1. Locations

Offerman Tower

Offerman Tower is a landmark of intellectual and mystical significance in Seregon, located in the Upper District. Established by the Good King Offerman, this tower stands as one of his few positive legacies, serving as a hub for scholars, historians, and those seeking knowledge. The Tower’s impressive collection includes books, scrolls, and maps on a wide range of subjects, from history and geography to arcane lore.

Access to the Tower is theoretically open to all who are accredited through the good graces of The Assembly, but in reality, a bribe to the bureaucrats who administer the Tower is often necessary to gain entry. Despite this barrier, many seek the wisdom contained within its walls, and the Tower is a place of constant activity, with scholars and researchers moving through its halls.

The Tower is also well-guarded, a necessity given its history of attempted thefts by those seeking to acquire old maps or mysterious scrolls for less than scholarly purposes. The real treasure, however, lies deep within the Tower's vaults—rumored to contain tomes of dark sorcery, securely locked away and only accessible with the approval of the Master of the Tower, Tormal Faber. A vain and quarrelsome old man, Master Faber is known for his wealth and his resistance to bribery, making him a formidable gatekeeper to the Tower's most dangerous secrets.

Resources Available

Valuable Resources or Collections in Offerman Tower

The Atlas of Forgotten Realms

Description: A collection of ancient maps bound into a massive, enchanted atlas. These maps depict locations no longer known to modern cartographers, including submerged cities, hidden fortresses, and ancient battlefields. Each page is enchanted to animate the terrain, showing how the land changes with time.

Use for Characters: Essential for adventurers seeking ruins, treasure, or safe passage through forgotten or treacherous regions. It may even provide clues to magical ley lines or portals.


The Index of Lost Bloodlines

Description: A genealogy of noble families, long-extinct lineages, and obscure bloodlines. The collection includes records of magical or divine ancestry, as well as infamous curses or blessings tied to specific names.

Use for Characters: Invaluable for characters seeking legitimacy, uncovering hidden heirs, solving family mysteries, or breaking generational curses.


The Grimoire Vault

Description: A series of secured shelves containing rare and forbidden tomes on magical practices, including banned spells, necromantic rites, and experimental arcana. Each book is locked behind enchanted glass and requires Master Tormal Faber's permission to access.

Use for Characters: Perfect for wizards, warlocks, or researchers looking for powerful spells, counter-curses, or the secrets of ancient magical orders. Accessing the Vault might require convincing the Master of the necessity—or bypassing him altogether.


The Codex of Beasts and Behemoths

Description: A vast, illustrated compendium documenting rare and mythical creatures from across the known world and beyond. The collection includes detailed anatomy, habitats, and behaviors of everything from mundane wildlife to legendary monsters.

Use for Characters: Hunters, rangers, and druids may use it to study creatures they plan to encounter, while adventurers may need it for strategies to combat unique foes. The codex may even hint at the location of a long-lost species or their hoards.


The Scrolls of Prophesy and Omen

Description: A collection of prophecies, recorded omens, and cryptic visions compiled over centuries. Many scrolls are written in archaic languages or riddles that require significant expertise to decipher. Some are linked to events that have yet to pass.

Use for Characters: These scrolls may hold clues to future events, adventures, or world-changing disasters. Characters may search for guidance on their destiny, warnings about powerful enemies, or instructions for averting a catastrophic prophecy.


The Tome of Forbidden Religions

Description: A collection of records about cults, heresies, and outlawed faiths, including rituals, rites, and doctrines. It includes detailed accounts of interactions with deities and extraplanar entities, as well as descriptions of their followers and practices.

Use for Characters: Vital for clerics, paladins, or inquisitors investigating cults or combating dark powers. It may also aid warlocks seeking to learn about forbidden patrons or adventurers trying to understand their enemies' motivations.


The Archives of Seregon’s Beginnings

Description: The oldest records of Seregon’s founding and early history, detailing its rise from a colony to a sprawling city-state. This includes documents on the city's Olmoy ruins, early alliances, and the magic that established its dominance.

