Eye of Emberhand

"I hate that marksman. I really, really, really hate that marksman."

Hek'sath, thief, plucking a self-explanatory quarrel from his backside

The Eye of Emberhand is the tallest building in Fortressia. It has changed hands many times over the years, mainly due to the previous ones being too lifeless to object to the change. Currently, it belongs to the legionary Vithur Dragonscream, serving as his home and watchtower.

Purpose / Function

Tiberius II ordered the construction of the tower in hopes of making it a place where he could enjoy himself without his wife bothering him. While none of his subjects did approve of its construction back then (for economic reasons as well as moral), Tiberius still stood unopposed and even managed to enjoy himself for a few years before dying.
Upon his death, unsurprisingly, the Emperor's heirs did not feel too comfortable with a tower devoted to their father's infidelity. After considering tearing it down, they ended up re-purposing it for their military needs, turning it into a watchtower.
Many men were given the watch over the centuries, all of them seemingly unable to father heirs to take it after their death. Rumor has it all who stand watch must give up their fertility to pay for Tiberius II's crimes of lust, and holding the tower has indeed lost a bit of its appeal because of it.
When Vithur Dragonscream accepted the job, he chose to spend the rest of his life inside the Eye of Emberhand, making it his home as well as his workplace. There are currently no other watchmen.

Alterations

Once Tiberius II's heirs had decided what to do with their father's project, the first thing they disposed of was the bed and the surprisingly complete stash of wines. Most watchmen also agreed that there was little need for aromatic candles while they were on duty, so those went as well. Less... savory items were disposed of as well, most of them in complete secret from the populace.
The wooden shutters were reinforced and automated with levers. A simple communication system made of bells and ropes was quickly installed, along with a large spyglass on four wheels. The space beneath a loose tile formerly meant for wine became a stash for crossbow bolts.
With Dragonscream's arrival, the tower was once again furnished with a bed, as well as a room at the bottom for a servant to keep him from starving up there.

"Servant! Gerupere! I need someone to read my new orders!"

Vithur Dragonscream

Architecture

The Eye of Emberhand is a sleek building of granite with very little embellishment to make it stand out. Tiberius paid much more attention to the content of the tower than its exterior. Every twenty-or-so steps, a small platform was built just in case the Emperor got impatient before reaching the top. Several torches have been placed in its surroundings to ensure the watchmen above miss nothing.
The tower's head is wider than its base, with steel-studded wooden shutters and clay shingles painted blue on its the roof. The shutters open quickly and soundlessly, making many crossbow-related deaths in Fortressia unexpected until the last second.

History

Apart from its builder's misadventures, Eye of Emberhand has played a vital role in multiple occasions where the times became too interesting to remain peaceful. The Arcane Storm and its subsequent fire and looting would have been three times more destructive if there weren't men with crossbows rapidly decreasing the population of mages in the city. During the riots that ended up fueling Ragmar's Rebellion, it was the loyal marksmen at the tower that forced humans and orcs to get off each other's throats and limp back to their houses.
Ever since Vithur rose to the task, crime rate in Fortressia has gone down considerably. Without a fixed schedule, Dragonscream just grabs his spyglass whenever he feels like shooting something (which is more often than you might think) and eventually finds a target guilty enough to aim at. This has given him record numbers as far as takedowns are concerned, and enough unpredictability to leave no criminal safe from his scope.

Interactions with the City

Apart from the many criminals the watchtower wipes out, the only way for Vithur to interact with the people below is by shooting a message dangerously close to their faces. Many have already objected to this practice (mostly people who were contacted this way), but Dragonscream believes concerns are unjustified until accidents back them up.

Alternative Names

Tower of Whores, Emberhand's Folly, among other less kind names involving Emberhand's private parts

Type

Tower, Guard

Parent Location

Fortressia

Owner

Vithur Dragonscream

Owning Organization

Emberhand Legion

Characters in Location

• Vithur Dragonscream

ACR Constantine District - Concept Art by Gilles Beloeil

On particularly boring days, Vithur actively waits for crimes to happen. Most legionaries agree that the people do not need to be reminded of how often they are in his sights.

Noteworthy Staff:

Tiberius II - Ordered its construction and spent a majority of his later nights there
Lumella - The most frequent visitor during Tiberius II's reign apart from Tiberius himself
Persidon Tridentslam - Stood watch during the Arcane Storm and the ensuing chaos
Boris - Killed during the orcish riots
Marcus Sabellius - Killed during the orcish riots
Vithur Dragonscream - Current watchman

Trivia:

Emperor Tiberius II paid for the tower's speedy construction by implementing taxes for... nightly jobs of negotiable affection. Many people were upset, which is why the tower's earliest foundations and architecture are so refined to repel attackers from any direction.
The Eye of Emberhand was built by geomancers who really, really, really did not want to become bellboys. Some were even paid for their efforts.
Legate Grizzley claims to have once been pushed off the top of the tower. Legate Brutus Lexius says it "explains a lot".