High Clerist's Tower
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The High Clerist's Tower is actually a massive fortress, introduced into the fictional Dragonlance series of novels in the book Dragons of Winter Night. Vinas Solamnus, founder of the Knights of Solamnia, ordered it to be constructed some 1600 years prior to the Cataclysm after some Solamnic clerics asked him to build it. It was to be built according to the way their prophecies outlined. These clerics never made it clear as to what the purpose of the Tower was but, as it proved to be an effective way to defend the only pass through the Vingaard Mountains into Palanthas, the Knights continued to occupy it.
The fortress is built with octagonal (eight sided) wall around it, with a tower at each of the junctions where the walls meet. There are eight towers in all. Every wall has a gate crafted from ironwood, further strengthened by strips of steel, and finally magically empowered for even greater defense. These gates all lead into a courtyard that surrounds the Tower.
The tower was in fact built as a trap for dragons, its very design perfect for trapping them. However, the Tower also has other rooms. The second floor houses temples and bedrooms, the third floor has dining rooms and guard halls, the fourth floor has kitchens, the sixth floor has gardens, the eighth, ninth, and tenth floor are where the clerics live, the fourteenth floor has living and gathering areas, the thirteenth floor has a maze, and at the fifteenth floor is the topmost lookout.
Tradition states that the Tower would never fall as long as faithful men defend it.
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[edit] Conception
According to Tracy Hickman in The Annotated Chronicles (1999),[1]
| The original design for the High Clerist's Tower was a gargantuan structure of immense complexity and detail. Every consideration was given to its defense—particularly against dragons. Indeed, the interior structure was designed specifically to combat dragons. As my wife and I envisioned it in the game design, the tower itself was haunted by spectral revelers whose souls were trapped in an eternal celebration of death. |
[edit] Abandoned
When the Kingpriest of Istar "demanded of the gods in his arrogance what Huma had been given in humility", a fiery mountain was hurled upon Krynn, an event known as the Cataclysm. The High Clerist residing in the Tower at the time, Yarus, died in the time around the Cataclysm, and the Tower was abandoned by the Knights of Solamnia. It was never used for defense again until many years later.
[edit] War of the Lance
Future Grandmaster Lord Gunthar Uth Wistan ordered a small army of Knights there to defend Palanthas from the massing dragonarmies. Sturm Brightblade, after being knighted, served honorably during the siege, in fact commanding the Knights of the Crown that were present.
Flint Fireforge, who was present along with Laurana and Tasslehoff Burrfoot, once made a comment that the tower was ridiculously designed, and the designer must have been out of his right mind to build it as such. Tas, being very bored in this place, decided to enter the tower for some enjoyment. In his exploration, he discovered the third Dragon Orb in the center of the tower.
Laurana then accessed the Dragon Orb and, with the help of the only surviving Knights there, Knights of the Crown, trapped and killed two blue dragons inside of the Tower using Dragonlances, utilizing the ingenious dragon trap that had been laid so many years before. However, Sturm Brightblade gave his life in an attempt to delay the Dragon Highlord, Kitiara Uth Matar, commander of the Blue Dragonarmy. The battle, however, was won. The armies were scattered and the dragon force was significantly reduced. This was the last time the battle would come to the Tower's gates.
[edit] After the War
Lord Ariakan was held as a prisoner of the Knights for a good while. The Tower was updated; the dragongates that were part of the old trap were sealed, as there was no longer need for them, all the Dragon Orbs being gone. There is also a small circle of blood where Sturm died that is respected as an honored place by the Knights, and they circle it in reverence.
[edit] Blue Lady's War
Kitiara, after her last loss at the tower, realized a better plan was needed. So, this time around, while the Knights once again put a great many soldiers at the Tower, Kitiara took her flying citadels and went all the way around the tower and attacked Palanthas directly.
