The Circle Tower

"Since it is best known as the Tower of the Circle of Magi these days, many people forget that the great tower sitting in the middle of Lake Calenhad existed long before the Circle. Kinloch Hold was built by the Avvars, with dwarven assistance, in a day when the hillsmen ruled over a great portion of the valley and were at constant war with the other Alamarri clans. The watchtower was thought to be virtually impregnable until the Tevinter Imperium finally drove the Avvars back into the Frostback Mountains. The savagery with which the Tevinters slew the Avvars within the tower gave birth to a grim legend that lasted for centuries. The tower was thought to be cursed until the Circle of Magi assumed control of it in 3:87 Towers, after the Circle’s original tower in Denerim was razed. A hamlet on the lake shore operates a ferry to the tower, but visitors are few and far between. Most who come to Kinloch Hold now come either to learn magic or to warily watch over those who would learn."