The Mystery of the Tower

The Ancient Tower that stands tall in the northeast of Meydia has long since been a thorn in the side of the imperial society of the learned. For many decades, scholars have attempted to crack its secrets, but to no avail. Eventually, the tower gained a reputation within the academic community as an unsolvable mystery. Those who would still attempt to research the tower are met with ridicule and so there are few who even bring up the subject. Unable to let the subject rest, however, the society of the learned posted a bounty for information about the tower. Anyone who could shine new light upon the mysterious tower would be rewarded with a hefty sum of gold. Over the years plenty of adventurers have traveled to the region purely for this reason, yet none have ever discovered something new.
The party can pick up this quest either at the tavern in Hazegate, where a visibly old note mentions the quest or by stating that they came to Meydia partly because of the quest. The party can report to Rohein Tailfeather, who is acting as administrator of Meydia. They will find him in the Argonian consulate in Hazegate. Rohein can provide some additional information about the efforts made to study the tower, as well as about Orthus, the small village lying close to the tower. Although he is not authorized to pay out the entirety of the reward, he can provide payment for information that seems valuable. Additionally, he will write a letter of introduction for the players that would allow them to meet up with a scholar of high standing in the Argonian capital (not part of the campaign).
The players can travel to Orthus in order to get to the ancient tower. Once there, they will be told about a mysterious man known simply as The Storyteller. The storyteller is a hermit that lives outside the village close to the tower. His origin is unknown, apart from the fact that he has been here for many generations and that he knows more about the tower than anyone else. Despite his knowledge, he does not provide much information about the tower, making it seem like the belief that he has any details about the structure is just an assumption made by the villagers. He is very closed off to others and only gives out vague tidbits of information. If players want to get to know more from him, they will have to find a way to befriend him, which cannot be done through any kind of ability check at the moment. Players can hand him the Green Glowing Pendant, which would motivate him to answer any question they want. Handing over the pendant will also trigger the Secrets of the storyteller event once the party returns from Aetheris. The few things that the storyteller will tell the party about at this point include the need for some kind of key to enter the tower and how to attune to the teleporters near the basin of the tower.
The party is able to progress in this quest once they obtained one of the Ascension Keys. They can obtain such a key in two ways. Either from Thallos during The Black Knight event, or by completing the quest Obtaining the Tower Key obtaining the tower key which takes them to Asmodeus. The key can be used to open the tower, unlocking the mega-dungeon The Ancient Tower Interior. If the players scale the tower, they will eventually reach aetheris. Near the top of the tower, the players will meet Zenera, who is imprisoned within. This will start The Imprisoned Deity event, which will lead into the quest Obtaining Helios and Stopping the Divine War.
Once the players opened the gate of the tower, they are free to report back to Rohein in Hazegate at any point. The knowledge of how to open the tower is already sufficient to complete the quest and receive the partial reward from him as well as the letter of introduction, completing the quest.

Grander Scope

This quest acts as a main plot quest, leading the party to eventually reach Aetheria. The tower also highlights how ancient the previous civilization is and how little is known about them.

Description

"To all adventurers and travelers alike. The scholars of the imperial association of the learned have long since investigated a grand ancient tower in the southeast of our great empire. Due to lack of progress, we offer a handsome reward to any who can provide groundbreaking information on the tower. The ancient tower is located in Meydia province, near the village of Orthus. Any reports can be made to the governor of Meydia. They will evaluate new discoveries. If sufficient, you may ask for an audience with one of the scholars of the association.
Bests of luck, the imperial association of the learned."

Progression

1. Report to Rohein Tailfeather for information
2. Head to Orthus to inspect the tower
3. Meet with the storyteller
4. Obtain an ascension key
5. Unlock the tower
6. Report back to Rohein

The Mystery of the Tower
Quest Giver	The Imperial Society of the Learned
Contact Person	Rohein Tailfeather, governor of Meydia
Recommended Level	Any
Duration	Campaign wide
Reward	400 gold