Locations

[arsholes]

Outside

The Grounds

Outside there is a reasonable amount of green space, particularly around the base of the tower, that becomes a small sandy beach the closer you get to the water. Tall and thick trees surround the sides and back of the tower, primarily beech, oak and ash. They are extremely climbable.

A dock juts out into the lake with a single small row boat tied to it. It looks like it could hold one or two people, depending on how heavy they are. For the most part there isn't much land that can be seen from ground level. From the dock side of the island, you can barely make out a somewhat run-down (but freshly painted) building of some kind with a bright purple door. The large banner draped above the door reads “FANTASY COSTCO”.

There is a garden that is split into three sections: vegetables, herbs, and magical plants. Are most of the magical plants toxic? Yeah, but that's because most of them are also medicinal. There is one plant that has an entire row planted, right in between the herbs and the magical plants - where it should be. ;) If you know, you know. On the other side of the tower from the garden is a small archery range, with three straw targets set up.

Judging by the expanse of the water beyond the tower, it looks like you’re on a small island near the shore of a vast sea. Craggy rocks surround the tower and island in a wide semi-circle, protecting it from the worst of the crashing waves but making attempts at escape highly dangerous. .

FIRST FLOOR

Entrance Hall

Two enormous redwood doors stand, unguarded, in the entryway. This gathering area is big enough for announcements to be held and headcounts to be taken. The doors are now unlocked.

Storage Room

In this area, you can find all of the non-food items you may want like quills, ink, parchment, candles and lanterns, soap and other personal grooming items, as well as a small amount of shelf-stable snacks that require no extra preparation (mostly things like crackers, although there are a few boxes of anachronistic cookies and anachronistic bags of pretzels and chips, as well as a large glass jar full of candy and other sweets). Chances are, if it's not in another room, you can find it here. Oh, there is also a locked door behind an iron gate. Don't worry about that, it's not important.

Kitchen

An area with a wood stove, cabinets, an ice box, and counter space. The ice box is restocked with fresh ingredients daily, and the cabinet holds a reasonable amount of dry goods such as rice, flour, beans, sugar, salt, etc.

The Great Hall

A grand dining area situated with three long wooden tables and long wooden benches. Large banners, black and red with a silver skull insignia embroidered on them, hang from the high wooden ceiling beams.

SECOND FLOOR

Apprentice Quarters

A stone hallway with two rooms on either side, each door boasting a color-coded banner. The quarters all contain 3 sets of bunk beds, blankets color-coded to the appropriate dorm color. Each bunk bed set has a chest at either end to keep your belongings, along with one bookcase per dorm and a clawfoot tub/ shower tucked away behind a door. Along the exterior walls of each dorm is an arched door, through which are the toilets separated by stalls shared with the adjacent dorm. Don't worry, you aren't shitting into the abyss, although it looks like the plumbing is much more recently added than the rest of the structure.

Inside the trunks you will find two fresh changes of clothes, basic hygiene items and your transmitter. They’re small, easily fitting in the palm of a hand, and are fitted with a glittering gem on top that matches the user’s assigned dormitory. At a glance it seems like a normal compact mirror, but upon first touching the glass it activates, illuminating the apprentice profiles instead of the beholder’s reflection. And that’s just one of the many things it can do.

THIRD FLOOR

Tinkerer’s Haven

A large workshop filled with everything an artificer could ask for. There are several work tables full of gears, springs, keys, wood, metal, and all of the tools you would need to create something truly magical.

Music Room

A room filled with musical instruments. There is probably at least one of every musical instrument you could think of. There is also a bookcase filled with sheet music, as well as thin iron music stands.

Training Room and Armory

A room outfitted with all the things that a martial class needs to keep themselves sharp. There's a limited amount of free weights with faded and chipped off purple and gold stickers, there is padding on the floors, and there is limited gymnastic equipment (parallel bars and a balance beam). There is also a ring with elastic ropes for boxing or sparring.

Along the back wall of the training room is a small door that leads to the Armory. The weapons in here are for training purposes only, meaning that they are blunted and/or covered in padding. There are also bows and arrows, although there’s currently no archery targets to be found.

