The Clocktower is a large tower that was originally built shortly after the Cataclysm by the Wizards of High Sorcery and the gnomes of Mount Nevermind. Through unique magic, the tower exists on both the northern and southern shores of the Straits of Miremier at the same time, both in Nordmaar and Kern. The Clocktower is comprised of eight levels, with the lower four levels set in the base in both locations. The upper four floors are only visible in one location at any one time, and feature monstrously large astronomical clock dials on one side.
Origins[]
Shortly after the Cataclysm, a young gnome called Wander developed the idea of building a device that could predict future disastrous events, so as to know how to best avoid them. A number of wizards also had a similar idea, and they allied themselves with Wander to build the Clocktower in the northern part of Kern, on the shores of the Straits of Miremier.
The wizards initially helped in constructing this astronomical barometer that was aligned with the sun, moon and stars. However over time, they withdrew from the project, believing it too complex and ultimately doomed to failure. Wander passed down the construction to his son, and each generation passed down the construction to the next.
Changes in the Heavens[]
Shortly before the Chaos War, Ticktock, the last descendant of the original gnomish builder Wander, built a second foundation on the shores of Nordmaar, allowing the tower to shift between the two sites. The tower suddenly started working perfectly... which only last a full week before the heavens altered and the forces of Chaos began to ravage Krynn. The tower was thrown out of alignment, which took Ticktock years to alter the tower’s mechanisms to work with the new stars, loss of magic and singular moon. Just as the tower was working perfectly again, the War of Souls ended and the heavens changed once more.
Inside the Clocktower[]
Access into the tower is only possible by physically entering the doors, as due to the phasing across two locations, magic does not work. The Clocktower cannot be damaged at all, due to its split location. The doors of the tower are carved from wood, and decorated with brass and copper cogs. Bronze pull handles, which are inlaid with and gold and silver whorls are linked to the doors. The doors are kept closed by a locking mechanism; however it is possible to break through the doors with high level spells or enough skill at picking locks.
The inner walls of the tower are built from superior masonry, and the lower four floors have ten foot high ceilings. The upper floors have twenty foot high ceilings. The walls of the tower are lit by mounted oil lamps, and hanging chandeliers light the majority of the large chambers. Four access shafts run through the lower four floors, and are filled with pipes, chain and clockwork. A ladder resides in one of the shafts, allowing easy access throughout the four floors.
The Lower Floors[]
The first floor of the tower is a residential area, filled with bedrooms, a library, kitchen, great hall, dining hall, storage and parts rooms, and a chart room. For the most part, the residential area is untouched, with the few gnomish residents of the tower, rarely dwelling in at least the bedrooms at all.
The second floor of the tower is the hydroponics floor, which was originally planned to be the place where a method would be constructed to grow vegetables that harnessed other beneficial qualities. However the plans never came to fruition and were later abandoned. The floor is dominated by four troughs that span twenty-five feet in length. The level is covered in ferns, fungus, and all manner of vegetation, and over time, the floor has become home to shambling mounds, and other dangerous creatures. This floor is avoided completely by the gnomish residents of the tower.
The third floor is where the laboratories are housed, with two alchemist labs, and two other rooms. The other two rooms on this floor are the private labs and chambers for the gnomish residents of the tower. The gnomish residents prefer to work where they sleep, leading to messy laboratories, and hastily constructed sleeping areas.
The fourth floor of the tower was originally designed as the research rooms for the residents Wizards of High Sorcery, but as the wizards abandoned the tower during its construction, the floor was never put to this use. The floor was later used as a storage area by the gnomes, and is filled with packing crates filled with a few magical items.
The Upper Floors[]
The fifth floor (known as the Star Room) has clock faces and symbols to represent the stars on the exterior walls, whilst on the interior are a series of mirrors connected to tubes and lenses which project the night sky onto the inner walls of the planetarium on this floor. During daytime, the mirrors reflect blinding white light and can temporarily blind anyone who walks into the planetarium. At night time however, a full view of the heavens can be seen within the planetarium.
The sixth floor (known as the Sun Room) has a large clock face with indicators for seconds, minutes, hours, sunrise and sunrise on the exterior wall. Originally the sixth floor was designed to be a chamber to analyse the sun, however this was not meant to be. Instead the room has a keyhole view into the Elemental Plane of Fire, which means the temperature in the room is exceedingly high. The materials in the room are heat resistant, and the floor has been known to occasionally produce fire elementals.
The seventh floor (known as the Moon Room) has a large white disk that rotates around the outside wall of the Clocktower and is periodically eclipsed by a black iron disk. Originally the triple moons were displayed on the tower; however it was later replaced with the single moon during the Age of Mortals, and hasn’t been restored to original three moons since the gods’ return. The inner chamber of the Moon Room was once a focal point for arcane magic; however with the changes in the heavens, the room is now out of alignment and somewhat out of control. A fifteen-foot platinum orb representing Solinari, a ten-foot copper orb representing Lunitari, and a five-foot iron orb representing Nuitari, swings about the room at high speed, set on chains of star metal. A golden moon which is almost fifteen-foot in diameter is set in one corner and represents the singular moon of the early Age of Mortals. Chaotic magic flows throughout the room, and magic-users suffer from the effects of the room when they enter in Low Sanction.
The eighth floor contains the control room for the entire Clocktower. The topmost floor of the tower is the location of the Celestinfernal Engine, an engine that contains a seed of Chaos and has gradually become sentient. The engine was built through both gnomish engineering and arcane magics, and can protect itself against intruders if need be.
References[]
- Spectre of Sorrows, p. 102-109