Obsidian Tower is the residence of Lord Valanthru in the upper noble sector of Caldero: a single tower of polished obsidian guarded by a sorcerer drone, and a node of the conspiracy around the zodiacal ritual.
| Type | Place |
| Active | 1824 AE (present cycle) |
| Houses of the Cycle | ⛓ House of the Band · ⟳ House of the Rotating Office |
| Spanish entry | Torre de Obsidiana |
Architecture
Five levels with an internal spiral staircase, built of obsidian plates that mirror the sun darkly at certain hours. An enclosed garden of dark-leaved plants surrounds it. Details include wrought-iron filigree, small stained-glass windows with alchemical diagrams and an armored basement. The obsidian was imported, possibly from Star City or its industrial-magical guilds; the building dates from an intermediate industrial-magical phase.
- Ground floor: black-marble hall, sealed door to the basement.
- First floor: formal salon for official visits; small library.
- Second floor: the lord’s rooms, a double-locked office, the adopted child’s room.
- Third floor: service quarters, a suspected arcane workshop, ceremonial objects.
- Lookout: circular balcony over the crater; night observatory of the zodiacal platforms.
The sorcerer drone
A small aerial construct with a continuous detection spell patrols the perimeter. It comes from Valanthru’s industrial-magical ties with Miles Corp. When Ayrton Auslander, thief of La Jabalina (the Javelin), tried to break in during the present cycle, the drone detected him and he withdrew empty-handed.
The adopted child
The child Valanthru adopted after the rescue at the Bazaar of Life lives on the second floor. His name is not recorded; Mascor Blancarba calls him “the chosen adopted child” or “Valanthru’s orphan”. La Jabalina suspects he is alive but confined: visits are barred, and when glimpsed on the balcony he neither calls out nor waves.
Role in the conspiracy
- Coordinates with House Frame Rhivadi (mechanical arms, zodiacal marks on children).
- If the Cageewrights ritual works, the child is one of the chosen and the tower a preparation site.
- If the tower is the body of the next Borg Pope, Valanthru is its gestating vehicle.
- The lookout aligns with the zodiacal platforms.
- The Company of Laughter probably serves it.
A penetration by La Jabalina and a ritual activation of the observatory are anticipated.