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Overview:
Sentinel’s Crown is a lone watchtower perched high along the cragged ridges of the Neoramus Range. Isolated and windswept, this towering structure watches over the vast valleys and broken passes below, keeping vigilant guard against threats from the deeper mountains and the West, with sprawling views across the majority of the Road North.
Description:
Built directly into a sharp peak that juts out like a crown above the lowland fog, Sentinel’s Crown is less a single tower and more a narrow fortress carved vertically into the rock itself. Access is only possible by a treacherous, winding path barely wide enough for a mule cart, and in poor weather, the entire keep is wreathed in clouds, rendering it nearly invisible from below.
Inside, its chambers are spartan but sturdy—carved straight into the stone with narrow slits for light and observation. A rotating garrison of Rift Watch Crown home, with ravens and sending stones forming its primary means of communication with the rest Watchers.
History:
Like many of the most enduring structures still standing in the modern age, Sentinel’s Crown was built long before the onset of the Age of Darkness (AoD)—during a time when monumental craftsmanship and grand, time-intensive projects were still viable pursuits rather than luxuries. Constructed with precision and purpose, its role as a watchtower and early warning bastion has remained largely unchanged through the ages.
When the Age of Darkness engulfed the land, Sentinel’s Crown was among the earliest sites to be cut off from the surrounding world. Ironically, this isolation may have saved it. With its remote location and the chaos of the many wars drawing demonic forces to more populous targets, the tower escaped the worst of the destruction. Though its garrison was lost and the paths to it fell into ruin, the structure itself remained virtually unscathed—its stonework so expertly laid that even time and neglect could do little to erode its integrity.
Now reclaimed and repurposed, it stands once more as a silent sentinel, watching from the heights as it has for centuries.
Significance:
Sentinel’s Crown serves a dual and vital purpose in the efforts to reclaim and secure the North. First and foremost, it functions as a watchtower of unmatched utility, offering panoramic views over the western expanse—ensuring that no threat dares emerge from the scorched wilds into the recovering lands of the frontier.
Secondly, it acts as a major communication relay for the Rift Watch. From its elevated position and reinforced structure, it maintains vital lines of contact between the Northern Frontier and the Umbral Reach, allowing for swift coordination across vast and often treacherous distances. In a region where timely warnings can mean the difference between survival and catastrophe, Sentinel’s Crown remains one of the most strategically important outposts in the reclaimed territories.
Notable Features:
- The Perch: A narrow, protruding outcropping near the top of the tower where scouts keep constant watch. It is said that on clear days, one can see all the way to the distant spires of Vitaurum.
- The Raven Rookery: The high chamber where trained ravens and other messenger birds are cared for.
Local Legends or Stories:
Within the Sentinel’s Crown a reoccurring legend is that of the Phantom Flame. ravelers lost in the dark, drifting patrols, and even hardened adventurers have reported witnessing a bright, golden light atop the tower—an unmissable beacon cutting through the gloom of night. Many credit this mysterious glow with guiding them safely to the tower’s gates, particularly during storms or when the mists of the North grow thick.
Yet, curiously, no such light is ever seen or recorded by those stationed within the tower itself. The watchkeepers insist no such flame is maintained or visible from their vantage, and that the beacon has not been lit since the early days of the Rift Watch.
Current Status:
Sentinel’s Crown remains one of the most secure and well-maintained outposts in the northern frontier. Operated by the Rift Watch, it continues to serve both as a strategic watchpoint and a vital communication hub. Though officially under Watch control, Lucien Draven’s men are frequently seen using the Crown as a safe waypoint, sharing intelligence and seeking shelter during long expeditions across the wilderness. Its isolation makes it difficult to resupply, but its sturdy design and self-sufficient systems ensure it remains operational year-round.