Compass Tower

Compass Tower

Compass Tower is the only truly fixed point in Top, and serves as its origin point. Widely believed to be the only building still standing that predates the Fracturing, Compass Tower is a convenient landmark for everyone regardless of house. Speaking colloquially, someone who refers to "the tower" in Topwarp is almost certainly referring to the Compass. Someone wishing to refer specifically to the tower itself will say, "the tower proper," while "the tower" may refer either to the tower or the land directly around it, including any of the other notable features.

Tower Proper

A semi-dodecagonal tower spearing towards the sky, Compass Tower is the tallest feature in Topwarp, visible from nearly any rooftop. in front of a pool of similar dimension and matching depth. The tower seems to be made of golden and silver bricks on its "rounded" side, while the flat appears to be highly polished granite in blocks so uniform and closely pressed that no mortar shows between them. The metallic bricks are themselves sized to the golden and silver ratios, laid height to width to depth). The edges of some bricks are notched eleven times, in a 2-1-2-1-2-1-2 pattern, giving twelve divisions of silver and gold ratios, which forms the basis of a standardized measurement system.

On the flat face of Compass Tower, situated at the golden meanpoint up from its base, is a massive astronomical and astrological clock providing the time, date, and star positions for a number of well-known heavenly bodies. The clockface is brilliant blue and white opaque glass, inlaid with gold and silver, and lit from within at all hours, projecting the time on the everpresent clouds. At the lower silver meanpoint is a slit in the granite, from which water pours into the tower deep below; many surmise that the current powers — or is a byproduct of whatever is powering — the machinery within the tower that moves the clock's hands and, some say, the universe around it. At the higher silver meanpoint is a small balcony and observation deck, where a massive telescope sits, aimed at the stars. At the very top of the tower is the Lighthouse.

The borealmost face of the "rounded" side has a door leading inside the tower. Above it is the inscription, "Όπως Παραπάνω".

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse is the highest permanent constructed point in Top; zeppelins and rockets have flown higher, and some mountain peaks are rumored to rise above it, but no building has yet exceeded the Lighthouse in height, and most believe that none ever will. Were some builder succeed in thwarting the efforts of the Order long enough to actually see such a monument through to completion, rumor has it that the Tower would grow to exceed it overnight.

Lighting the lamp within the Lighthouse is the final act required by an initiate of the Order to become a full member. Many have made the trek up as far as the observation deck and come back down to tell the tale, but none who have passed onto the higher floors beyond have spoken of what they've seen. Members of the Order are sworn to silence, and their thoughts remain a mystery to even the most talented historians of Saturn House. All anyone can say for certain is that, on some nights, at twilight, the Lighthouse will erupt in brilliant flame that burns until dawn, at which point the light goes out. A day or two later, a new member of the Order can be seen leaving the tower's main door.

Tower Deep

Surmised to be as deep as the tower is tall and lined with polished granite, the Tower Deep is a semi-dodecagonal pool of water, its flat face flush with the base of the tower proper. On the notalmost face of the pool, opposite where the door would be, is instead a ladder descending into the depths. Just in front of the ladder, etched into the granite, is the inscription, "Έτσι Παρακάτω".

Tower Paths

Twelve tower-shaped stone paths, four the same length as the tower is tall and the pool is deep, eight exactly half that height at thirty-degree angles off of the main directions, giving rise to a universal directional system. At the beginning of each path is an archway, on one side of which is inscribed a word indicating a direction, and on the other a single letter:

Boreas	Η	Red
Meses	Κ	Sienna
Caecias	Ζ	Orange
Apeliotes	Β	Amber
Eurus	Δ	Yellow
Phoenicias	Ν	Chartreuse
Notos	Θ	Green
Leuconotos	Μ	Turquoise
Lipis	Γ	Blue
Zephyrus	Α	Indigo
Argestes	Ε	Purple
Thrascias	Ι	Fuchsia

Tower Gardens

Between the tower paths grow beds of flowers, each surrounded by a different hue, giving a colorwheel effect to the whole of the garden. The foliage grows lighter in shade nearer the center, and darker as they approach the furthest edge from the tower. Small cobbled paths branch out from the paths into the depths of the flowers, giving ample opportunity for private conversations. Occasionally visitors will report wandering from one color to another without ever crossing one of the primary paths; how that could happen has never been adequately explained, but more than one credible witness has claimed it to be possible.