The Pendulum

One of Three major structures across the continent of Hurcrenst, the Pendulum hangs from the Anchored City of Zant Meleth. It is the center of this city's mageocracy and a center of study into the "wounds" on the planet's surface. The only way to get into the tower is to be invited and given an item to walk on the underside of the floating city and into the tower.

Purpose / Function

The city itself is over a "wound" which breaks through the material realm into the spiritual realm, which some suppose is the afterlife. This tower was designed to get close to the "wound" and study it, as were other towers that dot Hurcrenst. This one "wound" is bleeding Transmutation magic in an upward stream, causing the floating city to be under an altered form of a known spell within the world. The tower is carved from the underbelly of the floating rock the city stands on. Due to the nature of this entire supernatural environment, mostly mages, scholars, and engineers traffic the city, and a small council of the best of these govern the city from the 'top' of the Pendulum. The learned and the careful are welcome to peruse the studies into the magic here, but only the members of the Pendulum are allowed to push research forward, and only the council of the Pendulum is allowed to convene with other tower authorities within Hurcrenst, though exceptions can be made. The study of Transmutation magic, as well as the availability of items crafted using the knowledge here are decades ahead of other cities and other continents as they are at a literal source of pure Transmutative energy.
The research performed here is split mainly into two categories, one is the furthering of understanding the magic, the second is studying the "wound" itself, such as making sure it isn't growing, if the magic fluctuates at all, if traces of a different kind of magic come through, and other things researchers would love to describe to potential listeners in great detail. One such study determined that though Transmutation was the main form of magic in this "wound", Evocation magic also pours through in minute quantities, though research is still ongoing as to why this is the case.
The latest research proposal was brought forward by dwarf engineer, Klaus Coppercog, and elf wizard, Raedamia Kelminia, who proposed physically exploring the "wound" and of note, are the first one's to have their proposal approved, to the shock of many in the Pendulum as well as the city of Zant Meleth itself.

Alterations

As the understanding of Transmutation magic has increased, the tower's height has increased, ever reaching closer towards the "wound".

Architecture

Though the city of Zant Meleth is constructed as a city would be on the surface, the tower is built from the carved rock under the island. It is formed from hewn stone, and looks like a solid single piece of stone, and serves as a visual representation of the advancement of Transmutation magic, as well as a symbol of power that the Pendulum holds by using this magic.

History

While the city of Zant Meleth had been around for a while, it was only about a millennia ago that the "wound" opened up and pushed the city into the sky. Out of fear, the residents constructed giant chains and lashed it to the ground below, giving the city the nick name of The Anchored City. It was after the fear of the city flying away subsided did the newfound magic users and engineers began constructing the Pendulum to study why the "wound" existed.

Type

Tower, Mage

Parent Location

Zant Meleth