to get out! With nothing better to do they just feel asleep in the tunnel.
When they woke up they found that the entrance to the cave opened up, they were free! As they approached the entrance though, it was clear something was wrong. The once barren mountain was now overgrown with vegetation. How could this have happened? Worried, they ran back to town and everywhere they look moss and vines overtook every inch of the road and buildings. As they moved in and out of the buildings in the village they found people sprawled about asleep, yet no matter how much noise they made they couldn’t wake them.
As they got to the center of the town, they finally found some people that were awake. A community of halflings made a small garden in the middle of the square. The halflings led the adventurers to the same bar where Elanor and Tom hired them, who were both still there. However Tom was now very old. Elanor told the adventurers that on the day they took down the bandits, everyone fell asleep. Everyone in the entire world as far as they could tell. Nobody knows how or why or for how long this lasted but it was for a very long time. Eventually people starting waking up. But not everyone. Most people are still stuck in their dreams, never aging. Not only that, but a floating tower appeared within range of the town. The reason why Tom was so old was because he was one of the first to wake up. He and his allies gathered together and investigated the tower, but only Tom made it back alive, and he’s been insane ever since.
Elanor told the adventurers that since Tom’s attempt, others have gone up to investigate the tower but never succeeded in coming back. However that did not deter our heroes. They went up the tower and succeeded in bringing it down.
The tower was perilous indeed. Each floor is covered in mist, which coalesces into materialized dreams of the people in the world who are still asleep. This ranged from an assassin sneaking up on the adventurers from the rooftops to a dwarven king defending his homeland against orcs. These dreams attacked the adventurers and there is no way to reason with them while they are in the dreams. They see what makes sense to them, so even though our heroes were a human druid, a ninja, and a duskblade the king saw them as monstrous orcs.
At the very top the team fought against Tom and his band of adventurers who were trapped in their final battle against monstrous enemies. The adventurers barely managed to prevail, defeating the final floor of the tower. Thus the first tower fell, and by unknown means they caught a glimpse of a powerful being, He Who Sleeps, that caused the entire world to go to sleep.
Thus ends our first lesson and our first story. The First Tower fell and our enemy was found.
