Rising like a shadowed spear from the crown of The Immortal Isle's highest mountain, the Spire of Valarion is the ancestral seat of House Valarion—progenitors of the Valar race and rulers of the mist-laden Isle. A marvel of gothic elegance and arcane symmetry, the Spire looms above the autumnal forests and sea-scarred cliffs below, a beacon to the cursed and a sanctuary for a lineage bound by immortal sorrow.
It is here, beneath thundercloud and moonlight, that the Valar’s most sacred histories are kept, and where only those of royal blood may tread the stair that leads from memory into oblivion.
Architecture & Structure
Constructed over decades by King Athelstan Valarion and his son, King Cyrus Valarion, the Spire was built brick by solemn brick from honed black onyx quarried from the very mountains that cradle it. Each stone was cut with reverence, its edges kissed with runes of warding and mourning, sealed by oath and blood.- Exterior: Gothic spires claw skyward from its edges, their eaves decorated with carved gargoyles bearing the faces of ancient Valar ancestors. Stained-glass windows, inked in hues of crimson, dusk violet, and gold, depict the great exodus from Itelion, the curse of the Night Mother Nyx, and the coronation of Athelstan upon foreign shores.
- Top Level Study: A vaulted study of dark wood and red leather, lit by floating spectral lanterns. Here lies the Grand Archive of House Valarion, a repository of ancient tomes, nautical charts, family histories, and forbidden texts from the eastern civilizations long since lost to war or time. A hearth perpetually burns here, despite the biting chill of altitude.
- Spiral Staircase: The winding stair that leads upward to the peak is lined with oil portraits, each rendered with a haunting realism. Cyrus, Athelstan, Queen Euloria, and dozens more stare out from gilded frames. Between them, murals detail pivotal moments in Valar history—from the forging of their fleet to the loss of the crown to the sea.
The Vaults of Valarion
Beneath the Spire lie the whispered Vaults—sealed chambers known only to members of the royal house. It is said these labyrinthine halls hold relics, bones, and secrets the world has no right to bear. The Mirror of Euloria—a relic that shows only those tied to one's fate—and The Hollow Reflection, a two-way pane into The Shadowfell, are both rumored to reside here.Occult rituals once performed to appease Nyx now serve a new purpose: experimentation, exorcism, and the arcane science of deathlessness. Outsiders speculate that the vaults were constructed above a natural rift to the Plane of Shadow discovered by Athelstan during the founding—its proximity explaining the Isle’s melancholic ecology due to the thinning veil between the realms.
Purpose & Symbolism
The Spire is not only a seat of power, but a sanctum of identity for the Valar. It stands as a testament to their pain and pride, their glory and grief. To dwell here is to witness the slow withering of joy, but also the sharp bloom of purpose.No stairway leads to the spire from the mountain—only the winged Onyx Dragons of House Valarion may carry their kin to its heights. These dragons, born in the basalt wombs of the Onyx Mountains, have served the Valar for generations, bound by ancient pacts and blood-marked oaths.
Notable Figures
- King Athelstan Valarion — Chose this peak with his son during their enlightenment pilgrimage after settling the Immortal Isle.
- King Cyrus Valarion — Now maintains the Spire as his refuge and laboratory, determined to undo the curse of Nyx and bring closure to his people’s legacy.
- Queen Euloria Valarion — Her fall from the Spire, driven by visions of Nyx, remains the most tragic tale known in Valarion lore.