Anchorhouse

Anchorhouses are among the tallest structures on Tiomera, only second to the lighthouses and the Windcatcher Temple. These towers play a vital part in the complex task of navigating the floating city across the Shimmering Depths.

Anchors and Sails

In the early days of the city of Tiomera, the city was floating mostly adrift, taking wherever the waves and wind would take it. A huge anchor was dropped whenever the city wanted to remain in a particular place. As the city grew, more anchors were required to keep it steady upon the water. Houses were constructed for these anchors across the city from which these anchors could be dropped. Over time, the houses were replaced with towers from which sails could be rigged, designed to catch as much wind as possible. The tower extends down through the floor level into the water. This basement is technically part of the Keelark district and is where the anchor itself can now be found. It is with the use of these towers that allows the city to remain in its place, or depart.

Twelve Towers

There are a total of twelve anchorhouses on Tiomera, each with their own crew of arkmates led by an Anchormaster. They are similar in structure and all of the towers have an identical anchor, but the towers are not all the same size. Some anchorhouses have also been integrated into larger structures, such as the House of the Greatwheel, the central Surge Foundry and the largest and most central anchorhouse: the Windcatcher Temple.

Wind and Weight

Crossbeams and ropes extend outward from the tower to which large sails are attached. To most people these might appear as haphazardly attached and chaotically structured, but a lot of of research (most of which was conducted in Eauviron) has gone into these massive riggings. Because of the importance of catching enough wind with the anchorhouses, building any tall structures in the city and especially surrounding the anchorhouses is regulated by the Court of the Compass so that the wind is not blocked. The weight and pull of the wind and the anchor is also an important factor when reconfiguring the rafts around an anchorhouse. Therefore, the areas surrounding the anchorhouses hardly ever change dramatically in structure but are reinforced and repaired often.

Type

Tower

Parent Location

Tiomera

Owning Organization

Court of the Compass