A note to readers: this is a long entry, some might even say too long. They are probably right.
1. What is the building called?
Once it was known by as “the Gan Gar Spire”; now it is more commonly known as “the last watch tower”, usually by those who have never seen it.
2. Where is this building located?
South of the Gan Gar Mountains, in the northern Nilly Hills.
3. What does the exterior of the building look like?
Just over 300 ft. tall, the exterior looks like a solid gray spire rising well above the hilly forested terrain. From a distance it is easily recognizable. Up close you can tell it is constructed as a single massive piece of granite broken only by small slit windows up all 4 sides. At night the lower 3rd has well-lit slit windows, while the middle 3rd might have a faint glow of torch light, the upper 3rd is nearly always dark. An Iron Gate guards wooden doors that are large, wide, and low.
4. What does the interior of the building look like?
The interior has 4 sections: Barracks, keep, archery, and lookout.
The keep. Through an Iron Gate and massive wooden doors, the ground floor is large and open with a large fire pit in the center that holds an unearthly red fire that burns high and hot forever. It is only this unending fire (lit by coals from some long forgotten layer of the abyss) which makes this tower still habitable. The fire does not produce smoke, making it perfect for a visibility. The walls are lined with stairs and platforms molded from the solid granite of the spire. Two separate stair cases wind up opposite each other with platforms every 20 feet. This goes up for the 1st 100 ft.
The archery. After the 1st 100 ft., it’s finally cool enough to put up some floors. Here there are 3 floors with short wide windows, 1 ballista is located on each floor as well as rows of bows, crossbows, and thousands of arrows. On the lowest of the 3 floors, the dwarves began colonizing bees and even though the dwarves have gone the bees have completely taken over this floor.
The lookout. On the upper 3rd there are 3 floors again, however the floor is constructed from metal grating. A large corroded copper scrying sphere is routinely activated once per day, but usually lays dark in the center of the middle platform. There are more windows, which are slightly larger. With the decline of the spire more bats then lookouts can be found here.
5. What smells are present in the building?
Walking into the keep the entire room smells like lightning. This smell fills the keep and -1 level of the barracks. It persists into the archery where bees rival the smell, but the scent of ozone is still present.
The lookout smells like a cave full of bats.
6. What sounds might someone hear in the building?
The keep has a low drowning mmmnnnnnnnmmmmmmmmnnnmmmmnnnn that constantly fills the spaces between words and drowns out the silence. This causes some people to talk a lot, some to drink a lot, and most to leave.
If you go up to the archery, you no longer have to deal with the droning of the flames. You do however have to deal with the bzzzzzz of bees, most people find this preferable and they delve deep into the hobby of bee keeping.
The lookout is nearly silent in the damp coolness of a cave, the occasional wing flap and whistling of the wind through window slits.
7. Is there something they might taste?
Though the region is damp and cool, the spire is (aside from the lookout) warm and dry. When there is lots of activity black dust that has settled on the stone floor and walls flies up and you can the charred stone from battles past.
Quick change in format for the barracks:
The Barracks
-4:
the tunnels are dark and cold. The tunnels are circular, about 5 ft. diameter. Stones large stones on the sides have a name etched into them where fallen dwarven soldiers are buried into the walls. It is customary to carry a burning beeswax candle when walking these halls. The dwarves say this reminds the spirits within of sunshine on flowers and honeyed mead, which calms them. This led to a memorial serpentine through the tunnels on Memorial Day; it also led to the bee keeping which takes place in the upper levels.
The tunnels smell of damp earth and mold; the dwarves would say, “like an empty mine.” The beeswax candles smell warm and sweet, like glazed sugar melting for your treat. Like mead spilled on the tavern floor and pollen swarming in the air.
It is silent and still here, though if you sit still and listen; magic users, dwarves, and those carrying a beeswax candle often say they hear the chanting, Low and slow from their earthen bones, chants of yearning and of longing.
The air is too moist for dust to float about, but the darkness may be tasted by those with open mouth. Mold spores might be tasted, unless honeyed wax has been wasted.
-3:
List item 1the beds. You may put up curtains if you wish, but it’s all one big room. The beds are made of planks of pine. Drawers for your belongings slide under them. So many names have been carved in these beds to identify them you would have to nat 20 to find a place to carve yours. The granite floor is only visible because of the thorough prestidigitation it gets each month by the wizards apprentices (if they aren’t proficient, they will be). Except on cleaning and inspection days, this room is lit by only a single lantern by the door. There is as small wash room to the side, it is dirty and doesn’t have running water.
No matter how much prestidigitation is done, this room smells like pee and sweaty dwarf. The wizard sells 5gm of incense for a copper; he gets it from the local farm (Arbhundul farm) and makes a killing.
The floor is filled with the sounds of sleeping watchmen/women, snoring and muttering in their sleep.
Whether or not you taste anything depends upon whether or not you brushed your teeth, so I could ask you the same question.
-2:
Down a short hall is the armory, the other way is the officer’s offices. It’s neat, clean and orderly. Worn, but clean, wooden doors lead to simple stone cubicle offices. 10x10. when it is raining there is running water here, including public showers. Everyone on this level is very busy; in fact it’s hard for the officers to find work to keep them this busy, if they don’t though everyone will end up lollygagging around on this floor.
Sounds of quiet work and business fill this floor. The droning from the flames does not penetrate this layer.
Here, you’re too busy to stop and smell the roses, or whatever other scents fill this floor.
Put your tongue back in your mouth and get back to work.
-1:
the great flame above is fed by abyssal coals which rest on this level; those coals also feed a forge. Only those who learned in this forge or spend years practicing may use it efficiently. Down a hall is the cafeteria, down a bit farther and to the left are the kitchens, these uses traditional fires connected to ventilation tunnels.
The forge smells like when you were boiling water and let it all boil away and now your pot is trying to catch on fire plus ozone, so rather it smells like your metal pot is burning because it got struck by lightning. The kitchen smells like delicious food being cooked. Unfortunately, the mess hall smells like the delicious food was cooked by lighting; this creates interesting roomers.
Conversations are loud; otherwise you have to endure the droning MMMMMMMMMMMMMNNNNNNMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNNNNMMMNNNNNNN from the flame.
The food is basic, but the ingredients are fresh and the taste is fantastic.
8. What might someone feel in the building?
The building feels hard and solid. The heat gives this hardness the feeling of safety and security.
9. Anything else you want to add?
In the past age, when the Dwarven Empire ruled these lands; Gan Gar castle was most northern keep built into the base of the Gan Gar Mountains. Gan Gar spire was a day’s ride from its gates both above and below ground. One year, in the deep of winter then ancient white dragon later named Chill wind took the castle accompanied by a host of frosted kobolds. Many survivors fled to Gan Gar spire. An underground assault was carried out unsuccessfully, resulting in the collapse of the tunnel connecting the two.
After this Gan Gar spire was outfitted to repel dragon attacks and pose a very real threat to any dragons moving south from the mountains.
Now, Gan Gar spire is the farthest outpost to the north and mostly watches over Arbhundul farm. The farm is owned and operated the Arbhundul family, a dwarven family descended from the Count of Gan Gar.
