The Tower in the Clouds is an outpost in the far western edge of Maracoor Abiding located in the Tenterix Range of the Walking Mountains.
Residing in the tower is the soothsaying Oracle of Maracoor, where the few pilgrims who claim to have met him speak of a pious simplicity in his countenance and counsel.
Description[]
The structure’s profile resembled a sculpture of chimneys or bottles grouped together, the highest of them in the center. There were windows and a low door, with laundry on a line, a goat tethered to a peg, and a table put out before the door for guests, laid with white napery and set with plates and bowls, platters covered with ceramic and copper domes, and plenty of wine bottles and cups.
The Caryatids[]
The primary inhabitants of the Tower are the Caryatids, a group of humanoid tree-people who look like humans made of wood, part natural growth and part hard-worked material. Their features were marked by blushings of reds and greens against wood tones found in nature and in sawn planks. The wooden folds of their clothes shifted with dry rustling, scraping, and clacking sounds. The Caryatids serve as the “towerkeepers”, a house staff working for the Oracle who prepare for any guests that may arrive to the Tower.
Known Caryatids:
- Tesasi, the mistress of ceremonies, also called “Tesasi Towerkeeper”.
- Acornella, a young, adventurous towerkeeper and the self-proclaimed “fairy princess of the woods”.
- “Nothing” and “Never”, two mute towerkeepers.
The Sheriffs of the Forest[]
Outside the Tower reside the sheriffs of the forest, a group of anthropomorphic tree-creatures who help move the mountains around the Tower to assist any pilgrims deemed worthy of the Oracle's presence; when doing this they use the mountain mists as a camouflage. The leader of the sheriffs of the forest is Peritir.
Others[]
Besides the Caryatids and the sheriffs of the forest, other beings who help guide travelers to the Oracle is the blue Master Dream Wolf, Artoseus, and King Yurkios, a giant of the copper waters of High Chora.