I started out in maya, using simple a simple polyCube and extruding the faces, beveling the topmost edge to create a template for both the base and the top of the pillar. With that complete I started trying to create the ‘trees’ in maya, but I couldn’t get the look that I wanted with the tools that maya has, so I imported the model into Zbrush and started to distort the base and the top, adding in a sort of pyre that would illuminate the pillar in the dark.