The Lighthouse of Hajdib

Standing tall upon the furthest spit of land extending from Hajdibs bay, the Lighthouse illuminates the route by sea and by air to the city, guiding in ships and warning of the hazardous rocks beneath the waves that extend half a mile out to the depths. A small stone cottage butts up against the tower to house the guardian mage for their year of upkeep of the arcane light. On dust-free days, the beacon can be seen in the southern mountains, providing comfort to those far from home.

Purpose / Function

The Beacon of the East was built to alert seafarers to the narrow entrance to the bay that leads to Hajdibs ports and inlets. It is also said to be a light to call home those who came in the Landing.

Design

The tower of the lighthouse is 70 feet high, with the lantern and gallery adding a further 15 feet to the tip of the cupola. The diameter at the base is 25 feet and 18 feet at the top so that the tower is slightly tapered in profile and circular in cross-section.

Entries

The tower can be entered from the ground by means of a banded wooden door that is locked unless the guarding mage allows it to be open. Inside, a winding stair leads to the gallery, which is open to the air and which houses the crystal mounted upon a metal pedestal. Several sets of deeply smoked goggles are hung inside the door for visitors so that the arcane light does not damage their sight.

Hazards & Traps

The mage who acts as the guardian of the Lighthouse is responsible for keeping the beacon lit and the building safe from intruders, as well as repairing any damage from an attack or from storms. It is at the discretion of this mage as to what traps they place and what hazards they set up to ward off intrusion.

Alterations

The lighthouse and its walls have been reinforced many times after storms damaged the roof and walls. The design has never been changed, however, only made more sturdy.

Architecture

The Lighthouse was one of the first fully stone-constructed buildings erected after the Landing. The heavy, dense stone was taken from the ancient castles and barracks in Hajdib, and the metal lantern room was raised to house the arcane light within. A small house was added to allow the mage to live next to the beacon during his term of maintenance.

History

While the tribes of Zami Ramal were still becoming settled after the Landing, the Lighthouse was constructed to aid navigation into Hajdib for those who ventured out to explore in the east and for fishermen and travellers from the southern mountains and the northern forests who chose to travel by sea. Ancient scholars opined that there might be a Second Landing, for which the Lighthouse should serve as a beacon and thus should always be maintained. Since normal oil lamps and flames were not bright and somewhat unreliable, it was decreed that a mage in their first part of training at the Great Library should spend a year maintaining the magical beacon, in return for rewards of knowledge and power when the term was done. Thus, ever since, a mage has occupied the Lighthouse and kept bright the beacon of Hajdib.

Alternative Names

Manara Al Shar

Type

Lighthouse

Environmental Effects

The light of the beacon itself is given off from a vast crystal imbued with a spell known to the arcane-enabled as "Moonbeam". However, this spell is a purely radiant light in nature and causes no harm, except perhaps to those sensitive to radiant light, such as the undead. The lighthouse is otherwise mundane. It's stone construction keeps the interior shaded and cool, although it is usually more humid by the sea.