Birdtowers
Singular... "Birdtower?"
Established after The Breaking of Dandoleon, the birdtowers were constructed by the Disciples of Thanatorum with the explicit directive to watch over Dandoleon's denizens. The towers' avian inhabitants were conferred prophetic power to predict the coming of Winter and warn the creatures of Summer to migrate or enter a prolonged state of dormancy for survival.
The birdtowers are placed along the circle of Dandoleon, but the Disciples only inhabit one at a time. During its habitation, a birdtower is titled "Tower Nyn." The previously inhabited tower is referred to as "Tower Prin" while the next on the migration route is "Tower Ysteron." Little activity occurs at Prin or Ysteron at any given time, while all others go forgotten until the cycle of migration returns to them. Tower Nyn, on the other hand, serves as a home for the Disciples of Thanatorum where they can accept sacrifices, observe a sector of Dandoleon, and perform divination rituals.
Aside from minor variations, each birdtower has the same general design with four main structures: the courtyard, entry, aviarum, and nest.
During the final stage of The Breaking of Dandoleon, the Indictment of Chaimut damned the callous time god to Dandoleon, where he would be forced to drag the plane about its central axis. In doing so, the halves that had always been Summer or Winter would begin to shift as they traveled in space. At the time, no life in Dandoleon had evolved to survive shifting seasons, leading to a mass extinction event. To mitigate the disaster, Chaimut's brother, foreign god of justice, sought to provide a guide for Dandoleon's people. Thanatorum, himself foreign, declared he was an advocate for the cause. As a renowned emissary of death, Thanatorum argued the persistence of life was necessary to perpetuate his own existence; in the presence of a cataclysm, which was unavoidable regardless, the immeasurable death toll would endow him with the strength to save those who remained. In what was intended as a temporary trial, Thanatorum sent his Disciples to build the birdtowers across the ring of Dandoleon, where they would begin a campaign to gather and shepherd the inhabitants deeper into Summer territory. Meanwhile, Thanatorum traveled to the lands where Summer and Winter meet, capitalizing on the deaths resulting from seasonal shifts and channeling the power therein to his disciples. Once the shift of seasons was fully understood and life began adapting, the Disciples of Thanatorum were told to inhabit one birdtower at a time, eventually migrating forward once Winter approached. This migratory process informs the locals to follow suit or enter dormancy until Summer returns. The towers were intended as a location for locals to commune with the Disciples directly, which has continued to be a successful endeavor. Eventually, Thanatorum was criticized for only helping the denizens of Summer while abandoning everyone in Winter. Fearing an indictment akin to Chaimut's, he fled Dandoleon, leaving his Disciples behind. While he still communicates with his disciples in Dandoleon and they continue to perform their given directive, they do so outside the gods' demands.
Design
Aside from minor variations, each birdtower has the same general design with four main structures: the courtyard, entry, aviarum, and nest.
Courtyard
The courtyard encloses its tower, typically paved with large stone sheets and defended by high-rise stone walls or metal palisades. Its exit meets an ornamental cove of trees and a paved path that meets its end a distance into the wilderness.
Most of a birdtower's structural variation occurs within the courtyard, as its shape and adornment are determined by the surrounding geography. As for decorations, the Disciples of Thanatorum tend to fill the courtyard with local oddities, artifacts, and sacrifices. There may also be several platforms for public addresses or rituals that can't be held at the nest.
The entry makes up the largest portion of the tower's structure, filled mostly with empty space and platforms so its residents can fly upward to the aviarum, the main living space. Each platform is adorned with bookshelves, ingredient storage, herbaria, or preserved animal specimens among other oddities; given the Disciples of Thanatorum can fly to the aviarum from outside, the interior of the entry is primarily used for storage. The lack of staircases and ladders ensures intruders can't invade the tower's peak.
The aviarum constitutes the main living space for the Disciples, including studies, preening rooms, observatories, dining halls, wardrobes, lounges, and kitchens. Some amenities are ignored, only present to accommodate rare mortal visitors. For example, most tools in the kitchen aren't utilized, as the Disciples scarcely eat aside from ritual sacrifices. The structure and number of rooms remain unchanged between each tower, ensuring the Disciples can easily settle after migrating.
