Spiral tower

Spiral towers, also called simply towers, are the most important pieces of infrastructure in the Spiral Empire. The towers create and maintain the spiral wall, preventing those without tattoos from entering the spiral and keeping a log of what spiros with tattoos do in the spiral, including scripts they write and runes they plant or cast.

## Construction

There are four spiral towers in the Empire: one on the central island, maintained by the Spiral Guard, with access to the data collected by the other three; one in the triple kingdom, in the Kuan capital; one in the capital of Seprum; and one in the capital city of the Makkada Sultanate. Over time, as construction practices have improved, the spiral towers have become more efficient and covered a longer range. Though the Makkada Sultanate encompasses three islands, all are defended by a single, central spiral tower. Originally, the Kuan tower extended only variably to Dhi, but recent improvements to it and the main tower have created total coverage. Despite that, Dhi activists have called for the construction of a tower in Dhi where Dhi citizens can get their tattoos and Dhi spiromancers can oversee magic in the area.

Towers have two key components. First, the base, which is often three or four stories tall. It is vital that towers be taller than all nearby structures, yet another reason coverage in Dhi was spotty for so long. Second, the sphere, or dome, at the top of the tower. The sphere is a feat of technical and magical engineering unrivaled in the Empire. To function properly, the room must be perfectly spherical, with walls first polished smooth and then carved and painted with the necessary pointers. Carved pointers are permanent—painted runes are intentionally temporary, as they must be updated periodically to improve tower efficacy.

Towers are protected by teams of spiromancers, who follow a disciplined regiment of planting and casting. The tower is filled with so much tower, it requires no internal lighting and casts shadows on darker nights. Recently, soldiers are also stationed at the bases of the towers, to prevent tampering or physical attack.

## Regional Differences

The base levels of the Makkadi tower is kept open to the public and functions as a library. The bottom levels are often filled with music, dancing, and theatre. The level below the dome is kept quiet and considered a solemn place for introspection. Only choice spiromancers have access to the dome, which is protected by a passcode rune. Every ten years, the murals around the tower and the artwork inside are painted over or destroyed and a new team of artists begins decoration anew. The new spiral tower is unveiled at the end of four days of celebration.

All other towers are closed to the public. In Kuan, the tower was built a little outside the capital to prevent tourism and is defended by spiros and soldiers alike. Similarly, in Seprum, between five cohorts and a legion guard the tower and nearby palace at all times. The proposed location for a Dhi tower is in the mountains, overlooking the valley, where most Dhi citizens would have easy access.

Little is known about the central tower, which is the oldest and likely tallest. Though humans were involved in its construction, they left no notes and none survive to describe the process or architecture. Only a few humans live on the central island, and only near the edges—the spiral guard prevents access to the tower.