Use for Characters: Useful for uncovering long-lost secrets about Seregon, such as forgotten laws, buried treasures, or conspiracies from the city’s early days. Adventurers may even find evidence of corruption or unfulfilled contracts that could shift modern power dynamics.


Each of these resources in Offerman Tower offers opportunities for intrigue, adventure, and problem-solving, making them highly desirable—and dangerous—objectives for enterprising characters.

Reasons to Visit

Character Backgrounds Likely to Have a Contact in Offerman Tower

  1. Sage:

    • A Sage character is likely to have worked with or studied under scholars or librarians at Offerman Tower, possibly even having a direct relationship with Master Tormal Faber or a more accessible staff member like a clerk or junior historian. Their intellectual pursuits would naturally draw them to the Tower's vast repository of knowledge.
  2. Guild Artisan (Cartographer or Calligrapher):

    • A Guild Artisan with expertise in maps or fine script could have a contact among the Tower’s curators or scholars. They might have assisted in restoring or copying ancient maps and scrolls, gaining favor (and potentially valuable insights) in return.

Reasons Characters May Visit Offerman Tower

  1. Researching Arcane Lore or Forgotten Knowledge:

    • The Tower's collection of magical texts and ancient records is unmatched. Wizards, warlocks, or adventurers seeking information about spells, curses, or ancient artifacts could visit to uncover secrets vital to their quests.
  2. Studying Historical Maps or Geography:

    • Offerman Tower is renowned for its cartographic resources, making it a prime destination for anyone seeking lost cities, hidden routes, or territories claimed by ancient kingdoms. Characters may need these maps to navigate treacherous lands or uncover forgotten treasures.
  3. Seeking Entry into a Vaulted Collection:

    • Characters might need access to the Tower’s rumored vaults to retrieve or confirm dangerous knowledge. Whether for scholarly purposes or more nefarious reasons, this often involves convincing the obstinate Master Faber.
  4. Tracing a Prophecy or Ancient Rites:

    • Prophecies or rituals tied to current events may only be fully understood by poring over the Tower’s restricted texts. The characters may seek translations, interpretations, or direct readings of rare books.
  5. Recovering a Stolen Tome or Artifact:

    • A book, map, or item taken from the Tower’s collection might hold the key to an ongoing adventure. Characters could be hired to retrieve the stolen work or investigate how it was taken despite the Tower’s stringent security.
  6. Debating or Consulting Scholars:

    • For politically or intellectually motivated characters, the Tower is a center of debate and expertise. They might seek out scholars to confirm theories, settle disputes, or collaborate on solving a riddle or mystery.
  7. Exploring Political Intrigue:

    • Gaining entry to the Tower’s restricted sections may require navigating bureaucratic corruption or exploiting the politics between The Assembly and the Tower’s administration. This could provide adventurers with political leverage or new allies.
  8. Commissioning Copies of Rare Works:

    • Characters might visit to commission a copy of a rare map, genealogy, or magical text. This could lead to intrigue over whether the copy is genuine or contains subtle, deceptive alterations.
  9. Testing Credibility or Knowledge of Rivals:

    • Noble or mercantile patrons might send adventurers to validate the claims of someone claiming scholarly expertise or to investigate whether a rival’s access to the Tower is legitimate or bribed.
  10. Seeking Master Faber's Approval for Vault Access:

  • Gaining the trust (or overcoming the obstinance) of Tormal Faber could be a quest in itself, especially for those looking to access dangerous and powerful knowledge locked deep in the Tower’s secured vaults.
  1. Protecting or Restoring the Tower:
  • In times of unrest or attack, characters might be called upon to defend the Tower from looters, assassins, or rival scholars seeking to abscond with its secrets. Alternatively, they could help restore damaged or incomplete records as part of their own pursuits.
  1. Uncovering the Tower’s Secrets:
  • Persistent rumors claim Offerman Tower holds forbidden lore, ancient weapons, or knowledge of dark sorcery. Adventurers might seek to uncover these secrets despite (or because of) the Tower’s protective measures and moral restrictions.

Offerman Tower stands as a nexus of intrigue, learning, and danger, offering countless story hooks for characters of all backgrounds.