Spire Albion

**Spire Albion** is the Spire where most of the characters of the Cinder Spires series originate.

## About

### Description

Like all spires, Spire Albion rises far above the surface, and few if any of its residents have seen it. It was created by the Builders, but has been modified by the people who live in it. Items such as meat and crystals (which would naturally be found on the ground) are grown in vats, and wood is expensive (though much less so than in Spire Aurora).

The Spire is round from the top to the bottom; all the habbles inside are square.

### Size / Numbers

* 10,000 feet high
* 2 miles wide
* 250 Habbles — 236 are occupied.

### Structure / Inner Workings

* Communities, like small cities—called habbles are stacked one on top of another
* Ventilation Tunnels were placed throughout the Spire in every Habble, most run horizontally, some run vertically
* The Builders created **Spire Albion** in the shape of a perfect circle with each habble being a square fitting into that circle. The spaces around the square were located at the Carina's points of the compass, These spaces contained a variety of supporting structures—cisterns, Ventilation Tunnels, waste tunes, and so on.

### Modifications

Most Habbles in every Spire have modified the original spaces as designed by the Builders.

#### Construction Materials

* **Spirestone**: original construction by the Builders esidences.
* **Masonry**: The most common material—sometime used to build new structures and sometimes used to "repair the not-quite-invulnerable **Spirestone**".
* **Brick**: commonly used in buildings.
* **Hardened clay**: common construction material for more modest rresidences.
* **Wood**: the use of wood is limited since it is hard and very dangerous to acquire it from the Surface and usually found on more well-to-do homes and shops. Although Habble Landing uses a lot because of its roaring economy by having their own shipyards.

### Colors and Symbols

* Fleet Uniforms: deep blue with gold braid
### Albion Defenses

* **Guard**: a little more than 3,000 guardsmen
* **Marines**: 1500 in Home Fleet—full regiment.
* **Fleet**: ?
* 4500 persons to protect 236 potential targets — They'e been sent up and down the entire Spire.
* The location of the invaders is unknown.—not able to fight them directly.

### Government

It's basically a democracy with elected officials on the Council. There is a monarch called the Spirearch—Lord Albion—who is basically a figure head with limited powers. He tries to do what he can to help his people by navigating the system. The Spirearch's Guard is mostly at his service.

The Spirearch Manor—which is located in the center of Habble Morning—serves as the residence of the Spirearch, the seat of government for the Council, and the base for the Guard. The entire government operates out of the Spirearch Manor.

The Council that rules the Spire was founded by Gregor the Strong two hundred years ago, after uniting all the habbles.

### Habbles

Habbles are different subsections of the Spire, similar to cities. There are many of these, and while there is a great deal of trade between the different parts of the Spire Albion, many people have not left their home habble.

* Habble Morning
* Habble Landing
* Habble Risen
* Habble Solace — location of etherealist Bernard Fezzig.

### Airship Travel between Habbles

* SHIPMENT OF GOODS: Since Habble Landing broke a hole through the outer Spirestone wall and built a shipyard, there is booming trade between Habble Morning and Landing—making for easier faster movement of goods between all the Habbles.
* MECHANICS: A long tether cable runs down the side of the Spire to which airship attach heavy lines to prevent the ship from drifting away from the tower. And, a pair of long ones were set out on the side of the ship to prevent it from crashing into the tower.

### Houses

* House Lancaster
* House Astor
* House Tagwynn

Cat Houses:

* House of the Silent Paws
* House Nine-Claws

### Places and Businesses, etc.

* Spirearch Manor
* Beech's Dumpling Stand
* Ventilation Tunnels
* Habble Morning Marketplace
* Lancaster Vattery
* Tagwynn Vattery
* Camden Vattery
* Fleet Shipyards
* Habble Landing Shipyards
* Temple of the Way
* Great Library of Spire Albion
* Black Horse Inn
* Lady Hadshaw's Finishing Academy
* Etheric Engineering Academy
* Academy

### Government / Groups / Organizations

* Spirearch
* Spirearch's Guard
* Fleet
* Council
* Albion Marines
* Verminocitors Guild of Verminocitors

## Albion Airships

Albion's home fleet consists of a corps of 20 Roc-class battleships, "absolute leviathans a hundred times the size of Predator -- and correspondingly sluggish and slow to respond. They were accompanied by a screen of lighter vessels, around fifty cruisers and destroyers of various tonnages."  They are led by Fleet Admiral Watson.

### Fleet

Full list: **Albion Ships**

* AFS Chivalrous — an Albion heavy cruiser three times larger than Predator, destroyed in the Ciervo’s attack.
* Dreadnaught — largest ship in Albion’s fleet. A model the size of Rowl is in Addison’s study.
* Energetic — smallest ship in Albion’s fleet. A model the size of Gwen’s pinky is in Addison’s study.
* AFS Speck — Albion destroyer where Grimm saw his first tour. Howled like a damned soul in freefall.
* AFS Glorious — Albion ship captained by Commodore Hamilton Rook. A peer of ASA Itasca.
* Valiant — Albion flagship of Commodore Alexander Bayard.

### Merchant Airships

* AMS Predator — loyal to Albion, but not part of its fleet. Captained by Francis Madison Grimm. (AMS = Albion Merchant Ship)
* Surplus — an Albion merchant ship destroyed in the Ciervo’s attack
* Tinker — an Albion merchant ship destroyed in the Ciervo’s attack

## Connections

* Spires
* Spirestone
* Builders
* Habbles
* Habble Morning
* Habble Landing
* Fleet Shipyards
* Habble Landing Shipyards
* Spirearch

### 1. *Aeronaut's Windlass*

Spire Albion is attacked by Auroran Armada led by ASA Ciervo at the Fleet Shipyards and then infiltrated by Auroran Marines. Spirearch, Lord Albion, sends a Team led by Efferus Effrenus Ferus down to Habble Landing on the AMS Predator to seek out the traitor and stop the enemy.

With her ether-sight Folly is able to see the Etheric energy coursing through the Spirestone of Spire Albion placed there by the Builders—from the sky through to the earth—in various channels and currents. The Silkweavers chasing them were shining like out-of-control fire.

## See Also

* Book List
* Spires
* Habble

## Book References

1. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 33, p. 307
2. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 19, p. 183
3. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 8, p82
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch.6
5. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 12, p. 128
6. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 19 and 14
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 20
8. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 9, p. 101
9. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 24
10. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 22
11. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 11
12. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 14
13. ↑ *Aeronaut's Windlass*, ch. 35