Tower of Caladin

Once a bastion of war and might, the Tower has switched hands many times over the centuries and is now neutral space for the leaders of the Candala Union to meet.

Purpose / Function

Originally it was built on one of the great standing stones of the Illian pass by the Asternwald Kingdom, long before the Illian forest was settled, in an attempt to limit entry into the continent by Vard or Oustern. It was also a hard defence against the new and horrifying reality of Kandar.
However, after the events of the Third Sundering, where everyone on the continent had to come together to survive the Ancient Enemy, it proved invaluable in defending the pass. The countless deaths of military from all nations, who held the pass long enough for the Ancient Enemy to be pushed back to the ruins and sealed away, was never forgotten. The Tower now serves as neutral space for inter-union talks to take place and as a memorial to what was lost and gained in those fateful years, and was in fact where the Caladin Concord was drafted and signed.

Alterations

Much of the original battlements, damaged as they were, were pulled down. The main part of the building is now the large central tower, though a section of the wall that was scorched by dragonfire was left as it was. A new arched entrance was built to the courtyard, with a new, large bridge leading to it instead of the narrow stairs that were once there. Carved into the archway and the stone blocks that make up the railing are the names of those that fell holding the pass.
Much of the inside furnishing was changed and updated, though the shapes of the rooms were kept as they were and simply adapted for new uses and updated to more modern comforts. The large mess hall, for example, was converted into a large ceremonial room where official discussions and celebrations take place. The top of the tower, while retaining its archer parapets, had a cover built and houses a large arcane crystal which shines bright white light and can be seen from far away.

Architecture

While the actual tower is still of ancient Asternwald make, thick and simplistic, it was made of pale stone. Most of the new additions are made of bright white stone, and the windows added to the tower are set in wrought, pale metal. While the style is still dominated by Asternwald and Ouster-Mark aesthetics, the gardens, courtyard and much of the lighting is clearly of Saldan origin and the bridge and entry archway was a collaboration between craftsmen of Daijo, Feng-Young and Yucatan and they handled the windows and doors as well. The settlers of Illian provided the light crystal and continue to maintain it.

History

Built and staffed by the Asternwald people, the once mighty fortress stood as a testament to the kingdom's overwhelming military might. As harsh as they were to the people outside of the mountainous walls, who were not allowed to enter, it did also go a long way to cutting down the twisted horrors that first shambled out of the wastes of Kandar after The Battle of Black Glass and preventing them from reaching further inland.
As the Third Sundering began, the soldiers began to find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume of enemies trying to break through, both humanoid and not. As the tense relations between the nations dissolved under the urgent need for a solution, reinforcements from all countries hurried to the Fortress, setting up rudimentary fortifications of their own in the surrounding areas and bringing with them a diversity of fighters and ideas. The estimated death toll over the course of the 6 years is around 470,000 deaths, the highest of any battlefield and accounting for 70% of the deaths during that Sundering. A number of dragon assaults attributed to a great number of these casualties.
After the Ancient Enemy was successfully defeated, it was decided that the damaged Fortress, having been the site of the greatest feat of cooperation, was where they were decide how things would go after that. It was repaired and altered to better suit its new diplomatic and commemorative function, and after a couple of years of negotiation was where the Concord bringing them together under one banner was signed. Both the Tower and the Concord were named after Caladin, the General who led the desperate united charge against the two attacking dragons on the last battle of the Sundering and died bringing them down.

Tourism

Although it is an official place, it is not uncommon for more far-travelled citizens of Candala to visit the pass and the Tower in particular. In fact there is a small village near the pass built almost entirely for people travelling through and to the pass, and most that pass through are aiming to visit the Tower. While there are areas they cannot go, people are able to go with guides to the top of the tower, though the crystal is inaccessible as it is too far above them. The gardens and most of the courtyard is also fully accessible, and for that reason it is where much of the stone monuments recording the events that took place there are.

Founding Date

184 PS

Alternative Names

Everstorm Fortress

Type

Great hall