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Whatever their motivation, the kidnappers must be coming from the tower in the center of the island. If you are to find your missing people, it seems that the only way to do so is to enter the tower and confront Muyal herself.

Accompanied by Seramet and several of your warriors, you make your way to the tower. It doesn't take long to get there, but gaining access will be more difficult. The door is solid oak, banded with iron. It is shut tight, and you estimate it would be quite a challenge to break down. It has no lock that you can see, but rather two iron circles that are bolted to the center of the door. Attached to one of these circles is a carved iron symbol of a sun; on the other, a moon. These carved symbols can be moved easily around the iron loops.

The sides of the tower are sheer, with no obvious means of access other than the single door on the ground floor, though as you look up, you do see a ring of small windows high above you.

You select two of your largest warriors, and together the three of you throw yourselves against the door. With a great crash, the door gives, and you find yourself stumbling into the tower.

As your eyes adjust to the darkness inside the tower, you see that you are not alone. Several wooden, stable-like constructions protrude from the walls, and standing inside them are creatures the likes of which you have never seen before. Their skin is leathery and drawn tight across their cheekbones, while what remains of their hair and clothes is dirty and ragged. Their eyes are closed, and they seem corpse-like in their stillness. It is possible that these creatures are the kidnappers, but there are lot of them, and you have not yet explored the tower. You decide to leave them where they are and ascend the tower.

The staircase winds upward until it comes to a door—this one unlocked. With one hand on the pommel of your sword, you push it open and go through. You find yourself in a large, circular room quite in contrast to the sturdy, austere look of the tower's exterior. The walls are decorated in a mosaic of colored glass, and silk drapes hang from the ceiling. A number of alcoves are set into the walls, and in them are more of the creatures you've previously encountered. At the other side of the room stands a woman, her back to you as she looks out of the window.

She turns and regards you with large, dispassionate eyes, her hair falling around her shoulders in a mass of dark curls.

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"You must be Muyal," you say. "Where are my warriors? Where are the people that those…things of yours abducted?"

"Did you not recognize them?" she says. "Why, I'm sure you must have seen a familiar face among my servants."

"You turned my people into those creatures?" you ask. "Why? What kind of magic could do such a thing?"

"The kind of power I wield," she replies, "does not come cheap. I guide people to this island and provide them with a safe haven—for a price. People are brought to this chamber, and here I draw out their energy and vitality to renew my own strength and power. Into the empty husk that remains, I place a creature of magic, drawn from the spirit world to do my bidding. The ward I have placed upon this isle leaches away the memory of these events, so in time, these absences are entirely forgotten. While I cannot claim to be charitable, it's a small price for the villagers to pay for their safety."

"And is that why you drew us here?" you ask. "To turn us into your servants?"

"I would have some of your tribespeople for that duty, certainly," she replies. "But you, Basileios, are spoken for."

"Spoken for?" you ask. "What do you mean?"

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