The Moving Towers of the Magi

 

I have been busy for some time with work and will remain busy for some time yet, and I've been too taxed to write things here. But I'm in a bit of a lull so I thought I'd bang one out to prove I'm not dead. But anyway, a refresher. Sorcery, as discussed here, is a complex affair reliant on a selection of methods and items by which one may safely practice the art. Of particular interest to us now is the focusing implement, a complex contraption of sorcerous artifice which may allow a magus to channel the most potent of spells with ease and relative safety. But past a certain point, it becomes an unwieldy device like a pipe organ or alchemical laboratory, one which cannot easily be lugged about. How, then, does a wizard store such a thing? The natural answer is a tower. With its height it may loom over the trees and huts surrounding it, granting the sorcerer a clear view of earth to shape and things to smite, their booming voice echoing through the sky as the world twists around them. But a tower is also, tragically, a static object, and thus unsuited for the needs of a magus, who often must travel to obtain funds, ingredients, and inspiration to better themselves at their art.

Thus, towers must move.

So it is that no great magus is complete without an ambulatory domicile of some kind. While some make do with mere landships, wagons, great beasts, and so forth, the best of them are known as much by the towers that hold their focuses as their own persons. Attached is a method for devising your own, either randomly or by aesthetically appropriate configuration.

The tower is:

1-4: Of wood panels, as the siege towers of mortal folk are.
5-7: Of stone blocks, as the turret of a castle.
8-9: Of metal beams and struts, ornate and curving. 
10: Of great sheets of worked metal, as a knight is clad in armor.
11: A great tree (1-3: a dead, hollow log of sculpted insides, 4: alive, the rooms grown into it).
12: An immense crystal, faintly shining with light.
13: Of enchanted glass (1. thick, curving, and opaque 2. stained like a cathedral. 3. Clear with rugs and curtains for privacy)
14: Of plaster and bone, (1. many bones arranged into a great vertical ossuary 2. the ribcage of an immense beast)
15: A telescoping cylinder of aluminium which can be as small as a house or twice as tall as most towers, but fragile.
16: A solid block of stone seemingly prised from the earth, its interiors (1. carved as if by hand 2. carved as if by water 3. carved as if by wind 4. cracked and fissured as if by earthquake)
17: An ever-shifting tree of clockwork branches, panels, and gears, rooms assembled into whatever configuration needed at the moment.
18: A solid column of carved stone, like that which holds up a great forum hall.
19: An inverted (1. pyramid 2. ziggurat) of (1-3. wood 2-4. stone 6. metal), remarkably spacious.
20: A seemingly irregular and incomplete piece of  (1-3. wood 2-4. stone 6. metal) architecture. In truth, it is one of a set of (1-3. 1d6 2-4. 1d10 6. 1d20) similar towers, all of which can be combined into a single citadel.

It is moved by :

1-10: Columns of (1. horses 2. oxen 3. people 4. random local beast of appropriate size), the tower pulled along on spoked wheels
11-13: Treads powered by a great clockwork engine
14-15: Legs powered by a great clockwork engine.
16: A sorcerous working which permits it to hover (10% chance of true flight). Its underside (1. is obscured by a cloud 2. leaves a trail like a comet 3. emits a cloud of smoke like a rocket. 4. has no visual signifier).
17: A behemoth which carries it upon its back.
18: A drill which allows it to burrow and ascend, but cannot move overland.
19: A ship; it is bound to the seas but swift upon them.
20: One of these things. Delicate, but obscenely swift for its size so long as the terrain is flat and the wind is good.

 

Its great focusing implement is:

