THE SPIRE
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When the majority of Clan members speak of ‘home’, this is what they are referring to: the great Spire of the Lundlaevungar. Even those who do not necessarily live inside the Spire itself tend to refer to this when they talk about ‘the Lair’. A main Hub for all members of the Lundlaevungar, the Spire serves as meeting place, council chamber – and ultimately fortress, should the Clan ever find itself under attack.
The Spire was Loki and Angrboda’s first home, and the place where they met. The main hall and several other chambers were first hollowed out by Angrboda herself when the pair decided to make it their home. It has since been expanded to accommodate more dragons with the addition of new Clan members.
In form, the Spire is a large chunk of dense rock similar to rose-quartz, typical of the Crystalspine Reaches. The top is roughly flat and oval, covered with a lawn of wild grasses, while below the naked rock hangs in two tapering spikes.
It floats, suspended by Arcane energies, with no apparent means of support; Loki and Angrboda found it in this state, though they did not at first realise that it was not connected to the ground. The Spire maintains a consistent height above ground at all times.
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It does occasionally drift with particularly strong air currents, fluctuations in the magical field of the Starfall Isles, and when it is hit by bad weather; however, most of the time no intervention is required to maintain a stationary position. The Spire does have a tendency to rotate, most often widdershins (anticlockwise). This is very slow and barely noticeable from within the Spire; it may complete one rotation each day. Visitors, new arrivals and those who do not habitually stay within the Spire can find this disorientating.
MOVE TO THE STARWOOD STRAND
As the Clan grew, it became apparent that they would soon run out of space within the Spire, and the Lundlaevungar decided to move. They chose to take the floating Spire with them to the Starwood Strand. Under the direction of their leader, Loki, all of the dragons in the Clan contributed their strength to push the Spire from the Crystalspine Reaches. However, as they moved further from the physics-warping magic and Arcane energies surrounding the Observatory, the Spire began to drop.
The Lundlaevungar realised what was happening, but even with all their combined magic they could do nothing to stop to fall. With great effort, they managed to get the Spire to the very edge of the Starwood Strand. There, it clipped the edge of the cliffs and toppled over, skidding into the trees and leaving a rut of destruction in its wake.
Despite Loki’s best efforts, the Spire could not be raised again.
So the Clan became used to their home lying on its side, and made new homes in the trees of the Star Wood. They also tunnelled into the cliffs, creating a network of corridors and chambers on many different levels, creating a stairway to the beach and stretching well below sea level.
Eventually, Loki and the Lundlaevungar gained enough power to raise the Spire from where it lay. The Clan floated it out over the ocean to hang, equidistant, between the Starwood Strand and the Focal Point. It is once again supported by the strange energies emanating from the Arcanist’s home, and apart from a little course-correction to compensate for drifting, the Clan does not plan to move the Spire again.
ARCHITECTURE
The interior of the Spire is divided into
six layers.
The main entrance is located on what is now the second layer, roughly one third down the total length of the Spire, and leads into the largest space in the Lair. This is in fact the original entrance and the first cave that Angrboda hollowed out. What was once an all-purpose space is now a large communal chamber where meetings and social gatherings take place. Apart from the main entrance, there are no windows; supplemental light is provided by the Lightwell, the fire-pit, and Glowing Pocket Baubles.
Spiral staircases at either end of the main hall lead to the other layers, following the outer curves of the Spire. The stairs themselves are ‘open’ and roughly wedge-shaped, which can be somewhat disconcerting for heavier dragons! However, magic reinforces each step to ensure that even if they break away from the wall, they remain in place; this has happened in a couple of places throughout the Spire. There is enough space in the stairwells to allow smaller dragons to fly up and down. The stairwells are lit by small slit windows, none of which are large enough to be used as an entry point except by small familiars. At night, Glowing Pocket Baubles provide illumination. Periodic landings provide access to the interior chambers.
Loki’s chambers are located in the topmost layer of the Spire, and are the largest personal quarters. He shares these with Angrboda. Also on the top layer is the Clan’s library, where quiet study is undertaken. This also serves as a teaching room.
On the third layer, the structure splits into the Spire’s distinctive pair of asymmetrical spikes. The shorter spike contains a single room: the Hoard. This is directly accessible from the main hall. The long spike contains four more layers, three of which are residential, and finally culminating in a Vault layer at the base of the spike.
THE LIGHTWELL
The Spire is predominantly lit by the Lightwell. This structure runs vertically down the longer of the Spire’s two spikes. It is essentially a cylindrical hollow, the outer wall of which is a super-fine layer of crystal that allows light to penetrate. Mirrors positioned at strategic intervals help to capture sunlight and reflect it down to the base of the Spire.
All of the personal quarters connect to the Lightwell. Each chamber has at least one ‘window’ looking out into the Lightwell, with a shallow basin outside for collecting small amounts of drinking water.
These windows also allow for quick communication between layers. However, as the Lightwell is also something of an echo-chamber, this can be quite disruptive.
Some of the ‘windows’ are large enough for small dragon breeds and flying familiars to use them as access points.
THE HOARD
Located in the shorter of the Spire’s spikes, the Hoard is a repository for all of the Clan’s communal belongings, including food. A central column hangs from the ceiling to the deepest point of the spike, and the spiral staircase follows this down. Large shelves and storage spaces have been cut into the walls and column, to ensure that there is space enough for everything.
This is the only room in the Spire not connected to the Lightwell, and as such is one of the darkest. Some natural light does penetrate through a number of small windows cut into the outer walls. These are all glazed or barred to permit entry even to hatchlings or tiny familiars, as a security precaution.
THE VAULT
The Vault was one of the last additions to the Spire, in the deepest point of the long spike, and contains all of the Clan’s treasures as well as all of the Lundlaevungar coin. It is lit by the Lightwell, which here tapers to an open point. There are no windows or air holes, and the base of the Lightwell is protected with a shield charm to prevent theft. Some small dragons who are able to use the Lightwell as an access point can request permission to access the well this way.
At the very base of the Vault is the Clan’s well, which was created as a result of the Lightwell. Rainwater and condensation collects and runs down the length of the Lightwell, falling ultimately into a pool. The Clan uses this as its main source of water, both for drinking and for washing, and is careful to ensure that there is no possibility of flooding.
Corvus is the Clan’s Vaultkeeper. As he is from the Water Flight, he can manipulate conditions in the Vault to ensure that nothing ends up damp as a result of close proximity to the well.
Usually dragons use their personal basins in the Lightwell as a water supply, but when large quantities of water are needed they normally make the trip down to the Vault. However, lazy dragons may call on their Water Flight friends to summon some up the Lightwell for them!