Skyring Tower Building / Landmark in Wulsten | World Anvil
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Skyring Tower

Invoke Innovation

In the short time since it's construction, Skyring Tower has come to represent many things. Magic, academia, political power within the Cohnar Valley, and even Dornham itself to an extent. It has quickly become synonymous with the idea of magical discovery and the creation of new spells, but also with arcane accidents, reckless pilfering of ruins, and magic being used militarily. The tower and it's iconic Skyring have become an icon of both Vaseldia and Dornham. Visible from nearly everywhere in the city, it has earned Vaseldia a reputation as a home of wizards.

Architecture

Skyring Tower is constructed of white marble, intended to match the pristine white walls of Vaseldia. The architecture has been made to intentionally mimic some qualities of the towers of the Cohnarak Orcs, but has inevitably been influenced largely by the architecture of Dornham as a whole. The silhouette of the tower is nearly identical to those of the Red Orc necromancers, but close inspection of the minutiae of the tower clearly reveals its Human origins.

The Skyring

The tower was named after the unique levitating platform that forms a ring around the midway point up the tower. This 40 foot wide platform, aptly named "the Skyring" serves as a plaza or massive balcony, containing spaces for relaxation, eating, class demonstrations, experimentations, and more. The ring is made of the same white marble as the rest of the structure, and is kept afloat with powerful enchantments.

Defenses

The walls of Skyring Tower lack significant fortification against attack, though they are more resilient stonework than most, due to the necessity inherent in such a large structure. More primarily, the defenses on the tower focus on preventing access past the first floor. Most travel throughout the tower are done via teleportation circles that function only for those in possession of a Skyring seal. All members of both The Sages of Skyring and the Skyring Expeditiary have seals, indicating which floors they can teleport to. As a backup, the tower does have stairwells, but the stairwells have mind-affecting enchantments which magically fascinate people who do not have a seal with them.

Especially restricted areas have other defenses which either use magical traps or deterrants, such as freezing rooms or seals which transport trespassers directly into the Vaseldia dungeons, or must by bypassed using magic, such as rooms without an actual entrance, or illusory doorways.

History

Skyring Tower finished construction in 700 R.A., as part of the project of constructing the city of Vaseldia, which was intended to become Dornham's new, purpose built capital city. The construction was overseen by Vvigard Rig'Tib, Remah Alfred, and Orion of Faulaine, all of whom would go on to become Grand Sages after the construction concluded. A year after construction concluded, the teleportation circles linking the different floors were made permanent, and The Sages of Skyring officially began operating out of the tower.

The Grelsan Alfred Incident


In 754 R.A., a series of unapproved experiments with high level conjuration magic called forth a number of devils into the Tower, along with the creation and experimentation of several Anchors to Methistoph. Following the guidance of The Estrid Blade, The Royal Court found their way to the tower in search of these Anchors, in order to destroy them. Once in the tower, they were attacked by a Horned Devil, which caused significant damage to the tower before being slain in a fight on the Skyring itself. After the devil was dealt with, the Royal Court learned that Grelsan Alfred, one of the current Grand Sages, was behind the experiments, though he had already fled to Calshire. Alfred was swiftly removed from the Sages of Skyring and banned from the tower itself. The next year, Rowan Northstar of the Royal Court would be taken on as a new Grand Sage in training.

Tourism

Being one of the most recognizable landmarks not just in Vaseldia, but in Dornham as a whole, the tower does actually receive a fair bit of tourists. Primarily, those seeking to purchase magical services and items visit the tower, as well as adventurers or mages who wish to use the library or otherwise learn from the sages, though many of these are turned away when they are unable to pass the tests required for entry into The Sages of Skyring. To accomodate some of these tourists, there are a number of stalls outside the tower in nearby markets which sell magical goods and services, though these stalls actually have no affiliation with the tower itself. The first two floors of the tower are open to the public, though, and contain shops run by the Sages, as well as a minor public library focused on basic texts pertaining to the arcane and mystical.
Founding Date
700 R.A.
Type
Tower, Mage
Parent Location
Owning Organization


Cover image: by Artbreeder

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