View source for The Clocktower

The clocktower is one of the largest fortresses in existence, rivaled in size only by the royal palace of Csara, the Acropolis of Karthay, the Eternal Fortress of Eburon, the City of Life of Imadigo, and Atenza.  It's outer walls are an ellipse approximately 600 x 900 meters: they stand roughly 50 meters high.  The walls are of solid, unbroken metal, soddered together by the heat of Ixymion's dragon breath.  Four gates permit entry to the fortress, corresponding to the four cardinal directions (N, S, E, W).  The largest of these is the Eastern gate, which is over a cliff that drops about 100 meters to the ocean below.  The western gate is in the central square of the sacred forum of Ixymiopolis, and is guarded by a single ceremonial guard at all times.  The guard is there for show: he/she represents the devotion of the Iximiopolitans to Ixymion, but they are not charged with preventing the entry of anyone who dares to try and enter.  <br>
The distance between the walls and the Clocktower itself is approximately 100 meters.  The fortress itself therefore measures 500x800 meters, and is a masterwork of gothic architecture: vast halls are supported by flying buttresses, towers jut into the sky, and stone and steel gargoyles keep watch.  Those with considerable knowledge of architecture and/or history know that the layout of the tower conforms to strict mathematical and magical formulae, making the tower itself a triumph not only architecturally but scientifically and artistically as well.  Tallest of the spires is the central clocktower itself, which rises to a height of perhaps 500 meters.  At its top, it supports a massive, internally lit clock, which, through its numerous hands and dials, tells many facets of time.  <br>
The tower itself is composed of endless catwalks, hallways, collonades, splendid halls, tunnels, and towers: in essence, it is a giant labyrinth with paths within, upon, and below it.  Some accounts have been written on successful entries into the tower (of which there are 1, or perhaps 2, a generation), but they are usually fanciful and highly romanticized.  Of course, some who have entered have been "questioned" or induced to discuss their journey: although this has not lead to conclusive, systematic solutions for how to enter (as illustrated by the dramatically unsuccesful large scale mission by Karlsbad's Rogue Company of perhaps 3 generations ago), the general consensus is that navigating the tower is a combination of intuition, intelligence, knowledge, magical skill and, above all, luck.  Many of the elements of the tower seem to be in a constant state of flux: pathways that were open even a few minutes earlier can often thereafter be closed for 100 years.  More importantly, bizarre and complicated traps exist throughout the tower, many of which are incredibly lethal.<br>
it is rumored that at the heart of the fortress is Ixymion's throne room, and legend popularly posits that this is where the heroes led by Tom the Fool imprisoned Ixymion by using some cunning trap of their own.  It is widely believed that no one has entered his throne room since his imprisonment, not even Iyi, and that it remains sealed since that time.  His treasure appears to be dispersed throughout several chambers in the tower, and it is these treasure rooms that appear to be the primary targets of the daring thieves that have entered in the past.  Nevertheless, the approaches to such chambers are laden with the aforementioned traps, and for every one great thief that escapes with treasure a dozen die in the attempt.