[edit] Chaos War
During the Chaos War, Knight of the Rose Thomas of Thalgaard commanded and controlled the Tower. Tanis Half-Elven, Crysania, and Dalamar the Dark, along with Thomas, formulated the plan for the defense of the tower. However, even though the effort was valiant, the battle was too hard without the power of the gods to aid them. The Tower fell to the Knights of Takhisis.
Ariakan hastily made the Tower the head of his operations on Ansalon. The Thorn Knights, magic users of the Knights of Takhisis, took up residence in the dragontrap chambers. However, Chaos soon attacked the Tower and killed everyone except for a small mix of Dark Knights and Solamnic Knights who were on the lowest level. These groups were unite to fight in the Battle of the Rift.
After the Dark Knights left, the Tower was again abandoned. Once the Dark Knights were overthrown after the War of Souls, the Solamnic Knights moved back to the Tower.
[edit] Important Rooms and Chambers
[edit] Chamber of Paladine
The Chamber is a tomb beneath the Tower. It is the final resting place of countless Knights of Solamnia, and the chamber where Sturm laid in death. The Chamber was a place of holiness and many Solamnics, even those who were not Knights, prayed there.
Sturm's body was preserved inside the Chamber for many years, but this changed when Steel, his son, visited him. Along with him was his armor, the sword Brightblade, the Starjewel, a dragonlance, a carved wooden rose, and a white feather covered by a crystal. Steel was given the sword and starjewel by his father, and afterwards Sturm's body disappeared from the tomb.
[edit] Dragontraps
These are ingenious traps made to trap and kill dragons. Five gates in the Tower's walls are designed to allow dragons through. Each gate leads into a hallway, and in the center is a chamber with a Dragon Orb. The Dragon Orb sends the call to the dragons, they fly in, their neck is trapped by a portcullis and they are contained until they can be slain with a dragonlance. The last time these were used was when Laurana used them in the first siege of the tower during the War of the Lance, afterwards the dragontraps were destroyed and are no longer used.
[edit] The Eternal Halls
The Eternal Halls are a huge maze that guards the treasury of the High Clerist's Tower. There are no locks; you must teleport from section to section. All you must do is figure out the maze to enter the treasury.
[edit] The High Council Hall
On the eleventh floor of the Tower is a large room with crystal windows, fancy benches around the perimeter, a raised dais with a throne, and a great pillar on the northern side called the Great Pillar of Yarus. There are stairs here that lead to the Khas Room.
[edit] The Khas Room
The stairs in the High Council Hall lead here. It is in fact a huge platform on the twelfth floor, if you attempt to leave any other way besides the stairs, you face a drop down to the lower level. There is, fortunately, a railing. There are four pillar that support a domed ceiling. There was once a fifth pillar; it fell and crushed Yarus during the Cataclysm while he sat in the center playing a Solamnic game called Khas. Khas is played on a board, located on a table. There is such a board in the Khas room, with two chairs as well.
[edit] The Kingfisher's Nest
The Kingfisher's Nest is a lookout on the upper level of the Tower, and it can provide the best view of the surrounding areas, making it a very important strategic point on the Tower.
[edit] The Knight's Spur
The people of Palanthas added the Knight's Spur onto the Tower, closing off the Westgate Pass entirely. This made the defense of the Pass much easier, reduced from a small army to man the tower to several soldiers. The bottom floor of the Spur is the only way through the pass. There are three gates on this floor, as well as a man-made ravine with portcullises to discourage assault. The Spur also has several rooms that are used for a variety of purposes. There are three floors altogether in the Spur.
[edit] References
- ^ Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman [November 1999]. “Book 3, chapter 11, A kender's curiosity. The knights ride forth.”, The Annotated Chronicles, 1st edition, Wizards of the Coast, 861. ISBN 0-7869-1870-5.
[edit] Further reading
- Dragons of Winter Night
- Legends of the Twins (sourcebook)
- Palanthas (sourcebook)
- War of the Lance (sourcebook)
- Dragons of Summer Flame
- The Dragons
- The Second Generation "Kitiara's Son"
- The Oath and the Measure
