Tillinghast Science Center Observatory

Exterior shot of the Observatory

One of two known observatories on Valerian Preparatory Institute's campus, the Tillinghast Science Center Observatory (generally referred to as just "The Observatory") was built and almost immediately shut down and abandoned for reasons unknown. It was rediscovered by Nora Black during the 2022 Fall Semester and now serves as the base of operations for the Valerian Prep Disciplinary Committee.

## History and Details

Constructed some time during the 1940s, the Observatory was built and designed for unknown purposes. by Dr. Jack Tillinghast during his tenure as an instructor at Valerian Preparatory Institute. The school is known to have spared no expense in the construction of the observatory, but few records still exist. Any that do are suspected to be within the Restricted Section of the McCandless Hall Memorial Library. After it was abandoned, all entrances to the Observatory were bricked up and walled off, with the only remaining entrance being behind the far wall in the first-floor janitor's closet.[1]

## Layout and Contents

The Observatory is a ground-based astronomical observatory mounted on top of the Tillinghast Science Center. The observatory itself is a two-level dome structure with a 3.8-meter diameter refracting telescope mounted in the center. The flooring is made of rich, polished wood and the facility's banisters and railings are made of brass while the walls were constructed with specially-designed bricks and plating intended to prevent excess Tillinghast radiation from leaving the building, although the exact makeup has yet to be officially determined.

### **The Telescope**

The telescope was designed and built by Dr. Tillinghast for unknown purposes, but it was discovered by Nora Black, Avram Scotch, and Matt Rivera to be a massive Tillinghast Projector, hard-wired into the school's power grid and capable of generating a massive Tillinghast field. The Disciplinary Committee's current theory is that it was designed in order to view space-based anomalies and entities otherwise outside the perception of normal humans, although since the telescope has fallen into some disrepair, it has not yet been used to do so in the present day. When Avram Scotch looked through the far end of the telescope, she was put into contact with an Entity known as the "One that Watches" which forced her to witness reality in the same way as it does for a brief, yet infinitely long period, which has left her with a unique view on the shape of reality. As a result of this, the telescope has been cordoned off and is forbidden from use.

### **Holding Cells**

Due to the Observatory's unique properties, the Disciplinary Committee constructed a set of holding cells intended for use in emergency circumstances and for the containment of Entity-level threats. Currently, the only known individual who has been placed in one of the cells is Cain Sullivan, where he was placed for his own safety after he crashed the 2022 Masquerade Ball and was attacked by Malcolm Locke.

## **Inhabitants**

Currently, the Disciplinary Committee uses the Observatory as their primary office and holding area. All three members hold keys to the Observatory and access is strictly forbidden to anyone outside of the Student Council without at least one member of the Disciplinary Committee present. **Former** It is believed that the Messenger known as EYES-ON-YOU used the Observatory as their hideout before Nora discovered it and was attempting to assemble a complete map of Valerian Preparatory Institute, although their efforts have yet to be confirmed as being accurate.

## **Trivia**

* The Observatory was named after the character Crawford Tillinghast from the H.P. Lovecraft short story "From Beyond".
* The concept for the Observatory came after Nora Black's admin accidentally inserted herself into the #WhereIsRobinPV storyline, after which she proceeded to write the location's story.
* An observatory as a location on-campus was chosen by Nora's admin after having actually found an observatory while in school that she had not known about previously, although that one had decidedly not been abandoned (just poorly advertised).