Tower of Gandasi
Refered localy simply as "the tower and the prison", the tower of Gandasi is a large, partialy collapsed, stone brick tower that used to serve as a mage prison. It is located on the eastern side of the City of Gandasi, in the Kingdom of Gysia.
Purpose / Function
The tower was built to replace a temporary wooden camp that housed many Soulmages of the city and surrounding communities. They had been accused of treason by the imperial autorities, however since Tareghasi, the capital of the Eastern Essanian Empire was in big turmoil at the time, they weren't transfered there. Instead, they were kept in Gandasi. Eventualy, a decade after the temporary camp and its prisoners were detroyed, a new, much larger building was built with the same purpose: to hold mage criminal prisoners.
Architecture
The tower has a total of 7 floor. A large basemen, rumoured to be connected to tunnels snaking their way under the city, a large, rectangular first and second level and a square 3rd, 4th and 5th level. Each upper level contains a dozen or so jail cells used to hold Elemental Mages, while level 1 and 2 have a mix of human holding cells and other rooms, such as storage places, armoury and interogation(torture) rooms as well as dormatories and a kitchen for the guards. The basement has more cells, which are made to hold Shapeshifters specificaly as well as other Soulbound Mages.
Defenses
The prison's location, on a peninsula surounded by the Egras river and the harbour, makes any escape rather dauting. Its thick walls are also impervious to attacks coming from inside or outside of the building. The un-repared top floor allows a way in and out, but being on the 5th level, it isn't easy to access to get down from. A large sewer tunnel passes under the tower and empties itself in the waters of the nearby bay. Supposedly, the tunnel is connected to the tower's basement, which if true may be a flaw in the Tower's defence. However, the tunnel's entrance over the bay's waters is blocked by a metal grate.
History
The site upon which the tower was built didn't exist prior to the Essanian Empire.'s annexation of the city. Indeed, soon after, sewers were dug under the city to help with sanitation. The excess rock was pilled on into the bay to the east of the city, connecting a small island and created a peninsula.
The peninsula remained empty for many years until the area was used to built a temporary prison to jail Soulbound Mages revolutionaries who had revolted against the The Essanian Empire. after a terrorist attack and massacre in the city.
Eventualy, these mages were executed for treason, and the wooden prison was disbanded. However, a few years later, in 209Bc, a large stone tower was built to replace the old wooden prison camp. It was built to be able to house Mages and resist their attacks.
Many criminal mages were jailed here over the years, but it's most busy year was 153 Bc, were dozens of mages, who were interrogated, tortured and killed. In the year 31 Bc, a Winged ships crashed just north of the city, on the northern shore of the Egras river. The ship clipped the top of the tower, destroying parts of the top most level and the roof.
By that point, only the tower's bottom levels were occupied and so it was never rebuilt. Finaly, in the year 2Bc, with the fall of imperial autority, the tower's prison vocation was officialy ended. However, the city guard still uses its lover levels and large basement as an armoury and dormatory for their soldiers. Rumours of imprisoned and tortured mages inside still surface from time to time, despite the tower appearing lifeless most of the time.
Founding Date
209 Bc
Alternative Names
The Tower/The Prison
Type
Tower
Parent Location
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