1: An orrery in imitation of the celestial spheres, its manipulation simulating the influence of planetary alignments.
2: A sprawling alembic of rubber tubes and glass bottles, sorcery distilled from boiling potions and crushed powders.
3: An ornate cannon or arbalest, spellwork graven on the projectiles it fires to grant incredible effective range to workings otherwise limited.
4: An immense clockwork calculator, deriving mathematical formulas to ensure peerless conjuration.
5: A series of rotating gyroscopes and flaming sigils, binding a captive (1. devil 2. daimon 3. angel 4. powerful unliving spirit).
6: A huge, savantic, grublike homunculus dependent on a complex diet of pills and medicines, lending its voice and limbs to great spellworkings.
7: A table-sized tome inscribed with the collective knowledge of a dozen magi, hovering in the tower's center.
8: 2d10 trepanned apprentices (that failed), their wills slaved to their master until/if their debts are paid.
9: A flock of familiars, (1. oneiric spirits 2. chthonic imps 3. unliving spirits 4. angelic spirits 5. specialized homunculi 6. clever beasts).
10: An immense system of lenses that focus and store rays of moonlight, sunlight, and starlight to power complex workings. 
11: A water wheel connected to a powerful mill inside to grind special ingredients into an ingestible dust; requires the presence of running water to function.
12: A great forge that constantly emits plumes of smoke, spells are engraved onto metal disks as they are cast, binding them to the object and preventing the backlash from reaching the sorcerer.
13: A single slumbering child kept in a spiked cage, bound tightly with powerful magic; the innocent soul within absorbs the side effects of the workings.
14: A sphere of glass with writhing plasma inside, the sorcerer sculpting the glowing tendrils into arcane sigils with minimal effort.
15: A complex, shifting system of fountains. By altering the flow of water and the shape of the fountain, numinous energy can be collected and dispersed as needed.
16: An engine fueled by coal or oil, powering complex chemical reactions which aid in the sorcerer's art.
17: An organ, its playing used to focus the mind and spirit of the caster and enhance the power of the spells.
18: A web of thin fibers, plucking and playing it produces harmonies that synergize with the words and gestures of the caster.
19: A floating, ever-shifting puzzle box of absurd complexity. The act of solving it channels the numinous energies of the caster.
20: An incredibly over-decorated throne, every groove in its surface and material in its design passively enhancing the caster, so long as they remain seated on it.

 

A minor detail:

1-10: It has an exterior of ornate filigree
11-15: 1d4 floating rings of metal rotate around it; people can stand on these.
16-19: Flickering spheres of light dance about its body.
20: A small town has sprung up around the tower; 5d10 smaller towers tastefully mimicking the style of the main one follow it around. The inhabitants have no magical loot and can be rolled up as you would any small town.
21: The tower has no entrance near the bottom, only flight, climbing, or pulleys can get you in.
22: A complex network of pipes support running water inside and fountains on the outside.
23: Some process within causes it to belch thick smog that announces its presence for miles around. If it settles in one place for over a month the weather a mile around it becomes overcast.
24: It is almost completely self-sustaining; through use of horticulture and careful recycling, one can spend an entire lifetime without ever needing to leave it.
25: Glass bulbs emerge from its sides, containing telescopes. If you can see the tower, the tower's inhabitant can see you, if they know to look.
26: A (1-2. 1d4 monstrous bird(s) 3-4. 1d4 monstrous bat(s) 5. 1d4 flying serpent(s) 6. flying dragon) roosts atop the tower; (1-2. wholly allied with the sorcerer 3-5. neutral towards the sorcerer but attack anyone else 6. sorcerer can't leave the tower while they roost)
27: Its inhabitant is also a monster, and if it has human servants they are now monsters also.
28: It is actually inhabited by a group of brigands that seized the tower after the sorcerer died, or after killing them. Will be much more reckless about using the tower itself as a weapon, potentially damaging or destroying it.
29: A (1. ornate metal sphere 2. harvested meteor) orbits it, which can be directed to smash things within a mile radius. It takes awhile to speed up its orbit and slingshot towards a target, and then slowly drifts back. If the target exits line of sight the spell can't track it anymore. Damage as cannon with advantage. 
30. It is festooned with actual cannons and swivel guns. While as a tower it can't concentrate its attacks as a ship of the line can, it can launch projectiles from any direction.
31. The front and bottom of the tower has an attached battering ram. It can smash through whatever a normal ram can in half the time.
32. A wall of repulsive force deflects ranged attacks, but its movement speed is halved. It must be scaled and captured to be disabled, or shot at with an astonishingly powerful siege weapon, or attacked with magic that circumvents the laws of projectile physics.
33. Gouts of flame periodically erupt from holes in its exterior. 50% chance the sorcerer can control this, 10% chance that they can blast the tower's underside with a plume of flame like a rocket's takeoff, once per day.
34. The tip of the tower can erupt from the rest of it and will land in a random direction 1d10 miles away, if the sorcerer speaks the appropriate command words. The tip can hold 1d6 people.
35. Some process of the focus pollutes the land around it. When used, the 1d10 miles become infertile for 1d10 years, stacking per use in a single area.
36. It has another, secret maneuvering method. Roll on that table again. The tower can switch between these forms depending on which offers an advantage, or just to catch enemies by surprise when they think it is disabled.
37. It is perfectly built to fit in most towns and cities in its locale without raising suspicion, concealing any exceptionally eye-catching features through facade and misdirection. Obviously the locals will know, but if a foreigner visits the place and doesn't expect it they'd never guess one of the watch towers or castle corners can detach and pursue them.
38. It possesses excavating equipment, powered by (1-3. getting a punch of people to run on wheels or use water for it 4. clockwork mainsprings). It can carve through hills, uncover ruins, and dig through mountain passes with enough time.
39. It has hot-air balloons tethered to it, used for reconnaissance, escapes, or simply ferrying passengers about.
40. It has a cadre of boarders skilled in the use of harpoons, grappling hooks, and so on who can easily board enemy towers, castle walls, or anything else like that.
41. The owner has been dead for years, but the tower continues to operate on its own, following the last wishes of its inhabitant without regard for reputation or collateral damage.
42. The tower actually has no permanent magus inhabitant; it is staffed by a dynasty of servants who rent it out to lesser magi who need it for a few days/weeks/months. Prices are exorbitant but less so than building a focus/tower yourself.
43. The tower is actually an academy for young nobles to learn basic Gnosis, its exterior adorned with additional outgrowths that they dwell in. Expect any dealings with it to be politically perilous to the extreme.
44. It is capable of moving in the Outer Black in addition to its terrestrial locomotion. Unless it can already fly, however, it is only capable of going up or down when it leaves the ground, until it escapes orbit.
45. The magus, through the carnotheurgic arts, has expanded their body to become the organs and innards of the tower, which is its shell. It cannot be captured, only killed. It can also extrude a puppet body to interact with people; killing it is an inconvenience at best.
46. The tower can render itself invisible. When close by the thunder of its movements can be perceived, but from afar it cannot be seen unless it disturbs the environment. 20% chance it can actually mute itself as well. 10% chance after that that it can conceal any smells it produces. With only invisibility it can keep itself hidden for one day, with two senses hidden 6 hours, with all three; 2. Takes a day to recharge.
47. The tower can release a swarm of flying (1. insects 2. birds 3. bats. 4. small, venomous serpents 5. trained homunculi 6. simple golems) as an area denial weapon. It doesn't discriminate between friend or foe.
48. The tower is a merchant shop as well, a known and reliable neutral area to hawk magical wares, fair play enforced by the owner's will.
49. The tower is huge, as large as a castle. It was likely the seat of power for a dreaded combination; a demititan schooled in the arts of magi. Now it sits still, with no one powerful enough to plumb its depths and claim it, much less provide power for it to move. Yet...
50: Roll twice, ignoring duplicates.

====================================================================

I envision wizard towers as not just locations, but as devices by which sorcerers can multiply their might and stand against the divine and monstrous powers of the world without being confined to a single location. Against a demititan clad in inches-thick plate striding across the battlefield or an old dragon dominating the skies, a common magus is but a fly to be swatted aside, but an arch-sorcerer in his crystal obelisk may call down the power of the arcane to contest the things on equal footing. Most, at least, are but men, stretched and weathered by time. It is their artifice and wisdom which lets them contend with the quasi-divine monsters of the world, and that is represented by the power of their towers. Any army of note is signified not just by the cloud of dust that trails it but by the skyline of towers which move in the center of its bulk. 

Of course, for players, these serve as mobile minidungeons, boss encounters, or something for themselves if they accrue enough funds or power. I think that in many cases they do not need to be constructed by the characters (a focus should be expensive enough on its own!), but can be captured or found. I would go as far as to say there is probably a hermit-crab-like congregation every so often where a region's magi will move out of smaller towers into bigger ones as the size of their focuses increase. If not everywhere every time then at least sometimes.