Old Owl Tower
The ruins called Old Owl Tower stand atop a barren ridge extending northward from the great southern mountain range. The ridge is just inside the provincial border with the principality of Allenstadt. A few miles south and a couple hundred feet above the Tri-Boar Trail, the tower is easily visible from the road.
The ridge is made up of a type of rock that is not conducive to most plant growth. Similar to the rock that comprises some metal mine tailings, only some coarse grasses, weeds, and a few small shrubs can grow on the ridge. Even vines that normally cover ruins in this part of the world can only find enough nutrients from the ground to climb partway up the outer walls.
The curtain walls are about 15 feet tall to the walkway, with crenelations extending higher on the outer face. The rectangular area protected by the walls is about 120 wide on the east-west axis, by about 70 feet wide on the north-south axis. In the center of the southern wall is a ten foot wide gap, presumably where a gate once stood. On each corner of the curtain wall is a square platform, 15 feet across, that juts outward slightly to provide covering fire along the main walls.
In the center of the walled enclosure is a deep, round well. Most of the nearby streams dry up in late summer due to the lack rain, but this well has always been found to have plenty of clean water. This water, the curtain walls providing a modicum of a defensive perimeter, plus the ready access from the Tri-Boar Trail, all make this ruin a common stopping point for trade caravans traveling through the province.
Directly across from the gateway, and bisecting the northern curtain wall, is a large, 30 foot diameter circular tower. Reaching 60-70 feet into the air, the upper north and south sides of the tower are carved to resemble the face of an owl, the raised brows above the eyes blending into the machicolations. These carvings can be discerned from a great distance, and are what gives Old Owl Tower it's name.
On the interior of the tower, a curving staircase along the inner wall joins each floor to the one above it, with a small landing between the stairs on each floor. Narrow arrow slits peer out from each floor starting on the third. The original floorplan is not known, but the remaining interior stonework suggests wooden diving walls, now long rotted away. The stairway to the top of the tower is blocked by fallen stonework, so it is not know what (if anything) is present on the roof.
Purpose / Function
The exact age of this structure is not known. However, most scholars agree that it dates back to before the Shattering, though how far before is pure speculation. Likewise, it is unknown why the tower was built in this location. The lack of tall vegetation on the ridge, plus the height of the main tower, do provide a good vantage point. However, the dense forest of the surrounding terrain mean that all that can be seen from the tower is the tops of many, many trees. Some have speculated that the tower was used as a lookout for forest fires. However, even drier than normal years do not see widespread fires in this region.
Another theory is that area was not forested back then, making it an ideal watchtower. However, the apparent age of the largest thundertrees suggest that the area has been heavily forested for thousands of years.
The fact that the well in the center of the ruins is the only reliable source of water in this area at the end of summer has been cited as a possible purpose for the structure. However, that would only explain the outer wall, and not the tall, owl-carved tower.
Alternative Names
Old Owl Well
Type
Ruins
Owning Organization
Related Report (Primary Locations)
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