Tammersin Towers - Watch One

Watch One has stood resolute through the ages, first constructed by the half-giant architects and dwarven artisans of the Attuned Era. The number one tower is the oldest and only survivor of the collapse, its sibling towers fell during the seismic upheaval following the retreat of the Primes.

One of five, the tower protected and overlooked Shelderburke, a settlement built along a prominent trade route that leads into the center of the content of Vyrinth. Affluent scholars and religious leaders shepherded a free-thinking and open community. Alyeria was far from tame and this is where the towers and the local watch ensured the settlement's safety.

Purpose / Function

The original purpose of Watch One was simply that, to watch. Like most towers of its kind, it was built to provide an elevated view of the surrounding territories. The Tammersin Wood is particularly thick with trees and ground vegetation, so any structure that could provide a view above the tree line proved invaluable.
Used daily to survey the area, Watch One was joined over time by 4 other towers that sat at the perimeter of a 20-mile radius. It was said that you could see Bravidia and Temple Bien (Earth temple) on a clear day.
Years after the completion of Watch Five, the purpose of the towers was reimagined. They became the anchors for a giant ward. Each tower had a shape bound into its foundation creating an interlocked and Earth attuned barrier that deterred hostiles, predators, and scavengers from venturing into the area.

Alterations

Well after the Primes introduced the principles of shaping the Ebb to the inhabitants of Alyeria another purpose for the tower grew in the mind of a local. Iliphar Ulamaer, an elven aristocrat, engineer, mapmaker, and dabbler in the Ebb realized that with the right materials and time he could use Tower One as the anchor for a massive spell. Bigger than anything he had shaped before it would require the aid of many shapers, but would provide a superior defense to his home town of Shelderburke.
For many months he toiled away in his study calculating the augmentation of a simple warding spell. His work would become known as a regional ward, a ritual anchored to a stout, long-standing structure. This ward would prevent hostile entities from entering or advancing on the settlement. Alyeria was still a wild and untamed land and many dangers still roamed about, most more dangerous than Alyerians themselves.

History

Watch One was damaged during the retreat of the Primes but stood strong, unlike its siblings. It remained useful and occupied by several factions roaming the ruined world for another 300 years. During the War of Ancestry, the tower finally fell during a fierce battle between a Dwarven Warband and the occupying Lizardfolk.
In 22 CE the Reclaimers Guild partnered with the local Brakenleaf Rangers to rebuild the tower and use it as a base of operations for the efforts to establish the Tammersin Trade route to Bravidia. Gean Breon leads the Brakenleaf and its allies from the tower, recruiting, for the moment, sell-swords to help tame the post-collapse region and prepare it for new settlers.

Architecture

Each tower sits on a massive base 75 feet in diameter and originally rose skyward a staggering 100 feet. Today only Watch One remains in use, rebuilt to half its height (50 feet) by the Reclaimer Guild.

Originally constructed of limestone cut from the ancient seabeds of the Burlstone Quarry and the finest aged Tammersin timber. Largely off white in color with striations of grey and pale blue, at 80 ft a band of royal blue Lapis ringed the tower.  This ring is no longer present on the rebuilt tower and presumed looted during the war.

200 stairs ring the inside of the tower leading your past the armory, guard quarters and the captain's suite to the top where you can look out over the lush forest.

Type

Tower, Guard