Toltec Towers
From Dogcraft Wiki
Toltec Tower referred to the area containing the bases, farms, workshops and experimental projects of fxtoltec and Kerokustine. It was situated in the snowfields south of Spawn along the Survival Railway Network. This area also hosted the Village of Unhill (currently under construction), which was peopled by golems, Old Salt Port (future build) and the Great Crystal. fxtoltec has repeatedly stated that there is no pirate activity in the waters of or near Old Salt Port despite having never been asked...
Build Style
In a word, eclectic. While portions of the base were locked deep underground, the surface area resembled a medium-sized village which sported floating towers and crystalline structures. Toltec Tower grew from the whims of its two residents. While there was the general theme of "wizard towers and village" the intent of this area was to sharpen the skills of its builders as they play with different styles. fxtoltec's approach to building was, in his own words, "broken symmetry". Meaning he built by using one pattern to disrupt another. Kerokustine worked by the maxim "dig down, expand out". This lead to underground builds such as terraforming underground ravines and creating biospheres which contained alternate or contrasting biomes.
Infrastructure
Toltec Tower had the distinction of hosting the first branch line of the South Line of the SRN with a connection to the Snowman Station. Additionally, Toltec Tower had a basic connection to the Nether Transport Network along the South Tunnel at z-coordinate 585. Toltec Tower boasted only a few automated farms; notably iron and bamboo. Additionally, the area contained a stone generator of fxtoltec's own design and a modest automatic furnace array.
Lore
The lore of Toltec Tower centers around the Great Crystal. fxtoltec first discovered the Great Crystal while sheltering from a storm in a coastal cave. The rear wall of the cave, whether through time or violence, had been sundered; and through this breach a purple crystalline structure quietly beckoned. Even brief examination of the area revealed the strange transmutative properties of the crystal. The small creatures and fungus native to the cave were remade; seemingly by simple exposure to area of the breach. The altered flora and fauna exhibited they ability to emit light, levitate for short spans and some displayed heightened intelligence. Intrigued, fxtoltec documented his findings and, when the storm passed, continued on his way, resolving to return to the mystery of the crystal one day.
Some months later, fxtoltec returned to the area and established what would later become Toltec Tower. Amidst the necessities of surviving the wilderness, he devoted himself to understanding what he had discovered. What at first appeared to be a purple crystalline structure behind a thin mantle of rock was in fact the upper portion of a much larger object. With that discovery, excavation began in earnest.
In time - after a sizeable portion of the Crystal had been made accessible - fxtoltec constructed a workshop near the excavation site. From experiments there, a fracturing process was developed that allowed for safe removal of small portions of the larger body of the Crystal. It was during these experiments that the gravity-defying properties of the Crystal were put into application, entirely by accident. While not forthcoming as to the details of his experiments, in regards to this discovery fxtoltec will offer that one should not mix alchemical reagents during a bout of hay fever. Regardless of the specifics, it is known that the workshop did not float when it was originally constructed.
It was around this time that the area gained another resident: Kerokustine. An erstwhile associate of fxtoltec, Kerokustine needed a location to peruse their own subterranean experiments. While not enamored of researching the Crystal, Kerokustine was quite willing to leverage the fruits of their colleague's discoveries in their own pursuits. Thus, an arboretum and tower joined the fruits of fxtoltec's labors in the sky.
Kerokustine was the first to suggest applying extracts of the Crystal to golems. Golems, rune-crafted autonomous servants of the indigenous population, were possessed a semblance of intelligence but could not be said to have a 'mind' for the Crystal extracts to enahnce. Thus, they were overlooked by fxtoltec as test subjects. The Crystal extracts had proven to provide intelligence enhancing effects to the local fauna at the cost of enhanced aggression. However, as Kerokustine rightly pointed out, golems - being constructed beings - were compelled to not harm their creators. This, they reasoned, would provide a measure of safety against any negative effects of the Crystal extracts.
The golem experiments were successful beyond all reckoning. The crystal extracts supplying out-and-out sentience to the golems. Upon this discovery, this line of experimentation was immediately and completely terminated by fxtoltec. The golems, in their new-found life, turned to their accidental benefactors for direction. After some deliberation, the golems were declared a free people, but chose to remain close to Toltec Tower as they decided exactly what "freedom" meant. fxtoltec and Kerokustine set about providing materials and instruction so that the golems - who chose the name the "Awakened" - might construct a home for themselves. Thus, the Village of Unhill was founded.
The Awakened of Unhill, being tireless and patient, soon discovered that they could sell their labor and that crafting simple goods was well within their capabilities. Trade was soon established with the indigenous population giving rise to a port. The Awakened named the port Old Salt after fxtoltec's past days on the sea.
fxtoltec continues to refine the application of Crystal morphology though alchemy and Kerokustine yet labors in the deeps. Their efforts leaving an indelible, if strange, mark upon the land.
