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The Tower of Sephis

The Tower of Sephis is the residence of Duke Richard Atlin, the ruler of the Duchy of Atlin, and is the keep of the Citadel of Ipra, Atlin’s capital. The tower was built in 1456 as both the storehouse and defensive point for the city and as the main residence for the Duke and his strategists. It also houses the main war room for Atlin, as well as its legislative center. Some claim that it houses an even bigger secret.

Denizens

The keep is home to Atlin's generals and the Duke himself. Any members of Atlin's army, soldiers or support staff, are permitted to take residence in a dormitory on the second floor. In the event of an attack, citizens of Ipra may take shelter as well.

”Well, we never know what’s being cooked up in that tower. All we know is, whatever secrets are being born in there, they’re for the good of Atlin!
— Atlinian Guard”


Alterations

While the tower was initially created as a peel castle, with no external wall or other buildings, a wooden palisade was added in 1463 and upgraded to a stone wall in 1492. The tower underwent a large expansion in 1485, in which an additional wooden floor was added to the top, extending the height from 34 metres to 38 metres, and the interior underwent several refurbishments. The wooden storey was built as Atlin's chief war room, although it is now used as a recreational room when the war room was moved to the floor below.

Architecture

The tower uses the basic, utilitarian style used in so many buildings of the Eliron Region, lacking any form of ornamentation. The tower is made of smoothly cut granite bricks, and the top floor is made of spruce, with a terrace used for defensive purposes. The tower measures 38 metres tall and 20 metres wide at the base, making it the tallest keep in the world. It has eight stone buttresses spaced around the tower, each around 2 meters in width, making the total width of the building 24 meters. The tower has ten storeys, including the wooden top floor. The walls are two meters thick.

“It’s not fair that we don’t get to know what’s going on in there! That’s not a castle, that’s a house of conspiracies!
— Atlinian beggar


History

Work began on the keep in 1456, under the orders of Gustav Atlin, the duke at the time, and construction finished in 1464. The keep was designed by architect Eliza Woodward. It has served as the main residence of every Duke of Atlin since. The keep suffered major damage after an attack from the Duchy of Ober in 1503, and the front section had to be completely rebuilt, taking two years to do so. It is currently unknown how the attack was able to be repelled, as Ober outnumbered them by three times.


Alternative Names
The Keep of Ipra, Atlin Tower
Type
Keep
Parent Location
Owning Organization

“I’ve... seen things, in there. There’s a thing in that castle. Something powerful, and dangerous.”
— Atlinian merchant, two days before his unfortunate carriage accident.


Secrets of the stronghold

In the city of Ipra, strange rumours are forming. Rumours that there is a creature within the keep. A demon? A monster? Nobody knows, and nobody dares ask. Some say that the Duke is trying to raise a T́͘͝h͘͢͝i̸͜͢͟n͟g̶̡͝ for his army, something that could break the balance between Atlin and the other states in the Eliron Region. Some say that this has been going on for over a hundred years. Some even say that this was the original purpose for the tower’s construction. Nobody knows for sure. Only rumours exist. Such things are absolutely untrue, of course, and are just the mutterings of some fool whose had a bit too much to drink and has seen some weird shadows on the terrace.

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Comments

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Feb 17, 2019 15:33

First off: I like the world background for a tower article :D   An header image would probably be helpful to set a theme/tone as of the general style of architecture. The side panel would also be an excellent place to put a image of the owner's crest or something like that.   I would also add an additional break between the last line and the next header, as they look a little cramped right now.  

Well, we never know what’s being cooked up in that tower. All we know is, whatever secrets are being born in there, they’re for the good of Atlin!
  This sounds interesting, but what *is* being cooked up there? Any hints or rumors?   It seem like an excellent thing to expand upon to give the tower some more flavor and some additional detail. Are everyone so trusting as that quote-speaker? Are there those who have doubts? What kind of things happen there?


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Feb 17, 2019 15:52

Thank’s for the comment! I’ve taken your advice and added a couple breaklines to the bottom of each paragraph, and I’ve added a second quote sporting a different opinion. As for the secrets, it’s the building where political decisions are made. Laws are formed, wars are declared, and so on.

Feb 17, 2019 16:07

That helps a lot - the header/sections look a lot less cramped now and it makes it look better :)


Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
Feb 17, 2019 21:29

Also, I do not have the art skills or the money to get an image.

Feb 17, 2019 22:39 by R. Dylon Elder

So I did enjoy this but it seemed a bit dry. There is alot of great information here and it deserves the like for sure. The quotes are nice but the use of fucking is a little anachronistic. This SEEMS like a medieval world and yet they speak more like modern day. This could just be me, the word did exist back then but I'm not affluent enough to know if they used it in that way. Lol I would suggest rearranging it bit. The quotes would easily seperate the dryer text and give the eyes a break from it. Rearranged it and filling the sidebar would not be a bad idea to give this article an extra dose of awesome.   My question be this. What is the significance of the tower. It's the estate of the duchy yes and a seat of power but why is this a Tower of Power as it were. Does it have any major cultural stories or myths surrounding it. The quote seems to indicate that something rather clandestine is going on. Maybe its because i havnt read much of your world but I find that the personality of the tower is something I really wanna know.

Feb 18, 2019 06:56

Thanks, I will take your advice on rearranging the quotes. As for secrets, I hadn’t had anything in mind when I started this article, but you’ve given me a REALLY good idea. I have some work to do.

Feb 18, 2019 13:07 by R. Dylon Elder

Feel free to let me know :) I'm curious.

Feb 18, 2019 14:47

Last paragraph.

Feb 18, 2019 14:52 by R. Dylon Elder

now that is building intrigue. very nice! this is just a personal thing but i do believe that would go really well in the sidebar since it allows for someone reading to glance over and see a reference to the various hints you give in the article itself rather than having the confusion till the end if that makes sense but thats just me.You do what you prefer and it will turn out just fine! :]

Feb 18, 2019 15:02 by Emil Bronze

the architecture section has a lot of words that basically describe nothing. I see the dimensions but there's no descriptions in regards to appearances outside the one line saying it's a marble tower, too bland to be useful. you mention this utilitarion style but don't really integrate into the tower itself, even a link to a separate article describing the style would help tremendously. Pictures would help solidify it as well. You say it went interior redesign but only say waht the rooms became. Show, don't tell. you have a lot to elaborate on, don't just settle for the bare bones basics

Feb 18, 2019 15:14

Right, thanks for the comment. Unfortunately, I do not have the skill or money to get pictures. I will go about changing the architecture section accordingly.

Feb 18, 2019 15:24 by Emil Bronze

just grab some google freebies that look similar, that's what I'd do