"My visit to this city in tower form left me feeling incomplete; as though I knew less coming away then I knew going in. Many may find this entertaining or fun. I only felt discomfort in the knowledge that I was missing something seemingly of great importance." - from the memoirs of Lewin Von Treet, Vault: the Land of Stuff and Things
Population: ~1,200
Founded: 1300 (1090 years ago)
The citizens of The Tower That Sees the Sunrise were not its original inhabitants. The warring with the Lizardfolk lead many Tabaxi to seek weapons to end the conflict, and this ancient tower, once considered evil and forbidden, provided those Tabaxi with what they needed. When need drove them within, they found ancient devices, relics, and the means of producing their own weapons. The entry into the tower turned the war to the Tabaxi's favor, driving the Lizardfolk across the water back to Unguis Jungle.
When the fighting ended, many Tabaxi stayed in the tower, forming a community around the innovations found within. Many others considered their needs met and abandoned the tower, disgusted by the taint they felt seeped from its walls. But for those who remained, a stronghold developed which has stood for over a thousand years.
The Tower That Sees the Sunrise is so named for being incredibly tall. It towers over the jungle canopy and stretches even into the clouds. The tower itself is a maze of hidden corridors, secret rooms, and undiscovered machinations of the Constellation War. The original intent of the tower is unknown but the Tabaxi have labored for centuries to uncover what secrets they now have. The secrets of ancient clockwork, unbreakable gears, and magical weaponry.
The exterior of the tower is a conglomeration of various machines and gears that turn certain parts at precise times. Massive lenses adorn parapets, acting as sources of heat and power if angled correctly. Stonework shifts, walls collapse and reform, and entire floors of the tower will reconfigures themselves with the thunderous grinding of metal. The Tabaxi who live here have memorized the tower's movements, and are powerless to stop it even if they wanted to. They consider it to be an important aspect of the tower's significance.
While The Tower That Sees the Sunrise was instrumental in winning a war for the Tabaxi, it has since distanced itself from violent origins. It is now a place of innovation and machinery; the most prestigious place of its kind in the western reaches of Vault. And while it's true magical artifice is alive and well concerning the martial arts, the people of the tower enjoy the every day pleasures of making that which improves every day life.
Those who live within the tower spend most of their days indoors. While there are places to step out onto balconies and parapets overlooking the jungle, the tower is so big it can be troublesome to get to them. With the ever-shifting nature of the tower, making a permanent residence can be challenging, but the Tabaxi have found areas more consistently stationary than others.
The Forge That Heats the Heart - when the exterior lenses are angled correctly, they all shine into the massive forge at the heart of the tower, heating metal to melting within seconds. And while weapons were once made with such metals, now it is more common to find gears and frames being forged than blades. It is also here that the choir of the tower come to regale the religious in worship of invention and beauty. Many visitors say the focused light of the lenses behind the echoing voices of the chorus is one of the more beautiful experiences on can have in the world.
The Room That Clicks - one if the myriad puzzles yet to be solved in the tower, even after a thousand years, is the room that clicks. It is an ever changing, ever shifting kaleidoscope of multi-colored panels, engraved runes, and stonework. Those who spend their lives attempting to adjust the room to fit certain configurations either go mad from the constant ticking and churning of the gearwork behind the walls, or go mad from their inability to solve the puzzle. Some have desired to tear the room apart, but like most of the tower, such is easier said than done. And the secrets it hides could be destroyed along with it.
The Only Feather in the Flock - this Inn is renowned for its hospitality and is a popular destination of the adventurous. Going to sleep in one of its rooms does not always guarantee the sleeper will awake in the same room. Some people find themselves awaking in the same room as complete strangers, or even in bed with someone they've never met! Visitors put up with the inconvenience for the levity of it, and also because there is talk that it's possible to awaken in secret rooms within the tower as well.
Where Needs Are Met - one of the cavernous interior spaces of the tower that once housed something massive has been repurposed for an open-air market in which peddlers of all manner of good can sell their wares. This is also a place where socializing happens in a more natural way. It's common for families to come to Where Needs Are Met at least once a day, even if they don't need to purchase anything.
The Workshop Upon Zenith - the top of the tower is famously a small, homey workshop reserved for the head researcher into the tower's mysteries. This occupation is passed down from master to apprentice, and is a most revered title. It is as close as the tower comes to leadership. The workshop is stationary and it is rumored it holds its own hidden knowledge yet to be discovered.
The Making of Terrible Things - this legendary space is said to hold the forbidden knowledge of creating deadly mechanical creatures meant for one thing: murder. From small infiltrative creatures that can kill with a pinprick to large-scale creatures that decimate battle lines, those who intentionally seek this room are apprehended and removed from the tower. Those who accidentally find it are never able to find their way back. But all who have ever entered agree, this room hold more than just schematics and journals. It also holds an evil which should remain lost.
The Temple That Calls Unto All - one of the stationary rooms in the tower, presumably so all can find it when they have need, the Temple is an ancient space with towering pillars and ornate stonework rivaling master masons of the Dwarven realms. Intricate details carved into edifices and statues ordain every surface. One could spend days investigating every depiction lovingly crafted into the stone. It is blessedly silent within. While the Tabaxi have little use for the space, it is clear it was once a place to worship Gond, the god of craft.
Through Clear Glass: Male Tabaxi, head researcher for the tower, spritely and lively fellow despite his age, unforthcoming about his knowledge of the tower
Breath Between Screams: Female Tabaxi, head of tower security and former torturer involved in mysterious cult, she hates everyone, including herself
Table for Twelve: Male Tabaxi, head of market economy and transactions, he routinely travels across the sea to procure new partnerships, has a silver tongue and an ear to match
Bakail Elderbeard: Female Dwarf, foreign researcher and master craftsperson, intent on discovering schematics for unusual objects
Raam Reed: Male Tortle, master of crafting components for automatons and philosopher on artificial life, loves conversing over hot tea near roaring fires