The tower has been here longer than anyone remembers. Its history is recorded in fragments: in the surviving texts of three civilizations, in the dreams of those who served before, and in the memory of the four gods who watch.
The tower's history spans three recorded ages and a long silence between them. It was built before the dying began. It has been defended by countless souls before the current player. Its purpose has shifted across ages, but its presence has never wavered.
Quick answer
The tower predates recorded memory. Three ages. One silence. Each age understood the tower differently. None ever fully understood it.
Pre-history
Before the recorded ages, the tower already stood. The texts say nothing was built; the tower simply was, the way the desert was. The first writings about it treat the tower as a fixture of the landscape rather than an artifact of construction.
The First Age
The First Age understood the tower as a watchtower. They posted defenders, kept records, mapped the wave patterns of the enemies. They believed the tower's purpose was vigilance. They held it for an estimated three thousand years before the Long Silence began.
The Long Silence
For an unknown duration (the Long Silence's length cannot be determined), the tower stood without defenders. The enemies still came. The gods still watched. But no human consciousness held the tower. What kept the enemies from overwhelming it is not recorded. Some theorize that the gods themselves defended it. Others believe the enemies were less coordinated then. The truth is lost.
The Present Age
The Present Age began when the first defender returned. That defender's name is not preserved. Since then, there has been an unbroken chain of those who hold the tower, each succeeding the last. You are the current link in that chain. The four gods who serve as patrons have all granted their power to defenders before. Each has their own preferences for who they choose.
See our world lore for the broader context. See the four gods for their individual histories.