Crown Fortress

The **Crown Fortress** is the largest tonbrium fortress in the realm of Celerillion.

## Background

Measuring at over 10 miles in diameter, it hangs several hundred feet in the air above the plain. Unlike many other fortresses, the walls of the Crown Fortress are hung with colorful streaming banners, each representing some aspect of the lord and ruler, known simply as the Philosopher. Hundreds of Conceptors and hunter reside within the structure, all gathering daily within the philosopher's throne room.

The throne room itself is vast and large enough to hold a massive, central seat upon which the Philosopher rests. The Conceptors and Hunters are called into attendance every cycle for several hours, where they would then manifest conceptual creations to glorify and exalt their lord. In a way, they're feeding their mental energy into him, and think that by doing so enjoy a great honor. Without the Philosopher, they know that their race wouldn't have survived in the past, and would probably soon be destroyed even in the present.

### The Philosopher

The Philosopher himself resembles a tonbrium who stands at over 12 ft. tall, whose eyes shine like golden suns and who wears a crown studded with conception jewels. He wears silver and black robes with intricate ebony star patterns woven into them. The Philosopher claims he has always led the tonbrium, and that it was actually he who saved their race from the precipice by guiding the survivors safely back to the Unfettered Range.

It's said that he's immortal. To all outward appearances, that might be true. Regardless, the Philosopher guards his position. By observing the most powerful Conceptors and Hunters within the Crown Fortress daily, he can judge which among them are the most talented with the art. To those he accords a special honor, raising them up as Envoys. The Envoys are then dispatched on secret missions, possibly leading into alternate dimensions. Usually they're never seen from again.

### Secret Vault

The Insurgents tell of a secret vault owned by the Philosopher, filled with proof of misdeeds and lies upon which his reign has been built. But they don't know where it actually is, or what even lies within. It probably doesn't even exist, some of the Insurgents would say, but a useful bit of rhetoric to spout when trying to convince those wavering in their support for the status quo.

In fact, the Philosopher *does* keep a secret vault, which lies inside of tunnels that descend from beneath his throne, past his personal quarters and through a wall that is otherwise impenetrable - because that's what the Philosopher believes it to be. Within this vault lies the *true* Philosopher, the tonbrium who first launched his people on a cross-dimensional crusade to conquer all reality. That warmonger suffered a momentary doubt , a lapse in his god-like mental discipline, when he wondered what he'd be like if he wasn't constantly striving for greater power. Within the Unfettered Range, the though became reality. Unprepared, the original was overcome by his doppelganger. His overextended armies, each pledged to wreak violence on an unprecedented scale, were left to perish between dimensions. And the successor to the tonbrium throne returned home with a tale of Precipice narrowly avoided. No one ever realized that he wasn't the original Philosopher. All praised him for saving "what remained" of the tonbrium race.

And thus things stand as they are now, though some of the Conceptors within the Crown Fortress sometimes say they hear the sound of someone distantly screaming. Such thoughts are quickly dispelled from the mind, of course, lest by their consideration they be made real.

### The Library

According to the head librarian - a Conceptor named Morito - the Crown Fortress library was drawn from a cross section of all thinking things, bound into tomes that represent every one of their thoughts and experiences, from their birth all the way until their death. The qualifier "cross-section" is important in this context. While the library is much larger in the interior than on the exterior, not even the Philosopher's conceptual creation could capture all thoughts of all beings everywhere. Still, if explorers want to find information in a readable format, the Library is definitely a great place to start.

### Prison Pane

When any Insurgents, traitors, or enemies that are judged to be enemies of the tonbrium are caught, they're set within a vast pane of crystal by the Warden, where they'll remain in stasis for the duration of their sentence . The Prison Pane stretches across a broad swath of markets and personal homes for the average tonbrium residing within the Crown Fortress, and serves as a constant reminder that defiance can have its consequences. Given the cautious, deliberate nature of most tonbrium, it's unsurprising that individuals set within the Pane are often other kinds of creatures.

## Miscellaneous

Among the Insurgents, word is that the Envoys are actually devoured, not promoted, allowing the Philosopher to eliminate any potential future rivals.

## References

1. ↑ Cordell, Bruce, “Celerillion.” Into the Outside, Monte Cook Games, LLP, 2018, pp. 120-121. Numenera. ISBN 978-1-939979-47-6
2. ↑ Cordell, Bruce, “Celerillion.” Into the Outside, Monte Cook Games, LLP, 2018, pp. 120. Numenera. ISBN 978-1-939979-47-6