The Tower of Sephis

The Tower of Sephis is the residence of Duke Richard Atlin, the ruler of the Duchy of Atlin, and is the keep of the Citadel of Ipra, Atlin’s capital. The tower was built in 1456 as both the storehouse and defensive point for the city and as the main residence for the Duke and his strategists. It also houses the main war room for Atlin, as well as its legislative center. Some claim that it houses an even bigger secret.

Denizens

The keep is home to Atlin's generals and the Duke himself. Any members of Atlin's army, soldiers or support staff, are permitted to take residence in a dormitory on the second floor. In the event of an attack, citizens of Ipra may take shelter as well.

”Well, we never know what’s being cooked up in that tower. All we know is, whatever secrets are being born in there, they’re for the good of Atlin!

— Atlinian Guard”

Alterations

While the tower was initially created as a peel castle, with no external wall or other buildings, a wooden palisade was added in 1463 and upgraded to a stone wall in 1492. The tower underwent a large expansion in 1485, in which an additional wooden floor was added to the top, extending the height from 34 metres to 38 metres, and the interior underwent several refurbishments. The wooden storey was built as Atlin's chief war room, although it is now used as a recreational room when the war room was moved to the floor below.

Architecture

The tower uses the basic, utilitarian style used in so many buildings of the Eliron Region, lacking any form of ornamentation. The tower is made of smoothly cut granite bricks, and the top floor is made of spruce, with a terrace used for defensive purposes. The tower measures 38 metres tall and 20 metres wide at the base, making it the tallest keep in the world. It has eight stone buttresses spaced around the tower, each around 2 meters in width, making the total width of the building 24 meters. The tower has ten storeys, including the wooden top floor. The walls are two meters thick.

“It’s not fair that we don’t get to know what’s going on in there! That’s not a castle, that’s a house of conspiracies!

— Atlinian beggar

History

Work began on the keep in 1456, under the orders of Gustav Atlin, the duke at the time, and construction finished in 1464. The keep was designed by architect Eliza Woodward. It has served as the main residence of every Duke of Atlin since. The keep suffered major damage after an attack from the Duchy of Ober in 1503, and the front section had to be completely rebuilt, taking two years to do so. It is currently unknown how the attack was able to be repelled, as Ober outnumbered them by three times.

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Alternative Names

The Keep of Ipra, Atlin Tower

Type

Keep

Parent Location

The Ipra Citadel

Owner

Duke Richard Atlin

Owning Organization

The Duchy of Atlin

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“I’ve... seen things, in there. There’s a thing in that castle. Something powerful, and dangerous.”

— Atlinian merchant, two days before his unfortunate carriage accident.

Secrets of the stronghold

In the city of Ipra, strange rumours are forming. Rumours that there is a creature within the keep. A demon? A monster? Nobody knows, and nobody dares ask. Some say that the Duke is trying to raise a T́͘͝h͘͢͝i̸͜͢͟n͟g̶̡͝ for his army, something that could break the balance between Atlin and the other states in the Eliron Region. Some say that this has been going on for over a hundred years. Some even say that this was the original purpose for the tower’s construction. Nobody knows for sure. Only rumours exist. Such things are absolutely untrue, of course, and are just the mutterings of some fool whose had a bit too much to drink and has seen some weird shadows on the terrace.