Talntower

Map showing approximate location. Click to enlarge.
Talntower
Geography
Type	Waterworks
Region	Savage Frontier, northwest Faerûn

The Talntower was an ancient dwarven waterworks that consisted of a spring-fed reservoir, channels, valves, and a collecting pool for drinking, watering animals, or bathing that was still in operation in the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR. It was generally thought to be haunted by a presence that whispered oracular pronouncements.

Geography

The Talntower was located on the west side of Jundar's Pass where the trail approached the hills almost 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Beliard. A promontory of stone formed a rugged cliff about 70 feet (21 meters) high near the road. On either side of the Talntower, lesser cliffs continued north and south for a quarter-mile (400 meters) or more, and the minor plateau of solid rock extended for at least the same distance westward.

Features

Cutaway overview of the waterworks. Upper left is the capped reservoir. Two drains carry water to valves made of stone slabs and then to the pool in the main chamber. At bottom, an adventurer approaches the entrance.

The rounded prow of this natural formation, covered in vines and scrub, was unremarkable except for the enormous slab of rock that capped it like a gently sloping roof, and the cave entrance at its base. Long-forgotten dwarven engineers excavated down from the top of the cliff to create a reservoir for a spring that bubbled up from below. The oval-shaped bowl was about 35 by 70 feet (roughly 11 by 22 meters) in size and typically filled with eight to ten feet (2.4 to 3 meters) of water. The reservoir was quite deep, but could not hold more than about twelve feet (3.7 meters) of water because there were fissures in the eastern wall that prevented the water level from rising any higher. Some of these slits in the rock face had been widened by enough freeze/thaw cycles that a human could crawl through the eight- to twelve-foot (2.4 to 3.7 meters) thick wall and enter the bowl above the waterline.

Closeup of the pool and the stairs to the valve rooms. The spying chamber can be seen in the lower right. Click to enlarge.

Two drains, situated four to six feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) up from the bottom of the reservoir, fed down small tunnels to the cave at the bottom of the cliff. To regulate the flow, each pipe passed through a valve made of a large stone slab that could be inserted or removed from the path of the falling water. The fit was tight enough to restrict the water flow to a mere trickle. When fully opened, the water gushed out rapidly for as long as it took the reservoir to reach the level of the lowest drain, and thereafter flowed at the rate of the feeding spring. The valve slabs were about a foot (30 centimeters) thick and the size of a human casket, complete with handles. It took at least three strong men to slide a plug stone out and four such men to push one back in.

Closeup of the sliding plug stone showing the handles. The slab partially blocks the water flowing down the channel through the rock.

The pool was the main feature in the cave, being about sixteen feet long, three to four feet wide, and four feet deep (roughly 4.9 by 1 by 1.2 meters). Above each end of the pool, water showered down from the ceiling where the drain tunnels ended, typically filling the pool to at least a depth of one foot (30 centimeters). The water drained from the pool through other natural fissures. On either side of the center of the pool were carved seating areas (or wading areas if the water level got too high). Set back from the entrance on each side were broad stairs carved into the cave walls that climbed about twenty feet (six meters) to chambers holding the valve-stones.

Other than during wintertime, the main cave was cool enough to slow the spoilage of food. In the frigid winter months when the cold reached deep, most of the water was frozen solid and the valve plugs were impossible to move.

The Rasping Spirit

A small chest containing an offering to the Rasping Spirit. It sits in one of the carved seating areas on either side of the pool.

Since at least the Year of the Empty Goblet, 1252 DR, the Talntower was the manifestation location of a spirit, ghost, or god with a raspy voice that pontificated cryptic answers, warnings, or predictions to anyone who left an offering on the floor of the cave or in one of the two pool-side seats (those that tossed their offering into the pool got silence). Petitioners could choose to ask questions and carry on short conversations with the oracle, or just listen to the whispered words and try to make sense of them. Most of the people who believed in the oracle kept its utterances to themselves, and often denied even visiting the Talntower, but from those that revealed what they heard came these examples:

• "The blade shall be taken up, a throne overthrown, and the son shall scorn the father."
• "The sword shall be found but the ring lost."
• "Kingdoms shall arise where only the bones of realms lie now, new crowns shall glitter, and red war shall rule many lands. Dwarves and elves shall have new realms of their own, but a great land shall fall."
• "The hand of the loremaster will find the hidden way when all other remedies fail."
• "Beware the black flame. It burns but consumes not, watches and sleeps not, and those who bear its mark are your foes forever."

In reality, the voice of the Rasping Spirit belonged to the elders of the Elhaembroe clan of gnomes who took turns spying on the visitors to the Talntower and giving cryptic answers and advice to those that left offerings. A spy chamber located low in the walls of the main cave afforded the person playing oracle various views of the cavern, and had small curving tunnels that carried and amplified whispers to echo about. Additionally, the noise from water falling into the pool helped obscure the source of the voice. The spy chamber was connected to the Elhaembroe's main complex of underground dwellings a quarter-mile (400 meters) to the west by a long and twisted passage that prevented accidental or purposeful flooding.

Defenses

An adventurer cautiously approaches the entrance to the main cave.

The Talntower was an unguarded and uninhabited way-stop along Jundar's Pass, so visitors had to be cautious of lurking orc or goblin ambushes, or perhaps even more threatening predators. The facility was so useful at providing easy access to fresh water that it remained intact for centuries.

History

There was no definitive answer to the question of the origin of the name Talntower. Some said "Taln" was the proper name of the dwarf responsible for building it, or the dwarven clan or king who ordered it built, or a stone giant that was slain by the dwarves on the site. More fanciful stories claim that "Taln" was a gargantuan-sized creature that was turned to stone to form the cliffs in which the Talntower resided.

Rumors & Legends

The Rasping Spirit was the subject of much speculation. Theories included that it was the voice of a deity (pick one), or the spirit of a wizard bound to the spot. Many (including a few Harpers and other supposedly wise folk) didn't care to question the origin of the voice, but were superstitious enough to believe it spoke the truth, if they could just unravel the meaning woven into the cryptic answers.