Entry
The entry makes up the largest portion of the tower's structure, filled mostly with empty space and platforms so its residents can fly upward to the aviarum, the main living space. Each platform is adorned with bookshelves, ingredient storage, herbaria, or preserved animal specimens among other oddities; given the Disciples of Thanatorum can fly to the aviarum from outside, the interior of the entry is primarily used for storage. The lack of staircases and ladders ensures intruders can't invade the tower's peak.
Aviarum
The aviarum constitutes the main living space for the Disciples, including studies, preening rooms, observatories, dining halls, wardrobes, lounges, and kitchens. Some amenities are ignored, only present to accommodate rare mortal visitors. For example, most tools in the kitchen aren't utilized, as the Disciples scarcely eat aside from ritual sacrifices. The structure and number of rooms remain unchanged between each tower, ensuring the Disciples can easily settle after migrating.
Nest
Atop the tower is an open-air sanctum complete with altars, an amphitheater, and a channel of lenses used to commune with Thanatorum known as an Ohkintropic Delta. Otherwise, it's used as an exit due to elevated wind speeds to assist with flight or as a perch for airborne vehicles, such as large animals or gliders.
Origin and Purpose
During the final stage of The Breaking of Dandoleon, the Indictment of Chaimut damned the callous time god to Dandoleon, where he would be forced to drag the plane about its central axis. In doing so, the halves that had always been Summer or Winter would begin to shift as they traveled in space. At the time, no life in Dandoleon had evolved to survive shifting seasons, leading to a mass extinction event. To mitigate the disaster, Chaimut's brother, foreign god of justice, sought to provide a guide for Dandoleon's people. Thanatorum, himself foreign, declared he was an advocate for the cause. As a renowned emissary of death, Thanatorum argued the persistence of life was necessary to perpetuate his own existence; in the presence of a cataclysm, which was unavoidable regardless, the immeasurable death toll would endow him with the strength to save those who remained. In what was intended as a temporary trial, Thanatorum sent his Disciples to build the birdtowers across the ring of Dandoleon, where they would begin a campaign to gather and shepherd the inhabitants deeper into Summer territory. Meanwhile, Thanatorum traveled to the lands where Summer and Winter meet, capitalizing on the deaths resulting from seasonal shifts and channeling the power therein to his disciples. Once the shift of seasons was fully understood and life began adapting, the Disciples of Thanatorum were told to inhabit one birdtower at a time, eventually migrating forward once Winter approached. This migratory process informs the locals to follow suit or enter dormancy until Summer returns. The towers were intended as a location for locals to commune with the Disciples directly, which has continued to be a successful endeavor. Eventually, Thanatorum was criticized for only helping the denizens of Summer while abandoning everyone in Winter. Fearing an indictment akin to Chaimut's, he fled Dandoleon, leaving his Disciples behind. While he still communicates with his disciples in Dandoleon and they continue to perform their given directive, they do so outside the gods' demands.
Other Residents
While long-time residents outside the Disciples are rare at Tower Nyn, it isn't uncommon for mortals to move to Tower Ysteron in anticipation of their arrival. Typically, those who inhabit Ysteron's courtyard seek asylum and have informed its builders of their presence. In exchange for the protection of its walls, they tend the tower and prepare accommodations for the Disciples, uprooting overgrowth and exterminating pests. Usually, these residents are one of the sapient species of Hymendia.
At Tower Prin, which is always subsumed by Winter, any number of opportunistic beasts will move into the tower to seek warmth and security. While the denizens of Summer would rarely commit such an infraction, the Disciples' mythology has never grown beyond fairy tales in Winter, as the disciples never return until Summer has as well. To Winter denizens, the avian Disciples have become little more than a whisper on the wind or a shadow in the distance: they've no reason to fear the demigods that always stay on the horizon. Occasionally, the long-decayed skeletons of those who remain too long are found by the Hymendia custodians maintaining Ysteron; these remains are either removed or crafted into surreal art pieces to appease the Disciples of Thanatorum when they arrive.
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