Hightower

The city of Hightower was built around a giant, pre-Sundering obelisk that has been repurposed as a contemporary mage’s tower. Although its previous purpose has been lost to history, its walls still hum with the force of powerful runic magic and the mysterious Runes that adorn it. Historically, many attempts have been made to study the tower’s design, but an understanding of how it works remains far beyond the skills of the greatest rune scribes alive today. The impressive monument casts a shadow across the ringed walls of the city sections, stretching far across the fertile plains at dawn and dusk.   When it was built, the city that was erected around the obelisk was separated into two rings. The inner ring was carved into eight sections and the outer ring was carved into ten. As the power of the great houses rose and fell, so too did their claims on territory within the city. Social standing is baked into the city itself, with the remaining houses arrayed closely around the tower and the peasants scattered in hovels outside the city walls or in the farmlands beyond.   Hightower is maintained by an army of servitor constructs. Simple and unable to speak, the servitors ignore the tower's residents and focus solely on cleaning and maintenance. Most attempts at studying the stewards have proven useless. The city has strict laws in place to prevent the disruption of their work.   It is widely known that the finest channelers in Aldwa are trained in Hightower. The tower itself holds countless classrooms and libraries. Members of the Houses study and practice their grand arts there, and may enter the tower at their leisure. Each House employs specialized tutors to help members further their craft. Outsiders who visit Hightower may study there if they obtain a sponsorship from a Great House, but even then it is at great personal expense. If they were to join a House, though, it is understood that their fees would be waived.   Hightower is also home to the Rota, a large elliptical arena used for Proving Day and other spectacles of entertainment. Admission to the Rota’s shows is always free, sponsored by whichever House is trying to curry favor that day.   Peasants are present in the city, but only in the outer ring where they’re allowed to ply their trades. The luckiest among them are employed as attendants within the estates of the great Houses.   Expansive fields stretch beyond Hightower’s walls where Nerts toil under the dominion of the Houses. Each House holds a manor within the lands granted to them by their fealty to the king and an estate within the city proper, though many of these sit vacant except for when the servitors perform maintenance.