Clockwork Cathedral

This gothic building east of Misery Row is composed of heavy iron plates, interlocking gears, steaming pistons, and sliding walls, giving it the appearance of an enormous mechanical insect with a clock tower on its back. The structure houses one of the premier institutions for the study of clockwork in the Inner Sea—perhaps in all of Golarion. Administered by a never-seen group called the Ruling Escarpment, the Clockwork Cathedral pioneers innovations in the mechanical arts, particularly in the creation of constructs. The building itself serves as an example of the institution’s engineering genius, with walls sliding at the pull of a lever, chambers constantly rearranging themselves, and sophisticated constructs serving as the school’s maintenance staff. While anyone may apply to attend the Cathedral, decisions about admission and tuition are made, seemingly arbitrarily, by the Ruling Escarpment and are not open to negotiation.
The founding of the Clockwork Cathedral is as mysterious as the lessons taught within its halls. The building stands on the site of a former temple to Asmodeus, which was destroyed by fire less than a century ago. In 4637 AR, an enigmatic figure purchased the ruined temple. The new owner, a gaunt, robed stranger called the Assembler, arrived in Absalom’s harbor in an enormous iron ship that they claimed housed no organic beings. After purchasing the land, the Assembler magically transported their ship to the site and, over the course of a month, transformed the ship into the imposing Clockwork Cathedral. The Assembler was never seen again by anyone outside of the school, though some students complain of being followed by pole-thin robed figures within the shadowy corridors of the complex, leading to rumors that the Assembler still controls the Clockwork Cathedral. Others claim that the Assembler is itself a construct, and that the entire Cathedral is a vast, uncaring machine. In his youth, Lord Gyr, like the primarch before him, went to the Cathedral to demand answers. No one knows what he was told, but the High Council has unflinchingly supported the Clockwork Cathedral ever since.
Many students from the Clockwork Cathedral gather in workgroups called cognates to pursue specialized interests. Three to twelve senior students, who cover the basic curriculum of the Cathedral, typically supervise a group of up to 70 novices in a cognate, and they can often be found holding impromptu classes throughout Absalom. The best-established cognates often work with other organizations within the city. For instance, the Downrigger Cognate is currently creating kite golems with Vittar Corusec from the Silk Castle kite shop in the Wise Quarter, and the Stirgeworks is focusing on developing variant crossbows, many of which are used by the Guild of Spears. A popular cognate known as Alive and Ticking focuses on healing, and serves as a much-needed first aid brigade within the Clockwork Cathedral, where accidents involving tools, gears, and machinery are common.

Founding Date

4637

Type

College / Academy

Parent Location

Coins

Owner

Assembler

Owning Organization

Ruling Escarpment

The Clockwork Cathedral is one of Absalom’s most famous locations, a site known the world over for its wonders and mysteries. Despite this, few of Absalom’s citizens can claim to have been inside it. For most, the only real interaction with clockworks is in the form of so-called “pets” that can be found throughout the city. These minor clockworks, built to resemble and duplicate the presence of kittens, puppies, songbirds, badgers, lizards, and all manner of small animals, are popular among the children of the city’s elites, and are viewed as a status symbol. The fact that a clockwork pet only deactivates until its next winding if neglected by a child makes them even more popular distractions for parents who know their children aren’t quite up to the task of caring for a living creature.