Library

A grand library with two extra walls just to hold more books and bookshelves. The bookshelves have ladders attached, and there are a few wooden tables for studying, as well as single-person desks and some comfortable chairs to sit and read. Most of these books are typical dusty magic tomes, and sorted by subject - Abjuration, Alchemy, Divination and Astronomy, you know the works. However, there is a small fiction section tucked away in the back corner. It is mostly dedicated to absolutely blush-worthy smut, but there are some adventure stories and fairy tales there as well.

FOURTH FLOOR

Lounge

A cozy room with an assortment of overstuffed, but comfortable couches and chairs. Along one wall is a large fireplace with an ever-crackling fire with a coat of arms hanging over it bearing a rearing stallion. Scattered about are a few study tables as well as an antique globe that can be opened to reveal a minibar!

Potions Chambers

Did somebody say chemistry class potions making? No? Well it’s here anyway! Everything you need to brew a basic potion is here. Off to both sides are doors leading to two separate store rooms full of potions ingredients carefully sorted to avoid any unfortunate accidents. It looks like a general stock, so anything too specific will probably have to be ordered from Garfield.

Restroom

A much nicer bathroom that you’d expect to find in a tower like this! The fixtures all seem new enough, made of gleaming white porcelain. It includes a large mirror covering most of one wall, a separate bathtub and shower that can actually fit the tallest of you comfortably. Huzzah!

The shower can also be used as a decontamination chamber in cases of dangerous potions being spilled.

FIFTH FLOOR

Ballroom

A grand ballroom taking up the other half of this floor! Hardwood floors as opposed to stone, marble pillars and grand chandeliers- it’s the polar opposite of the rustic appearance of the floors before it. It has the most windows of any of the floors so far, actual large windows that open to let in the fresh sea air. Do be careful not to fall out though- it’s an awfully long drop.

Chapel

A small, nondenominational space that nonetheless feels hallowed. There is a nondescript altar, and a few rough-hewn wooden pews, as well as candles everywhere. The chapel is preternaturally quiet. The only window here, facing out toward the vast sea, is large and made of stained glass depicting a black and gray grim reaper, massive scythe in one hand to reap and the other hand outstretched to sow.

The scattered “seeds” falling from its hand are a deep, rich red.

As of week 6 the window is repaired. The Reaper is now wearing a crown of bone.

SIXTH FLOOR

Dance Studio

Dance ‘til you’re…well, you know. The dance studio has wall-to-wall mirrors with attached dancer’s bars, a hardwood floor and a single antique record player. There’s only one record available to play but surely your friendly cat merchant will be able to offer more.

The Workshop

A place for the more craft-inclined of the apprentices. The purpose of it appears to be for woodworking to build sets and props, as well as an antique sewing machine for sewing costumes. There’s plenty of wood and tools on one side of the room and bolts of fabric and embellishments on the other. On the sewing side there’s even a wide wooden bucket and a washboard for clothes washing.

Theatre

Aside from the ballroom, possibly the most grand area in the tower so far. At the front is an enormous stage with deep red velvet curtains, a spacious backstage area and wooden seats in the audience covered in the same red velvet as the curtains. Careful not to fall from the rafters- that can be a killer.

SEVENTH FLOOR

Solarium

You’ve heard of an outdoor garden now get ready for the indoor garden! This area looks to have walls made entirely out of windows (even though on the outside the walls appear to be just stacked stone). Sunlight streams in from all directions, flooding the wide variety of hanging vines, apple and plum trees, a host of tropical plants…and the extremely large flowering plant that seems to have a life of its own beyond just photosynthesizing. Maybe give it a steak or something when you come up.

Planetarium

At the center of this floor is the planetarium. Looking at it from the outside it looks like it should be a fairly small area but once entered it’s clear this place is much bigger on the inside. Although not a true planetarium because of its placement within the tower, the slightly domed ceiling shows a purple-blue night sky, dotted with bright pinprick stars in various formations.

For anyone from Earth, these will be familiar constellations. At the center of the room is a large dial the size of a round table, with six separate rings within it, getting smaller as they get closer to the center. Each ring looks to be marked with roman numerals as well as symbols for latitude and longitude. When a dial is moved the stars shift, showing the constellation formations for the set location on the set month of the set year.

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