Chromatic Spires of Urbo Ĉielarko Pt.1

     The inner wards of Urbo Ĉielarko are encircled by 7 Chromatically aligned spires. Each of these are dedicated towards different crafts and mystical disciplines. Presented below are 3 of them.

The red spire - Shrine of the Shrouded Sibyls, Piercers of the Ruby Veil.   

        This spire houses the sibylline oracles and their attendants. The sibyls are seers, willingly blinded by a sacred flame said to grant them the vision of the fires of heaven and the ability to see beyond the ruby veil, a mystical barrier that surrounds this plane of existence. They are consulted by the wealthy and powerful, by priests and priestesses of many differing faiths (they remain neutral to any deities and even witches, gifted seers that they are, cannot deny their abilities), and occasionally they send word for special consultation to commoners as their inscrutable visions demand.  

        While their oracular counsels may often seem strange and impenetrable, only the truly foolish would dare to not take heed of them. The Sibyls have made portents that have proven true for as long as they have been heard. 

         At any given time their are 3 sibyls, brought up from the convent of vestals that attend them. In the case that a sibyl departs from this world forever, a new one is chosen from the vestals and a replacement is chosen. Once a sibyl is chosen, they ritually burn out their own eyes with a mystical ruby-red flame, a process that can take days or weeks. Once they are purified and bereft of the vulgarity of worldly sight, they become untouchable by all save the vestals and spend the rest of their lives scyring transcendent sights.

The indigo Spire - Tower of the Orb Keepers.

        The Indigo spires house a collection of ancient orbs. These orbs are of unknown origin and are not unlike a crystal ball or other scrying device, yet they can not be used for purposes of clairvoyance. Instead, these orbs tell stories of the past. They are studied and consulted by a group of archivists that delve into the writings of the orbs and attempt to interpret their meanings. 

        This is a tricky process as seeking knowledge from the orbs requires very specific queries concerning the information sought. The orbs seem to have an omniscient recollection of the past and the knowledge seeker may receive, and be satisfied, with information similar to what was intended, but clouded by the users own biases.  

        The orb keepers archive all queries and results in their library as they ponder the mysteries of the orbs.

The Violet Spire - Conclave of the Vibrant Will.

        This spire is a place of learning for those capable of grasping the arcane forces and those privileged enough to count themselves among its members. Treatise on practice and theory of many magical subjects may be found here and guided research may be conducted by those with access to these rare resources. Admittance is not open to the general public. However, Magic-users, Witches, Illusionists, and other arcane practitioners may gain the privilege to access certain volumes or undergo tutelage from one of the magical scholars present. 

         A past schism among the Willers resulted in tragedy and many tomes were lost. The study of necromancy was abolished  and the scholars have adopt a wary stance towards sharing knowledge with outside entities. As a result, gaining the trust and access to resources of the Willers can be difficult.

        Learning spells from the Lyceum of the Willers is possible once trust is gained. Each individual is carefully scrutinized and usually a service to the Willers and/or a token of goodwill must be rendered by those who wish to gain access to the the Lyceum.