Tower of Magic

Overview

The Tower of Magic is the main building in the capital of Marine Terrace. It houses the Council of the Garladans including the Chamber of the Council directly beneath the everglowing crystal.
The Tower got its name of the dozen various laboratories and research chambers aiming to get a better understanding of the Garladan typical lightmagic and the magic surrounding them. Some of the underground laboratories are fireproof and nearly indestructible; they have to be because they are the only labs where the Garladan scientist research and test the foreign spells gathered by Mortal Gods from the Spiral.
Some of the more powerful and renowned scholars/scientists own an appartment, sometimes with their partner(s). Libraries are scattered throughout the entire Tower, supporting curious endeavours from fresh scholars.

Chamber of the Council

The Chamber of the Council is the topmost room in the entire tower. It is outfitted with a nearly round table made out of Obsidian with dozens of small facets. Its six chairs are scattered around it, with the chair for the High One with the back to the stairs leading up to the Everglowing Crystal.
If one enters the Chamber one can see a bar on the right side in front of a window where one can see the ocean. At the other side there are a few armchairs with small mahagoni tables to sit down and relax.

Everglowing Crystal

The Everglowing Crystal is one of the first lightcrystals the Garladans found in Chanvilesia. It is supported by iron beams to get it afloat and is emitting a bright blue light high up in the sky. It energises itself and creates the one and only offensive and defensive weapon of the Garladans at the same time. Normally they would build wooden defenses and release a barrage of lightmagic unto the enemy.
The Crystal was found in one of the caves at the cliffside and brought up to the top of the tower as a sign of life. Myths states that if the light of the Crystal fades, the race of the Garladans will fade too.

You can see the light of the Crystal from far away. Most of the time it is like a lighthouse, keeping you on the right track. But sometimes it is a dangerous and deadly trap, like a flame to a moth.

— Survivor of curious "experiments" of a Garladan scholar

Libraries

There are three kinds of libraries in the Tower of Magic.

• Educational libraries (fresh scholars, pupil etc.)
• Advanced libraries for normal scholars and advanced/foreign magic
• Forbidden/dangerous libraries (experiment, foreign or dangerous spells/rituals)

Everyone, even visitors, have access to the educational libraries because they contain mostly common knowledge like "What is wood?" or "How does wind work?" or even "How to build a boat?".
The more advanced libaries are closed for visitors and Garladans without the necessary permissions. Every permission is engraved into a needle-like pin with engravings all over it. The Garladan is responsible for wearing it on the front of their clothes or keep it visible at all times. It even can work as a pendant on a chain.
And last but not least the forbidden/dangerous libraries, where the most powerful spells, rituals and runes are being contained. Only the most powerful and the most careful Garladans get access to those small libraries. Most of them are only three to five shelves big, some not even that. Not even members of the Council are exempted from this rule.

Labs

Most of the labs are located in the basement and in the underground storeys of the Tower. They are pretty normal, ranging from phyiscal and chemical experiments to working with lightmagic and research of this kind of magic.
Some scholars have small laboratories in their appartments, shielded with strong spells and protected by guards. In case of an emergency the spells react to the emergency or the danger.

*cough cough* "My tail... my tail, what happened to my tail?!"
"Better your tail than your horns, tits and glorious cock."
"Yeah, that would be a shame, but... look at my tail!"

— Garladan scholars after surviving an explosion

Life Support

The Tower of Magic is supported by a close-to-automatic system of pumps and wells near the underground laboratories. It can bring up different sizes of buckets with fresh water in every storey of the building. One only has to carry the bucket to ones own appartment.
Other things like bread, fabrics, meat, fruits and everything else are being brought by the farms and smaller settlements throughout Chanvilesia. Every worker, farmer or crafter has to provide up to five percent of their products so the Tower of Magic is taken care of.
For that being said, every Garladan scholar has to pay a fee for their work depending on their income. With this fee they pay for their appartment and their food. If one wants to have specific food one has to provide it and give it to the chef.

Defenses & weaponry

Besides the Everglowing Crystal the Tower has only a few magical barriers in concentric circles at the towers base and only a few ballistic catapults in case someone has the nerv to attack the Garladans. If under siege the Garladans are offense and defense enough, very fast runners, climbers, and casters. They can cast light spears, provide hardened light as shields or hundreds of light bullets to pierce through iron, metal, stone and flesh.

Garladan Tower of Magic by Midjourney

Type

Tower, Mage

Owning Organization

Chanvilesia